Cold Call

HBR Presents / Brian Kenny

Cold Call distills Harvard Business School's legendary case studies into podcast form. Hosted by Brian Kenny, the podcast airs every two weeks and features Harvard Business School faculty discussing cases they've written and the lessons they impart.

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291 episodes
Updated July 21

Episodes291

Newest first

Jun 1, 2021 · 24 min
Running a Consumer Fintech Startup within Goldman Sachs
Marcus by Goldman Sachs marked a dramatic shift for the 150-year-old financial institution, which historically had served only businesses and the wealthiest people. The fintech startup operated within Goldman Sachs, offering unsecured personal loans for the mass market, high-yield deposits, and a credit card in partnership with Apple. Harvard Business School associate professor Rory McDonald discusses the challenges of launching and operating a startup within an established company in his case, “Marcus by Goldman Sachs.”
May 18, 2021 · 26 min
How Georgia State University Increased Graduation Rates
Georgia State University was facing a growing “summer melt” problem, where nearly 20 percent of incoming students never actually enrolled. The university used a data-based approach to retain students of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds and help them graduate. Harvard Business School professor Mike Toffel and senior fellow Robin Mendelson discuss what the university learned about improving student success, while scaling its efforts to help other universities, in their case, “Student Success at Georgia State University.”
May 4, 2021 · 24 min
Reversing Brain Drain: Moving Talent to Middle America
After decades of brain drain in rural America, Tulsa Remote is working to attract a diverse group of remote workers to live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The program offers a $10,000 grant to remote workers and entrepreneurs living outside Oklahoma, who relocate to the state’s second largest city for one year – with the goal that they stay longer and truly engage in the community. Harvard Business School professor Prithwiraj “Raj” Choudhury discusses how the Tulsa Remote model provides workers the flexibility to move out of congested cities and explores the challenges in scaling this model throughout rural America and beyond, in his case, “Tulsa Remote: Moving Talent to Middle America.”
Apr 20, 2021 · 19 min
What Went Wrong with the Boeing 737 Max?
How did the evolution of Boeing’s organization and management lead to two tragic plane crashes within six months, in which a total of 346 people died? Harvard Business School professor Bill George discusses the long roots that ultimately led to the crash of Lion Air flight 610 in October 2018 in Indonesia and the crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 in March 2019 in Ethiopia. He discusses the role cost cutting, regulatory pressure, and CEO succession played in laying the foundation for these tragedies and examines how Boeing executives responded to the crises in his case “What Went Wrong with Boeing’s 737 Max?“
Apr 6, 2021 · 31 min
Disrupting the Waste Management Industry with Technology
Rubicon began with a bold idea: create a cloud-based, full-service waste management platform providing efficient service anywhere in the U.S. Their mobile app did for waste management what Uber had done for taxi service. Five years after the case’s publication, Harvard Business School associate professor Shai Bernstein and Rubicon founder and CEO Nate Morris discuss how the software startup leveraged technology to disrupt the waste industry and other enduring lessons of professor Bill Sahlman’s case about Rubicon.
Mar 23, 2021 · 28 min
Managing Future Growth at an Innovative Workforce Education Start-up
Guild Education is an education marketplace that connects employers and universities to provide employees with “education as a benefit.” The Denver-based company is transforming traditional tuition-assistance programs by facilitating direct payment by the employer to the academic institution and by supporting students with coaching and advising. Now CEO and co-founder Rachel Carlson must decide how to manage the company’s future growth. Should she focus on expanding Guild’s core education marketplace, or extend the business model to include the career placement market? Harvard Business School professor Bill Sahlman discusses this unique start-up and Carlson’s plans for its growth in his case, “Guild Education: Unlocking Opportunity for America’s Workforce.“
Mar 9, 2021 · 27 min
A Family Business at a Crossroads: Scaling and Succession
