Do We Need Managers? Valve doesn’t…

Valve Corporation is a game developer that has 400 employees, no bosses, and is very successful. How can you have a structure that flat? The company, a spawn from Microsoft, seems to be doing just fine thank you. The information at the following seven web links (including a podcast and the employee handbook) contain all of the raw material required for a live case:

I think you could probably just give these seven web links to students, say “discuss,” and get out of the way.

Contributed by Rich Makadok

Valentine’s Day: A Formula for Love

You may have heard Jay Barney say there cannot be a rule for riches (or the rents will be competed away). However, Harlequin romances has been using a formulaic approach to developing romance novels for years. This HBS case on Harlequin explores their resources and capabilities in this area in the context of a strategic decision. Is the formula a source of advantage? If not, what is? To go with this case, you might consider using:

  • This Pandora radio post on the formula for a love song.
  • This video of Kurt Vonnegut describing the formulaic approach to telling stories (such as Cinderella).

Contributed by Aya Chacar