You've probably noticed what I've noticed: Soaring gas prices are finally, finally, causing people to change their behavior. Take me, for example. I now share my 44-mile commute into Boston with a co-worker, something I thought I would never do. So people are ready to change. How...
Expanding on yesterday's blog on the diminishing ROI for business users of Facebook, Harvard Business Online blogger John Sviokla checks in with a positive look at its main competitor for business users, LinkedIn. His take: LinkedIn delivers tremendous reach to business professionals for a relatively small investment....
In a much debated research paper last year, Princeton economist Alan S. Blinder concluded that up to 38 million jobs, or 29 percent, of US jobs are potentially offshorable within the next couple of decades -- that is, capable of being outsourced to workers in other countries. ...
I love products made by 37signals and now, thanks to innovation blogger Bill Taylor, I now admire the company as much as what it makes. As Taylor points out in an enlightening Harvard Online post, 37signals lives as a company by the same principles it embraces in...
Do you feel as if you are pulling the wool over the eyes of your workmates, hiding your incompetence? You are not alone. There is even a name for it: Imposter Syndrome. Management consultant Gill Corkindale takes up the subject of business professionals with...
Even in a decelerating economy, competition for top young talent remains high. To attract these folks, you need to be creative. Your competitors certainly are. Tammy Erickson blogs on Harvard Business some examples of what top companies are offering hot candidates. Here's a sample: ...
Economy-driven layoffs have already begun, more will follow. Will you be one of them? Harvard Business Review editor Diane Coutu believes she has a formula to help you keep your job while others around you are losing theirs. It goes like this: ...
A friend of mine recently was part of a merger that left him reporting to a boss in his mid-30s. Since my friend is 53 -- about the age of his superior's own parents -- he found the relationship more than a little awkward. So I was...
Be honest. We're you really surprised at the revelations that State Department employees took clandestine peeks at the presidential candidate's passport files? I wasn't. I know of a department store credit office where the night shift routinely passes the time by pulling up records of famous customers....
One pitch entrepreneurs often hear from VCs and other investors is that they will help you find top talent for your organization. This is only partly true. If you want a CEO or CFO, then, yes, your venture funding partners can help recruit top names. But if...
Harvard Business Review has just published its top breakthrough business ideas for 2008 Registration required. The list of 22 trends ranges wide, from a public transit agency that uses crowd sourcing to improve service, to hackers who increasingly are outsourcing their nefarious deeds to service providers. Want a real...
Some bosses lead through empowerment, others through intimidation. When I think of an empowering boss, I think of exemplars such as Hewlett-Packard co-founder David Packard and "The H-P Way." On the intimidation side, well, let's just say Al Dunlap earned his nickname "Chainsaw". So which...
As most managers know, mediocre and poor employees take up most of your time. Your great performers -- well it's easy to let them do their thing without much guidance. A boat on a steady heading doesn't need much work at the helm. Or does it? A...
As the blog title at the top of this page reflects, this space is devoted to thinking, research, and opinions coming out of Harvard University and, more specifically, Harvard Business School. But I'm stepping just a bit from my mandate to today share an insightful Benoit Beloit...
What do these songs from the pop canon have in common? Come on Eileen She Blinded Me With Science Ice Ice Baby The Macarena Tainted Love Yes, they were all monster hits. But they were also one-hit wonders. Their creators...
You've probably seen this happen. A new boss comes into your group and, feeling empowered, starts making changes to the organization that any staff member could have told him or her would be disastrous -- if only they had been asked. Many years ago I was promoted...