Case Research & Writing Group at Harvard Business School

As a case writer at Harvard Business School, I have written about and studied countless leaders. Few have impacted me as profoundly as Ray Jefferson. Ray's journey—from disproving dismissive teachers to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point Academy, overcoming a devastating injury in the military to enduring wrongful termination—was one of relentless resilience, vulnerability, and service. These events did not leave him bitter or vindictive; rather, he drew strength from his vulnerability and enabled us to accept our own vulnerability and perhaps dare make it more visible to others. To me, that is his ultimate achievement. Ray’s life is a powerful reminder that authentic leadership isn't about avoiding hardship but facing it with grace, self-awareness, and an openness to growth. In moments of adversity, he sought opportunities for healing and connection, including with networks such as the Young Presidents Organisation, his classmates at HBS and the Harvard Kennedy School, and remarkable allies like Peter Choharis. Ray is no longer with us, but his legacy of understanding what it means to lead with compassion and emotional intelligence endures. Despite the discipline and persistence he applied to all his endeavors, Ray also always stopped to ask his interlocutors: “So, how are you doing? How are things with you?” Well, Ray, to be honest, I am less well now that you are gone but better than I was before knowing you. May we all take from his example the courage to embrace vulnerability and the commitment to support others in their most challenging moments. A special thanks to Sara Clarke and Beverly Anderson for introducing us, Karen Stanley and the Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association (#HBSAAA) event in June, Professor Tony Mayo for his excellent case study about Ray, and my colleague Brian Kenny for his podcast about the case. Our heart goes out to his family, friends, and loved ones. Case study "Raymond Jefferson: Trial by Fire" : https://lnkd.in/evjvarbt Podcast on how do great leaders overcome adversity: https://lnkd.in/gzKshs7U June event: https://lnkd.in/gyeuDaEQ #Leadership #Resilience #MentalHealth

In late March 2020, less than two weeks post lockdown, Professor John A. Quelch and I shared you first LinkedIn article below (thank you, Arthur (Arturo) Natella, for the encouragement then and always!). We warned about the mental health impact of COVID-19 and provided concrete guidelines for companies to support workers and middle managers who would become emotional shock absorbers. Our April 2020 Op-Ed foresaw the mental health pandemic that transformed schools, homes, workplaces, and communities https://lnkd.in/gnZsxdCQ. We were ready because John had been committed to researching and talking and offering solutions for mental health and the workplace at a time when the entire conversation was taboo. For this foresight and courage, I honor and thank him today on #WorldMentalHealthDay2024. He enabled us to be a decade ahead of this year’s theme: “It is Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace.” Our 2014 note on Mental Health in the American Workplace (https://lnkd.in/gxMraB_2 ) led to our Harvard Business Review piece about how to support a struggling colleague (https://lnkd.in/gdeiu4b5) with Amy Gallo. A few years later, in 2018, Springer published our book Compassionate Management of Mental Health in the Modern Workplace, which provides a practical framework for managers to improve their own and their teams' and organizations' mental health management. (https://lnkd.in/dMVqd3QS), and Dominic Barton, Kent Shoemaker, and Donna E. Shalala supported it. Since then, the disruptions caused by COVID-19 in schools as well as workplaces left many with ongoing mental health challenges. The supply of mental health professionals remains well short of demand in advanced economies while, in much of the developing world, economic downturns increase the ranks of the unemployed such that workers with mental health issues are easily replaced if they falter on the job. Now, we are at another inflection point for mental health as more and more catastrophic climate change events wipe out small businesses and destroy lives and livelihoods, creating soul-destroying poverty and forced migration. While mental health issues in the workplace are less stigmatized today than 20 years ago, there is still more work to do. In particular, very few leaders in corporations, let alone governments, have been open about mental health struggles that may impair cognition and decision-making. Ultimately, they are the ones making the societal choices that negatively impair the mental health of the billions in their care. Unfortunately, the topic still remains largely unaddressed in institutions that train and shape leaders, such as business schools, missing a chance to equip leaders to support an emotionally transformed humanity. Perhaps this should be next year's theme. Until then, it is all up to us to support and watch out for each other--and leaders. Our follow on posts are here: https://lnkd.in/gKwDHaxB #mentalhealth #leadership

A little Harvard Business School oasis created by our lovely hosts Vicki Good and Philippe Labrousse convened alumni from the illustrious #hbsexeced General Management Program and Advanced Management Program as well as the Women on Boards program. Nice to be with old and new friends Emmanuelle Petelle and Marie-Laure Michaud. It was so great to feel the buzz, ranging from summer plans to geopolitics, cross-border management, and the impact of GenAI leadership, and explore ways to foster deeper and ongoing collective learning. Of course, it's also nice to hear about memorable case studies and classes, which is music to the ears (and fingertips) of our Case Research & Writing Group at Harvard Business School. Only Ani Kharajian and Nicole Zelazko were missing, but definitely with us in spirit. #hbs #hbsgmp #hbsamp #lifelonglearning

Did you know Harvard Business School Publishing is bigger than Forbes? Today we talking to Carin-Isabel Knoop, who is the founder and executive director of the Harvard Business School Research and Case Writing Division.?It is similar to the great conversation I had last year with Paul Edelman, PhD, PCC, who has developed psychological tests to find talent for leading hedge funds.?I would encourage you to listen to that one if you haven’t, Paul is great at breaking down conceptual thinking. This conversation was spurred by two things, one that I found out on the Business Breakdowns podcast last year that Harvard Business School Publishing is larger than Forbes, and two I’ve also always been curious about how case studies are actually written.?Anyone who has done security or competitive analysis will appreciate the level of detail that goes into a case. Carin-Isabel Knoop is the Executive Director of the Harvard Business School Case Research and Writing Group.?Previously she was a consultant at McKinsey and Price Waterhouse Coopers.?Carin earned her bachelors summa cum laude in Government, Economics and International Relations from the The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Harvard Business school with honors.?She is also a very active writer on Medium and where she writes about creating better workplaces. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eEWznEJD Tom Burroughes Jamie McLaughlin Josh Baron Gautam Mukunda Roger Cole Katie Zandbergen Gautam Ramchandani David Teten Nancy Koehn Maple Feng, CESGA?, CPWA? Emanuele Visconti Navjot Singh Christopher Harben, DSL, MBA, CGBP Anny Chan Clay Forum Matthew Weinzierl Greg Coules Christina Wing Efosa Ojomo Van McCormick Lauren Cohen

Happy #WorldCaseTeachingDay2024! Today is a happy day for our Case Research & Writing Group at Harvard Business School and our global community of case writers who help faculty develop the materials that make case teaching possible.? ? Teaching by the case method (like modern management) is challenging as it requires: - fostering meaningful learning for participants as individuals, as part of study groups, and in the larger classroom to generate knowledge and develop skills in the management of organizations; - orchestrating discussions that promote productive disagreement at a time this can feel impossible across society; - encouraging creative exploration while driving to teaching goals; and, - dealing with potential surprises and twists and turns to the careful teaching plan devised before class starts. So today, and every day, we celebrate all of you case teachers who make cases sing in the classroom—and give us a chance to play a little part in the case writing adventure for over 100 years! Our thoughts on the beauty of the case method: https://lnkd.in/g-J7z2-Y (with Amram Migdal) And a podcast on the case method as a leadership tool (with Ben Fanning) #casestudies #casemethod