Hayagreeva Rao

Research Statement

Professor Rao studies collective action within organizations and in markets. His research and by implication, his teaching, revolves around scaling up mobilization, innovation, and talent in organizations.

Teaching Statement

Professor Rao teaches courses on Scaling up Excellence, HR for Startups, and Launch to Liquidity - a course he coteaches with Professors Levav and Rauh.

Bio

His most recent book, co-authored with Bob Sutton of the School of Engineering at Stanford, is Scaling Up Excellence (www.scalingupexcellence.com). The book is a  Wall Street Journal Best seller, and was included in the best business books to read in 2014 by Financial Times, Inc Magazine, Amazon, Forbes, Washington Post and the Library Journal.

His research has been published in journals such as the Administrative Science Quarterly, American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science and Strategic Management Journal. He is also the author of “Market Rebels: How Activists Make or Break Radical Innovation”, Princeton University Press. 2009.

He served as the Editor of Administrative Science Quarterly, and has been a member of the editorial boards of American Journal of Sociology and Organization Science and Academy of Management Review. He has been a Member of the Organizational Innovation and Change Panel of the National Science Foundation.

He is a Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Science, a Fellow of the Sociological Research Association and also a Fellow of the Academy of Management.

His teaching specialties include leading organizational change, building customer focused cultures, and organization design. He teaches courses on these topics to MBA and executive audiences. He has consulted with, and conducted executive workshops for, organizations such as Aon Corporation, British Petroleum, CEMEX, General Electric, Hearst Corporation, IBM, Mass Mutual, James Hardie Company, Seyfarth and Shaw. Additionally, he also worked with nonprofit organizations such as the American Cancer Society and governmental organizations such as the FBI and CIA, and the intelligence community.

Among the awards he has received are the Sidney Levy Teaching Award from the Kellogg School of Management, and the W. Richard Scott Distinguished Award for Scholarship from the American Sociological Association.

Academic Degrees

• PhD, Case Western Reserve University, 1989
• Post-Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations, XLRI, India, 1980
• BA, Andhra University, India, 1978

Academic Appointments

• At Stanford University since 2005
• Richard L.Thomas Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2002-2005
• Charles Howard Candler Professor of Management, Emory University Goizueta Business School, April-June 2002
• Professor of Organization & Management, Emory University Goizueta Business School, 2000-2002
• Associate Professor of Organization & Management, Emory University Goizueta Business School , 1995-2000;
• Assistant Professor of Organization & Management, Emory University Goizueta Business School, 1989-1994

Awards and Honors

• BP Faculty Fellow in Global Management, 2017-2018
• Fellow, Academy of Management, 2008
• Fellow of Sociological Research Association, American Sociological Association, 2007
• W. Richard Scott Distinguished Award for Scholarly Contributions, American Sociological Association, 2005
• Sidney Levy Award For Teaching, Kellogg School of Management, 2004
• Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Science, 2004

Teaching

Degree Courses

2017-18

HRMGT 282: People Operations: From Startup to Scaleup

This course focuses attention on human resource strategies for startups. It discusses recruitment, incentives, design of jobs, development of talent, leadership and empowerment challenges in startups. We will deal with questions ranging from...

OB 672: Organization and Environment

This seminar considers the leading sociological approaches to analyzing relations of organizations and environments, with a special emphasis on dynamics. Attention is given to theoretical formulations, research designs, and results of empirical...

2016-17

HRMGT 282: People Operations; From Startup to Scaleup

This course focuses attention on human resource strategies for startups. It discusses recruitment, incentives, design of jobs, development of talent, leadership and empowerment challenges in startups. We will deal with questions ranging from...

OB 672: Organization and Environment

This seminar considers the leading sociological approaches to analyzing relations of organizations and environments, with a special emphasis on dynamics. Attention is given to theoretical formulations, research designs, and results of empirical...

