Monthly Archives: July 2011

Editors’ Note: This fictionalized case study will appear in a forthcoming issue of Harvard Business Review, along with commentary from experts and readers. If you’d like your comment to be considered for publication, please be sure to include your full … Continue reading →

This post is part of the HBR Insight Center Marketing That Works. Back to school shopping will be uneven at best in the U.S. this year. The vast majority of consumers are gloomy, fearful about consumption, and cutting back on … Continue reading →

A few weeks back, we saw firsthand a hotbed of innovation in a place that many observers had long ago given up on. Its resurrection convinces us that other organizations can do the same by creating a culture of consideration, … Continue reading →

A few years ago, my best friend, who is gay, contracted stomach cancer. Serendipitously, the day after I learned of his condition, a member of Campbell’s OPEN network (our human resources network — a.k.a “affinity group” — which supports the … Continue reading →

Tom Malone, professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and author of the HBR article The Age of Hyperspecialization, explains why breaking jobs into tiny pieces yields better, faster, cheaper work—and greater flexibility for employees.

The greatest metric for predicting job satisfaction and engagement is the social support perceived by the employee. And job satisfaction and engagement directly correlate with productivity. So the best and fastest way to more connected and therefore more productive is … Continue reading →

Last year, I worked with Accenture on a study of its largest clients to learn what the leaders of these mega-corporations had on their minds amidst all of the uncertainty they face. The headline: After years of taking a back … Continue reading →

“We never see any good ideas,” lamented a senior executive. “People bring us ideas. But they just don’t have any . . . magic.” At first, I found the comment surprising. I had just begun to get to know the … Continue reading →

We stand today on July 27, one year away from the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Britain is well ahead of schedule. Contingency budgets are $1.4 billion under-spent. Even the notoriously cynical British media remain supportive. Look … Continue reading →

A vice president of sales recently told us that he drives sales growth by publishing a monthly forced sales ranking of all salespeople. “Salespeople love the competition. They like to see where they stand, what it takes to be #1, … Continue reading →