2017 HBR McKinsey Awards

The HBR McKinsey Awards, judged by an independent panel of business and academic leaders, commend outstanding articles published each year in Harvard Business Review. The awards were established in 1959 to recognize practical and groundbreaking management thinking. First Place “Why Do We Undervalue Competent Management?” September–October 2017 Strategists have long held that operational effectiveness is not a source of competitive differentiation. But an in-depth research project by Raffaella Sadun (Harvard Business School), Nicholas Bloom (Stanford), and John Van Reenen (MIT) finds that good management is highly correlated with measures of strategic success, persists over time, and is difficult to imitate. The Finalists “Strategy in the Age of Superabundant Capital” March–April 2017 Bain & Company authors Michael Mankins, Karen Harris, and David Harding observe that cash has become abundant and cheap—but managerial practice doesn’t reflect the new environment. Companies need to lower hurdle rates, invest more in growth, and focus on developing human capital. “Globalization in the Age of Trump” July–August 2017 The current wave of protectionism is worrying, but executives should keep two things in mind, writes NYU’s Pankaj Ghemawat. First, history tells us that international trade and investment never get rolled back very far, even during trade wars. Second, the world is far less globalized than most people think. Companies may want to adjust their global strategy, but they shouldn’t overreact. The Judges Peter Cappelli, Professor, The Wharton School Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, Senior adviser, Egon Zehnder Erin Meyer, Professor, INSEAD Martha Samuelson, CEO, Analysis Group

2017 HBR McKinsey Awards

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