In 2000, Rohit Gera turned his family’s boutique real estate development firm in Pune, India, into a dynamic innovator in housing solutions for urban Indian families. Today Gera Developments stands at a crossroads, with Gera planning the end of his managerial career. How should the family think about scaling the business? And, should the company seek a successor to lead those efforts from inside or outside the family? Senior Lecturer Christina Wing and case protagonist Rohit Gera discuss the family business and the crucial decisions it faces in the case, “Gera Developments: Leadership at a Crossroads.”
Mar 2, 2021 · 25 min
Can Historic Social Injustices be Addressed Through Reparations?
Survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre and their descendants believe historic social injustices should be addressed through reparations. Harvard Business School professor Mihir Desai discusses the arguments for and against reparations in response to the Tulsa Massacre and, more broadly, to the effects of slavery and racist government policies in the U.S. in his case, “The Tulsa Massacre and the Call for Reparations.”
Feb 23, 2021 · 26 min
Examining Race and Mass Incarceration in the United States
The late 20th century saw dramatic growth in incarceration rates in the United States. Of the more than 2.3 million people in U.S. prisons, jails, and detention centers in 2020, 60 percent were Black or Latinx. Harvard Business School assistant professor Reshmaan Hussam probes the assumptions underlying the current prison system, with its huge racial disparities, and considers what could be done to address the crisis of the American criminal justice system in her case, “Race and Mass Incarceration in the United States.”
Feb 16, 2021 · 26 min
Fostering Authenticity and Employee Engagement at John Deere
As the first Black female factory manager to lead a John Deere plant, Rosalind Fox must figure out how to build relationships with her staff, who are mostly white men. Harvard Business School senior lecturer Tony Mayo discusses the pressure on Fox to assimilate into the dominant culture, her decision to lean into her authentic self, and the deep connection between employee engagement and authenticity in his case, “Rosalind Fox at John Deere.”
Feb 9, 2021 · 29 min
Developing Resilience on the Path to Becoming a CEO
As a Black female CEO, Shellye Archambeau is no stranger to adversity. Becoming a leader was her goal since high school, and she achieved it through decades of hard work and skillful decision making. Now she faces her most critical leadership decision. The software company she leads, MetricStream, is losing customers, hemorrhaging cash, and struggling to make payroll. Several board members are pressing to sell the company even at dismally low valuations. She and her board chairman need to decide and act swiftly. Harvard Business School professor Tsedal Neeley discusses Archambeau’s leadership style and the importance of developing resilience, particularly when managing through a crisis, in her case, “Shellye Archambeau: Becoming a CEO.”
Feb 2, 2021 · 27 min
Using Empathy and Curiosity to Overcome Differences
Bill Riddick, an African-American community leader and counselor, must find a way to bridge the divide between Black and white community leaders, who are on opposing sides of school integration in Durham, North Carolina, in 1971. Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino and senior researcher Jeffrey Huizinga explain how empathy and curiosity can foster understanding in divisive situations in their case, “Bill Riddick and the Durham S.O.S. Charrette.”
Jan 19, 2021 · 23 min
Engaging Community to Create Proactive, Equitable Public Safety
Melvin Carter, the mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, swept into office in 2018, promising to improve equity. In his campaign, he had spoken from experience about what it felt like to be pulled over by police as a Black man. He wanted to create a new public safety framework that would be rooted in community. But then the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out much of the city’s budget and the May 2020 killing of George Floyd by a police officer in neighboring Minneapolis sparked calls to defund the police. How would Mayor Carter make these changes happen? Harvard Business School professor Mitch Weiss discusses the challenges and rewards of “possibility government” in his case, “Community-First Public Safety.”
Jan 5, 2021 · 25 min
Using Behavioral Science to Improve Well-Being for Social Workers
