Harvard Business Review

JUNE 9, 2011

In an adjacent office was a colleague who had written something like 12 books and was an internationally recognized scholar in the area of organizational innovation. Robert Merton was 46 when he won the award. Merton had the office on the other side of my office. He had a beautiful summer house near Cape Cod.

Merton 14

Merton Black-Scholes Welch Organizational Behavior 14

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 23, 2011

It denies our humanitarian organizations some of the best talent in the world. As a senior at Harvard I organized 38 classmates to bicycle 4,256 miles across the United States to raise money and awareness for hunger relief. It was a grueling, 9 1/2 week trek during a hot summer. We have an inadequate supply of saints.

Merton 13

Merton Self-aware Rate of Return Class 13

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 25, 2011

Merton and Elinor Barber.). So how might serendipity help us refine our understanding of innovation? Innovation is as much about looking at the past as it is about anticipating the future. Why are some organizations "luckier" than others, and how do they acquire this skill? History matters. Watson and Crick did.

Merton 15

Merton Creativity Skills Innovation 15

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 29, 2014

Walker’s innovation was to bind travelers to pay the prices they bid if the airlines and hoteliers on Priceline accepted the offers. That way, travelers took their offers much more seriously than if they simply could “name their price” without any purchase obligation. Admittedly, better pricing of options has been a mixed blessing.

Strategy 12

Strategy Black-Scholes Airlines Price 12

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 29, 2010

In slightly more formal terms, Id suggest that they were able to take on, at least in tiny part, five of Robert Merton and Zvi Bodies six standard functions of a financial system: settling payments, providing information, setting incentives, pooling resources, and transferring resources. But perhaps the costs have risen, too.

Banking 15

Banking Crisis Merton Guidelines 15

First Friday Book Synopsis

APRIL 26, 2012

Todd Henry is the founder and CEO of Accidental Creative, a company that helps creative people and teams generate brilliant ideas. He regularly speaks and consults with companies, both large and small, about how to develop practices and systems that lead to everyday brilliance.

Creativity 70

Creativity Consultative CEO System 70

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

I was thinking about that story by Thomas Merton during a recent board meeting. Do I know something that will benefit the organization? In complex organizations and complex times, we face complex choices. And that would be a bad thing, especially when it comes to the cost to the organization.

Merton 15

Merton Groupthink CFO Cost 15