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Harvard Business Publishing

Engaged Employer

Nice people, confusing management and culture - Manager Harvard Business Publishing Employee Review

3.0
Nov 3, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Some of the highlights: * Overall, nice and very talented individuals, editorial team very strong * Good access to resources, get to work with top-tier vendors/consultants on more important projects * Decent amount of resources available for projects * Good training for future dealing with complex organizations * Being associated with brand is very helpful for post HBSP career

Cons

This has been covered before, but there seems to be a disconnect in terms of overall leadership of company. * "Consensus-driven" approach where it seemed like middle management has no oversight by senior management or accountability in actually making decisions; affects individual performers get their job done who have to fight their way to get things accomplished. * Hard to blame individual leaders (strong likeability as individuals), but something in culture (silos?) keeps concrete directives from being made to resolve interdepartmental conflicts. To be fair, this could be part of greater Harvard culture seeping into HBSP. * Covered before, in certain departments idea of advancement, education, mentorship seemed like a non-topic ("too busy") * Internal processes can be inconsistent, some seem to be heavily documented yet not grounded in reality of changing projects or just non-applicable due to non-communication between stakeholders * Technology groups were often highly dysfunctional (difficult to call balls and strikes between shared resources IT and business unit groups, to be fair, this showed improvement).

Explore other reviews about Harvard Business Publishing

5.0
May 13, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good Values Work Life Balance Innovative Cross-Collaboration

Cons

Lots of Change Some areas of silos

1.0
Jun 30, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good work/life balance Benefits are excellent

Cons

Mismanaged by basically all levels of leadership so that they can’t keep good talent onboard (turnover is abundant), accompanied by yearly lay-offs, so it’s very hard to find stability in any form. For a relatively smaller sized company, the amount of reorgs and team shuffling that occurs is alarming. This instability continues within the workflow processes, which are basically nonexistent—it’s all dependent on which member of leadership you’re talking to and when, and cross-functional teams don’t seem to be on the same page most of the time. But that’s probably because organizational standards change on an almost weekly basis with no true communication, enablement, or follow-up enforcement—creating a toxic cycle for all. Employees are targeted and singled out depending on leadership’s current moods, and when formal issues are brought to HR, there is no resolve—only understanding nods with no real recourse. Because let’s be honest, HR is stuck in the same toxic cycle as everyone else. If anything, this job has set me back in my career due to the dysfunctional way of working that is the forced norm at this organization, and I don’t foresee that changing as long as the executive leaders stay planted where they are. There is a general lack of innovation or forward-thinking with each business decision that’s made. Overall, this place is truly a waste of time for those looking to strengthen and build their careers. You’ve been warned.

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