Harvard Business Review: More interesting than you think

The Harvard Business Review (HBR) is arguably the most widely read and well respected business journal. I've been told by several health care librarians that HBR is one of the few things that executives read. Even though I had heard about the journal earlier, I never read any articles from HBR until 1998 when I was searching for an article on organizational structures. Now, I regularly read the journal as it is one of my favourite journals.

Intended Audience
Judging by the topics and articles covered, I would have to guess that the intended audience is business managers, more specifically executive-level managers. Even though the journal is targetted at executives, I believe HBR can and should be of interest to anyone with an interest in management, organizational behaviour, leadership, marketing, innovation, and team building.

Topics, Articles, Language
HBR covers a wide-variety of topics to cater to the needs of the intended "executive" audience. I haven't noticed any specific pattern or trend, but the topics range from: leadership, manangement, organizational behaviour, organizational structure, team building, marketing, innovation, and quality improvement. Topics always seem timely, so I'm not sure if HBR sets the management trends or is just reports on timely topics. All I know is that I've heard a few executives talk about new ideas after reading HBR.

HBR is set-up in a "Reader's Digest" or "Coles Notes" format. While the name "Harvard Business Review" may give you different stereotypes of what to expect, I am always surprised at how easy to read each article is. The language is written for a general/lay audience, NOT academics. You won't find highly technical or jargon-filled articles. The language is written in a journalistic style.

If you're interested, the authors/editors do an outstanding job of translating the original articles. One time, I looked up the original article and was shocked at how well the authors and editors did at "dumbing-down" the highly technical articles to make it readable by general audiences. For those more technically inclined, this journal does an outstanding job of knowledge translation. If you're looking for a hard-core academic article, I'd suggest you find the original article. Just remember that these articles are intended to help business executives stay up-to-date with some of the latest research.

Articles are usually accompanied by colourful diagrams and/or pictures. I'm really impressed at how attractive each article (and issue) looks. I was reading the Harvard Business Review on a commuter train one day, and a lady asked me what magazine I was reading (she was reading Harper's and the New Yorker). When I told her "Harvard Business Review", she was shocked. I let her look through my issue for a few moments and she said that she would consider reading an issue in the future.

Before I forget, each issue has several sections:

- HBR Case Study: The editors present a scenario (real or fictional) and solicit three responses from "experts" in how to address the challenge or problem. The insights provided by the experts are very interesting. Topics can range from ethical dilemmas, strategy issues, human resource management, and so on.

- Articles: The bulk of the journal is set aside for the articles. Often, these articles are linked by a theme.

- Book reviews & Letters to the editor

Final Thoughts
The Harvard Business Review is a great journal for anyone interested in business or business-related concepts. I know of several not-for-profit groups that read this journal regularly to keep up with industry trends and to learn something that may help them. HBR is well-written, educational, and filled with attractive pictures and diagrams. The my only criticism would be that this journal is expensive. For academics, this journal is a good start to help you identify (and understand) the more technical articles published in academic journals.

You can find HBR in most university libraries or at the large book chains. The journal is published monthly except for a single issue for July and August (what's up with that?). For more information, please see the Harvard Business Review's website at:
http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/hbr/hbr_current_issue.jhtml