Research Papers

Leadership and People Management

Soft power: how a colleague's promotion weighs on the rest of the team

Brion, Sebastien; Mo, Ruo; Lount Jr., Robert B. Trust is crucial for working relationships. And yet changes in status and power destabilize trust, putting team performances at risk. Research by Sebastien Brion highlights the dynamics in play. Read article
Economics

How Alibaba is improving welfare in parts of China

Fan, Jingting; Tang, L.; Zhu, Weiming; Zou, Ben E-commerce is booming in China. And nowhere is it more obvious than in smaller and more remote cities, where the prevalence of online shopping is lowering barriers to entry and boosting economic output for those who need it most. Read article
Strategy

Boosting firm performance with the business model effect

Sohl, Timo; Vroom, Govert; Fitza, Markus Does a company's business model affect its performance? Govert Vroom's research says yes -- it's just as important as the choice of industry in determining a firm's success. Read article
Innovation and Change

What is holding back tech licensing?

Moreira, Solon; Cabaleiro, Goretti; Reichstein, Toke New technologies could be commercialized to a greater extent than they currently are. But when competition is fierce and sunk costs run high, technology owners are reluctant to out-license. How might this reluctance be overcome? Read article
Marketing

How to get peak performance out of an innovation tournament

Camacho, Nuno; Nam, Hyoryung; Kannan, P. K.; Stremersch, Stefan Innovation tournaments have become a popular way to crowdsource new ideas from outside a firm. A study by IESE's Stefan Stremersch and colleagues reveals a surprising metric for tournament success, and why moderators may need to be cruel to be kind. Read article