Power and Influence →
- 19 Mar 2009
- Working Paper Summaries
Beyond Gender and Negotiation to Gendered Negotiations
How does gender affect negotiations within organizations or rather how do organizations affect gender relations? Deborah Kolb, a professor at Simmons College School of Management, and HBS professor Kathleen McGinn explore how definitions of work, specified roles in organizations, status hierarchies, and the politics and practices of organizational realities affect how gender plays out in organizations. Considering gender in organizations from a "negotiated order perspective"—that is, from the perspective that cultural patterns and work practices are the result of past interaction and negotiation—not only expands the range of issues that are potentially negotiable, it also turns attention to rethinking certain dimensions of the negotiation process itself. Key concepts include: Following recent scholarship, the authors distinguish between "first generation" gender discrimination involving intentional acts of bias from "second generation" gender issues, practices that are embedded in organizational workings, that seem unbiased in isolation, but result in different experiences for and treatment of women and men. Certain roles may be deemed more suitable to men than women and vice versa, setting up the need to negotiate for opportunities and fit. A woman's effectiveness as a leader, and the authority she can claim, is often judged differently from that of her male counterparts. Access to networks and flexible work arrangements give rise to the need to negotiate and this need often falls along gendered lines. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 03 Jul 2008
- What Do You Think?
Are Followers About to Get Their Due?
Online forum now closed. Leadership may be much-discussed, but followership merits equal attention, suggests HBS professor Jim Heskett. As a follower, what advice would you give other followers who want to have an impact on their jobs and organizations? As a leader, what do you do to foster good followership? Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Mar 2008
- Research & Ideas
Encouraging Entrepreneurs: Lessons for Government Policy
Who you know and how much money is in your pocket have always been significant contributors to entrepreneurial success. New research by Harvard Business School professor Ramana Nanda explores new wrinkles in this age-old formula—and how government policy may impact entrepreneurship. Key concepts include: Policymakers can benefit from understanding how peer networks and the financing environment impact the kinds of people who become entrepreneurs. People with a higher fraction of co-workers who have been entrepreneurs are more likely to try it themselves. Moreover, peer effects substitute for an individual's own background—those whose parents have been entrepreneurs benefit less from exposure to entrepreneurial peers. Not everyone who wants money to start a new business necessarily deserves it. Wealthy people are often able to start inadvisable businesses because they don't need to undergo the reality check of an investor's approval for funding. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 04 Oct 2007
- What Do You Think?
Has Managerial Capitalism Peaked?
Summing Up. Professor Jim Heskett considers his reader's comments on the growing imbalance between what John Bogle terms managerial capitalism and owners' capitalism. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Jul 2007
- What Do You Think?
How Much of Leadership Is About Control, Delegation, or Theater?
Forum now closed. Summing up the many responses, Jim Heskett says that the mix of control, delegation, and theater employed by successful leaders depends on timing and circumstances. "The strongest messages I received were that if leadership involves control, it is only over setting an organization's course and priorities." Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 25 Jun 2007
- Research & Ideas
HBS Cases: Beauty Entrepreneur Madam Walker
She may have been the first self-made African American millionaire. Born of emancipated slaves, Madam C.J. Walker traveled from the cotton fields to business fame as a purveyor of hair-care products that offered beauty and dignity. Harvard Business School's Nancy F. Koehn and Katherine Miller explain what motivated her triumph. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 26 Mar 2007
- Research & Ideas
Learning from Failed Political Leadership
Strategic independence and better leadership assessment—these are the critical issues for both business and government in the future, says Professor D. Quinn Mills. In this Q&A he describes key lessons from his new book, Masters of Illusion, coauthored with Steven Rosefielde. A book excerpt follows. Key concepts include: Business leaders must be able to predict changing dynamics between powerful organizations under multiple international economic and geopolitical scenarios. A major failing of current leadership models is the lack of knowledge, awareness, or even interest in life beyond our country's borders, a limitation of growing importance as the global economy expands. The most important threats to America in the decade ahead are from major powers, not terrorists per se. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 08 Jan 2007
- Research & Ideas
Who Rises to Power in American Business?