For family social workers, coping with the hardships of children and parents is part of the job. But that can cause a lot of stress. Is it possible for financially constrained organizations to improve social workers’ well-being using non-cash rewards, recognition, and other strategies from behavioral science? Harvard Business School assistant professor Ashley Whillans describes the experience of Chief Executive Michael Sanders at the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care, as he led a research program aimed at improving the morale of social workers in the U.K. The conversation is based on Whillans’ case, “The What Works Centre: Using Behavioral Science to Improve Social Worker Well-being.”
Dec 22, 2020 · 23 min
Dove: Maintaining a Brand with Purpose
Unilever’s Dove soap became a brand with purpose when it launched the “Campaign for Real Beauty” to combat media-driven stereotypes of female beauty. But now Dove is facing criticism about its other brands that contradict the Dove campaign, and struggling to determine the best allocation of funds between advertising and the educational programs that deliver social impact. Can Dove maintain both its market position and social impact in the future? Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer, Mark Kramer discusses his case, “Dove and Real Beauty: Building a Brand with Purpose.”
Dec 8, 2020 · 28 min
Uber’s Strategy for Global Success
As Uber entered unique regional markets around the world – from New York to Shanghai, it has adapted its business model to comply with regulations and compete locally. As the transportation landscape evolves, how can Uber adapt its business model to stay competitive in the long term? Harvard Business School assistant professor Alexander MacKay describes Uber’s global market strategy and responses by regulators and local competitors in his case, “Uber: Competing Globally.”
Nov 24, 2020 · 30 min
Evaluating Innovative Health Care Solutions for Obesity
From Weight Watchers to bariatric surgery, innovations for combatting obesity abound. But which will do the most good for society and yield the best business results? Harvard Business School professor Regina Herzlinger discusses how to evaluate health care innovations aimed at providing solutions for obesity in her case, “Fighting the Battle of the Bulge – Evaluating Innovations in Morbid Obesity Treatment.”
Nov 10, 2020 · 25 min
The Challenges of Commercializing Fertility
Entrepreneur Christy Jones is trying to create a new venture to help women preserve their eggs and postpone motherhood. But what would an egg-freezing service sell – and to whom? Harvard Business School professor Debora Spar discusses the challenges of commercializing fertility in her case, “Extend Fertility: Conceiving the Market for Egg Preservation.”
Oct 27, 2020 · 23 min
Growing a Manufacturing Company with a Social Mission
Nehemiah Manufacturing, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based company that builds fast-moving consumer goods, turned a social mission to hire convicted felons into a competitive advantage, providing the company with decreased turnover and higher staff loyalty. Harvard Business School professor Michael Chu discusses the challenges and opportunities of combining profit with social impact in his case, “Nehemiah Mfg. Co.: Providing a Second Chance.”
Oct 13, 2020 · 21 min
Can Entrepreneurs Make Mobile Voting Easy and Secure?
Making voting more accessible through technology could allow more people to take part in elections. But it also poses critical downsides, if the product fails (as in the 2020 Iowa Caucuses) or if there are security failures. Harvard Business School professor Mitchell Weiss, an expert in public entrepreneurship, debates the risks, rewards, and business models for mobile voting in his case study on “Voatz.” The mobile voting app, created by entrepreneur Nimit Sawhney, turns mobile phones into voting booths, using blockchain technology.

Cold Call

Running a Consumer Fintech Startup within Goldman Sachs

How Georgia State University Increased Graduation Rates

Reversing Brain Drain: Moving Talent to Middle America

What Went Wrong with the Boeing 737 Max?

Disrupting the Waste Management Industry with Technology

Managing Future Growth at an Innovative Workforce Education Start-up

A Family Business at a Crossroads: Scaling and Succession

Can Historic Social Injustices be Addressed Through Reparations?

Examining Race and Mass Incarceration in the United States

Fostering Authenticity and Employee Engagement at John Deere

Developing Resilience on the Path to Becoming a CEO

Using Empathy and Curiosity to Overcome Differences

Engaging Community to Create Proactive, Equitable Public Safety

Using Behavioral Science to Improve Well-Being for Social Workers

Dove: Maintaining a Brand with Purpose

Uber’s Strategy for Global Success

Evaluating Innovative Health Care Solutions for Obesity

The Challenges of Commercializing Fertility

Growing a Manufacturing Company with a Social Mission

Can Entrepreneurs Make Mobile Voting Easy and Secure?