649 episodes

A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management.

HBR IdeaCast Harvard Business Review

    • Business
    • 4.3 • 1.6K Ratings

A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management.

    What's Your Interviewing Style?

    What's Your Interviewing Style?

    There's a lot of advice out there on how to get job interviews right, whether you're the one trying to get hired or the one evaluating the candidates. But the dos and don'ts aren't always applicable to every person. In fact, author Anna Papalia thinks we're better served by understanding and leveraging our own natural interviewing style. Having spent years as a corporate recruiter, organizational consultant, and coach to students and professions, she's conducted thousands of real and mock interviews and noticed that people tend to fall into one of four categories: charmer, examiner, challenger, or harmonizer.  She outlines the strengths and weaknesses of each and explains how this framework can help us get better from both sides of the desks. Papalia wrote the book "Interviewology: The New Science of Interviewing."

    • 28 min
    To Negotiate Better, Start with Yourself

    To Negotiate Better, Start with Yourself

    The coauthor of the classic book Getting to Yes has new advice on how to negotiate, designed for a world that feels more conflicted than ever. William Ury, cofounder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation, has come to learn that the biggest obstacle in a negotiation is often yourself—not your opponent. Ury, who also coined the term BATNA, explains the latest thinking from his research and consulting. He shares his tried-and-true methods for overcoming yourself to negotiate better outcomes at work and in life. Ury wrote the new book Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict.

    • 26 min
    Rethinking Growth at All Costs

    Rethinking Growth at All Costs

    Many companies, especially in the tech world, have come to embrace the idea of growth at all costs. But according to research from Gary Pisano, professor at Harvard Business School, most firms fail to consistently increase revenues and profits over the long term, adjusting for inflation. He says that it’s important for leaders to think more strategically about not just the rate of growth they want to achieve but the direction they want to grow in and their method for doing so. Trying to grow too fast can be the downfall of many organizations. He shares examples of companies that have fallen into this trap, as well as those getting the balance right.  Pisano wrote the HBR article "How Fast Should Your Company Really Grow?"

    • 28 min
    Companies Can Win by Reducing Overwork

    Companies Can Win by Reducing Overwork

    Organizations regularly reward devoted workers who put in long hours. At the same time, “always-on” communication spurred by the pandemic and new digital tools encourage workaholism. But research shows that it’s not just individuals who are harmed by overworking. Their employers are, too. Malissa Clark, associate professor and head of the Healthy Work Lab at the University of Georgia, explains how companies unwittingly create a workaholic culture — one that ultimately backfires with higher turnover and disengaged employees. She shares what companies can easily do to change that. Clark wrote the new book Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business--and How to Fix It.

    • 26 min
    When Should Companies Weigh in on Contentious Issues?

    When Should Companies Weigh in on Contentious Issues?

    In a globally connected and highly politicized world, organizations are increasingly expected to comment on social, political, and environmental issues. But taking a stance doesn't always make business sense and can backfire when employees or consumers see a disconnect between leaders’ words and actions. Alison Taylor, associate professor at New York University, says there's a better way to make decisions on corporate speech, which includes involving workers in the process. Taylor is the author of the HBR book Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World and the HBR article “Corporate Advocacy in a Time of Social Outrage.”

    • 29 min
    Stuck on a Problem? Try Switching Up Your Approach

    Stuck on a Problem? Try Switching Up Your Approach

    Many leaders confidently go about tackling challenges. After all, relying on their experience got them to where they are. But taking the same approach over and over again can actually hold you back. Sometimes you need to switch up your tactics to break through to the next level. Decision-making expert Cheryl Strauss Einhorn says the first step is to understand your personal problem-solving style. Then she explains a framework to assess the situation and select the best approach. Einhorn is founder and CEO of Decisive. She also wrote the book Problem Solver: Maximizing Your Strengths to Make Better Decisions and the HBR article “When Your Go-To Problem-Solving Approach Fails.”

    • 25 min

Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5
1.6K Ratings

1.6K Ratings

Jd103 ,

Always well done

I find in this podcast fresh insights and good discussions of many current business issues. Always thoughtful and well done.

Eddie J. Soto ,

4 business ideas episode was great!

I love the panel discussing productivity in the workplace and its history definition. It's hilarious how much it has changed.

Private Citizen 2.0 ,

This is a political podcast disguised as a business podcast

HBR is captured by a “woke” ideology. It’s no longer focused on business success.

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