Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini, cofounders of the consultancy Management Lab, say that even though we all lament how rigid, parochial, and time sucking bureaucracies can be, they still seem inescapable. The managers who’ve excelled in them often don’t know how to dismantle them — or else they don’t want to. But Zanini and Hamel have studied and collaborated w ... Show More
Today
Leadership Summit 2026: Honest Company CEO Carla Vernón on Leading with Focus in Turbulent Times
How do you take a young, purpose-led company to the next level? In this special episode, as part of the recent HBR Leadership Summit 2026, The Honest Company CEO Carla Vernón shares how she leveraged the powerful reputation and loyal customers of the mission-driven consumer brand ... Show More
29m 1s
Mar 2024
How to stop your company’s size from slowing you down
Do ideas have the freedom to run in your workplace, or do they get caught in internal complexity? As companies grow, they tend to have more processes and stakeholders slowing down change. So what can you do to get things done? In this week’s episode, Anne and Frances help a rocks ... Show More
37m 35s
Feb 2024
Why ‘sh*t-fixers’ make the best managers
Few things at work are more frustrating than tedious bureaucracy – and few things make employees happier than when their managers get rid of it. Isabel Berwick speaks to Huggy Rao, professor of organisational behaviour at Stanford, and co-author of 'The Friction Project,' to find ... Show More
15m 20s
Aug 2024
Will generative AI hurt middle managers—or help them?
Bogged down, bothered, beleaguered: Many middle managers have it bad—and they can also have a bad rap. In Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work (Harvard Business Review Press, July 2023), McKinsey talent experts Bryan Hancock and Emily Field sought ... Show More
25m 13s