Business leaders in the United States have usually been white men who were blessed with the right religion, family, or education. But "outsiders" have also created their own paths to leadership, a trend on the rise today. Paths to Power is the first book in fifty years to exhaustively analyze the demographics of leadership and access in business in the U.S., and how the face of American leadership might be changing. A Q&A with Anthony J. Mayo. Key concepts include: Paths to power in American business have followed two tracks: The inside track favors white males with the right connections. The outside path is forged by individuals who overcome significant odds to achieve success. Over the last seventy-five years, education has become more critical in creating a path to power; religion and family ties less so. Access to power appears to be widening. In the future, individuals who can operate and lead in a complex global world will be at an advantage in gaining leadership positions. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 Nov 2006
- Working Paper Summaries
Organizational Response to Environmental Demands: Opening the Black Box
How and why do organizations respond differently to pressures from different stakeholders? This question is central to organizational theory and feeds into strategic management research as well. Delmas and Toffel develop and test a model that describes why organizations respond differently to similar stakeholder pressures. They suggest that differences in how organizations distribute power across their internal corporate departments lead their facilities to prioritize different institutional pressures and thus adopt different management practices. Key concepts include: Stakeholder pressures are channeled to different organizational functions, which influence how they are received—and acted upon—by facility managers. As a result, managers of facilities that are subjected to comparable institutional pressures may adopt distinct sets of management practices to appease their external constituents. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Jul 2006
- What Do You Think?
How Important Is “Executive Intelligence” for Leaders?
Leadership talent is enjoying a perceived "seller's market," says Jim Heskett. As we select and train future leaders for all levels of our organizations, how much effort do we really spend assessing executive intelligence as opposed to personality and style? What do YOU think? Key concepts include: According to Justin Menkes, executive intelligence is the ability to digest, often with the help of others, large amounts of information in order to form important decisions. Menkes says, "Personality is not a differentiator of star talent. It is an individual's facility for clear thinking or intelligence that largely determines their leadership success." What do you think is the relative importance of executive intelligence, style, and personality in effective leaders? Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Jul 2006
- Working Paper Summaries
Governance and CEO Turnover: Do Something or Do the Right Thing?
CEOs who become "entrenched" by the board of directors can gain an extra buffer between themselves and angry shareholders. Entrenchment has potential costs (a poorly performing CEO hangs on to the job) but also benefits (the board can deflect shareholder cries for dismissal of a CEO who was merely unlucky). The authors hope to shift the emphasis of the debate on entrenchment to a consideration of these tradeoffs and to shift the focus of the entrenchment-performance discussion toward the decisions, such as CEO dismissal, that are directly tied to the actions of the board. Key concepts include: By caving in to shareholder demands, boards may act against the long-time interests of the company and those same shareholders. Governance is a very important mediating factor in the relationship between performance and firing. At the time of founding a forward-looking investor may wish to put in place governance mechanisms that address these issues. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 20 Feb 2006
- HBS Case
Oprah: A Case Study Comes Alive
Writing a business case on the icon of daytime television and chief executive of a major media empire was challenge enough for HBS professor Nancy Koehn and colleagues. Oprah Winfrey's visit to campus to talk with graduating students made it ample reward. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 21 Nov 2005
- Research & Ideas
Making Credibility Your Strongest Asset
Dealmakers often forget the power of a good reputation. In this article from Negotiation, HBS professor Michael Wheeler tells why having a storehouse of credibility will put you head and shoulders above the competition. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 26 Sep 2005
- Research & Ideas
What Perceived Power Brings to Negotiations
What role does "perceived power" play in negotiations? For one thing, it may help all the parties take away a win at the table. Professor Kathleen McGinn discusses new research done with Princeton’s Rebecca Wolf. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 13 Mar 2005
- Research & Ideas
Reinforcing Values: A Public Dressing Down
Often the hardest part of a turnaround is improving bad interpersonal behavior in the organization. A Harvard Business Review excerpt by professors David Garvin and Michael Roberto. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 31 Oct 2004
- Research & Ideas
The New CEO’s Wrong Message
Any new CEO who tries to wield power unilaterally will pay for it, according to Harvard Business School professors Michael E. Porter, Jay W. Lorsch, and Nitin Nohria. An excerpt from Harvard Business Review. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 24 May 2004
- Research & Ideas
The Watsons: IBM’s Troubled Legacy
For over seventy years, Thomas Watson Sr. and Thomas Watson Jr. shaped and built IBM. In a new book, Professor Richard Tedlow explores the complex relationship between father and son. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 12 Apr 2004
- Research & Ideas
What Great American Leaders Teach Us
A new database on great American leaders offers surprising insights on the nature of leadership. A Q&A with Tony Mayo, executive director of the Harvard Business School Leadership Initiative. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 15 Dec 2003
- Research & Ideas
Women Leaders and Organizational Change
Merely expanding the number of women in leadership roles does not automatically induce organizational change. Harvard professor Robin Ely and Debra Meyerson call for fundamental changes to transform organizations. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
Professional Networks in China and America
While American managers prefer to separate work and personal relationships, Chinese counterparts are much more likely to intermingle the two. One result: Doing business in China takes lots of time, says HBS professor Roy Y.J. Chua. Key concepts include: It generally takes much longer to build trusting business relationships in China than in the United States. When cultivating business relationships in China, American managers may want to know as many people in the Chinese counterpart's network as possible. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.