Publications
Publications
- 2021
- HBS Working Paper Series
The World Management Survey at 18: Lessons and the Way Forward
By: Daniela Scur, Raffaella Sadun, John Van Reenen, Renata Lemos and Nicholas Bloom
Abstract
Understanding how differences in management “best practices” affect organizational outcomes has been a focus of both theoretical and empirical work in the fields of management, sociology, economics and public policy. The World Management Survey (WMS) project was born almost two decades ago with the main goal of developing a new systematic measure of management practices being used in organizations. The WMS has contributed to a body of knowledge around how managerial structures, not just managerial talent, relates to organizational performance. Over 18 years of research, a set of consistent patterns have emerged and spurred new questions. We will present a brief overview of what we have learned in terms of measuring and understanding management practices and condense the implications of these findings for policy. We end with an outline of what we see as the path forward for both research and policy implications of this research programme.
Keywords
Management Practices; Policy Toolkit; World Management Survey; Productivity; Management Practices and Processes; Measurement and Metrics; Performance Productivity; Policy
Citation
Scur, Daniela, Raffaella Sadun, John Van Reenen, Renata Lemos, and Nicholas Bloom. "The World Management Survey at 18: Lessons and the Way Forward." NBER Working Paper Series, No. 28524, February 2021. (Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-093, March 2021.)