STRAMGT 544: Scaling Excellence

The premise of the course is that managers are concerned with how to scale excellence in organizations and that scaling skills are essential for any leadership role. It will be taught with Shantanu Narayen, the CEO of Adobe. The course is...

Executive Education & Other Non-Degree Programs

• Advanced Leadership Program for Asian-American Executives Develop global leadership skills to advance your career as we focus on effective training for high-achieving Asian-American executives.
• The Corporate Entrepreneur: Driving Innovation and New Ventures Learn how to translate ideas into action using strategic frameworks and design thinking; then put theory into practice with real innovation projects.
• Customer-Focused Innovation Learn about cutting-edge social science frameworks and design thinking techniques in a unique partnership between Stanford GSB and d.school.
• Executive Leadership Development: Analysis to Action Learn to lead with confidence in this rigorous general management program for executives on the verge of achieving even greater things.
• Executive Program for Growing Companies Discover business growth strategies and build a stronger company designed to sustain progress, scale management, and facilitate market expansion.
• Executive Program in Leadership: The Effective Use of Power Develop a leadership style and an action plan tailored to your personal objectives that inspire innovation in your team, your company, and the world.
• The Innovative Health Care Leader: From Design Thinking to Personal Leadership Experience Stanford business and medicine in a health care leadership program featuring design thinking and personal leadership skill development.
• The Innovative Technology Leader Explore the intersection of innovation, technology, and business, and learn to drive strategic change across your organization.
• Leading Change and Organizational Renewal Leverage diverse research, proven methodologies, and design thinking for change management in this collaboration between Stanford and Harvard.
• Managing Teams for Innovation and Success ​Bring effective team management and innovation to your company with actionable strategies, experiential team-based simulations, and design thinking.
• Mergers and Acquisitions ​Tackle the entire M&A process through an interdisciplinary curriculum and a hands-on, weeklong team simulation project.
• People, Culture, and Performance: Strategies from Silicon Valley Gain a competitive advantage using Silicon Valley models and mindsets to recruit, retain, and inspire people for performance and growth.
• Stanford Executive Program: Be a Leader Who Matters Learn to generate change, inspire innovation, and instill excellence at this six-week executive program.
• Stanford Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate Discover new ways of thinking and acting so that you can solve your biggest business challenges.
• Stanford LEAD: Corporate Innovation Certificate Learn innovation and how to apply organizational change through a global, social, and virtual learning model with renowned Stanford GSB professors.
• Strategic Marketing Management Learn to make marketing theory actionable and innovation possible in this comprehensive real-world, hands-on learning experience.

In the Media

Hot Tips For the Next Disruptive Blood Testing Unicorn

WIRED, June 16, 2016

Why major companies are getting rid of traditional performance reviews

Morning Star, June 6, 2016

How to Engage Your Employees' Digital Imagination

Stanford GSB, June 18, 2015

BE A BETTER DIRECTOR: How company leaders can drive growth

Bussiness Insider Australia, March 30, 2015

Insights by Stanford Business

How Fear of Contagious Diseases Fuels Xenophobia

July 28, 2015

Fear of contagion makes people irrational.

Huggy Rao: How to Lead Change Within Your Organization

January 21, 2015

Professor Huggy Rao provides a practical framework for changing your company from the inside out.

A Look Back at 2014

December 11, 2014

Explore 10 Stanford Business stories from 2014, including pieces on happiness and networking.

Hayagreeva Rao and Robert Sutton: How Do You Scale Excellence?

January 7, 2014

Two Stanford professors discuss their new book, Scaling Up Excellence, which reveals how the best leaders and teams create a growth mindset.

Jesper Sørensen: How Do You Explain a New Product Category?

October 1, 2013

A game-changing idea can win or lose depending on how quickly the consumer “gets” it.

Putting the Customer First

September 28, 2012

Hayagreeva Rao explains why innovation is about more than just new technology.

Hollywood's "Red Scare" Spread Stigma by Association

July 1, 2010

Researchers explore the role of 1950s-era social networks in the Hollywood "Red Scare."