A manager's job is, quite simply, to motivate people toward achieving a common goal. Succeeding at this job requires an array of communication skills, ranging from delivering a prepared talk to helping team members negotiate the best way to move ahead on a project. No communication skill, however, is more critical to the manager than the ability to frame an issue effectively.

"I’ve written before about Serena Software’s use of Facebook as their Intranet..."

How big a deal is IT? Is it really a ‘game changer’ for business? And if it is, does it change the game in a way that leaves the players looking more similar, or more differentiated from each other?

Every so often, though, I spend time with a company that is so original in its strategy, so determined in its execution, and so transparent in its thinking, that it makes my head spin. Zappos is one of those companies.

Imagine that tomorrow you were named CEO of the organization you worked for immediately prior to coming to HBS (please name this organization in your response). What Enterprise 2.0 and/or Web 2.0 technologies, if any, would you introduce? Why?

One of Michael’s first posts was about the distinction between using wikis and other social software ‘in the flow’ of work versus ‘above the flow.’...

"We like Harvard Working Knowledge, and today we picked up another quick post by marketing guru, John Quelch.... we think his five simple rules for how to brand effectively are applicable to any startup trying to establish its name and image..."

Impact of social networking technologies, enterprise/web2.0, and strong/weak ties in business.

What do leaders do to make employees in creative functions feel supported or not?

This research looks at a sample of 13 business units and describes the relations between alternative organizational designs and innovation streams.

Gourville and Soman's research indicates that in certain, predictable cases, adding more alternatives to an assortment leads consumers to choose either the most basic or the most "fully loaded" product or service

Key concepts include: * Entrepreneurs from less-trusted groups found it more difficult to overcome trust barriers. * Trust can act as a barrier to entry for new firms and products because trust makes existing relationships more productive...