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Richard L. Nolan

William Barclay Harding Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus

Contact (617) 495-6417
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Books

Austin, Robert D., Richard L. Nolan, and Shannon O'Donnell. The Adventures of an IT Leader. Harvard Business Press, 2009. Abstract

Becoming an effective IT manager presents a host of challenges-from anticipating emerging technology to managing relationships with vendors, employees, and other managers. Ultimately, a good IT manager must be a strong business leader, not just a technical specialist. By inviting you to "walk in the shoes" of an IT leader, this book will help you better understand the role of IT in your organization and navigate your own career with greater confidence. Accompany Jim Barton as he struggles through a challenging first year as the IT director of IVK Corporation, handling (and fumbling) situations that, although fictional, are based on true events. You can read this engaging narrative from beginning to end, like a regular book, or treat it as a series of cases. You can also skip around and use the book to satisfy your most pressing needs. For example, need to learn about crisis management and security? Read chapters 10-12. Or formulate your own responses to a CIO's management obstacles by reading the authors' recurring "Reflection" questions. You'll turn to this book again and again-thumbing through to reference critical chapters when you face troubling IT-related issues in your own career. [Amazon copy]
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McFarlan, F. Warren, Richard L. Nolan, and Guoqing Chen. Seizing Strategic IT Advantage in China. Beijing, China: Higher Education Press, 2003. (Available in Chinese Mandarin only.)

Nolan, R. L. Dot Vertigo: Doing Business in a Permeable World. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2001.

Bradley, S. P., and R. L. Nolan, eds. Sense and Respond: Capturing Value in the Network Era. Harvard Business School Press, 1998.

Nolan, R. L., and D. C. Croson. Creatieve destructie: Zes fasen voor bedriftstransformatie. Amstredame/Antwerpen: Uitgeverij Contact BV, 1995.

Nolan, R. L., and D. C. Croson. Creative Destruction: A Six-Step Process for Transforming the Organization. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1995.

Nolan, R. L., and D. C. Croson. Destruicao Criativa: Um Processo de Seis Etapas para Transformar Sua Organizacao. Brasil: Editora Campus, 1995, Portuguese ed.

Nolan, R. L., D. B. Stoddard, T. H. Davenport, and S. Jarvenpaa. Reengineering the Organization. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1995.

Nolan, R. L., D. L. Stoddard, T. H. Davenport, and S. Jarvenpaa. Reengineering the Organization, Transforming to Compete in the Information Economy Instructor's Guide. Harvard Business School Publishing, 1995.

Cash, J. I., Jr., R. G. Eccles, N. Nohria, and R. Nolan. Building the Information-Age Organization: Structure, Control, and Information Technologies. 3rd ed. The Irwin Case Book Series in Information Systems Management. Richard D. Irwin Inc., 1994.

Bradley, S. P., J. A. Hausman, and R. L. Nolan, eds. Globalization, Technology, and Competition: The Fusion of Computers and Telecommunications in the 1990s. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1993.

Nolan, R. L. Managing the Data Resource Function. 2nd ed. St. Paul, Minn.: West Publishing Co., 1982.

Nolan, R. L. Management Accounting and Control of Data Processing. N.Y.: National Association of Accountants, 1977.

McFarlan, F. W., and R. L. Nolan, eds. The Information Systems Handbook. Homewood, Ill.: Down Jones-Irwin, Inc., 1975.

McFarlan, F. W., R. L. Nolan, and D. P. Norton. Curriculum Recommendations for Graduate Professional Programs in Information Systems. N.Y.: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1973.

McFarlan, F. W., R. L. Nolan, and D. P. Norton. Information Systems Administration. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1973.

Nolan, R. L. BASIC initiation rapide a l'ordinateur, L'Informatique. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston of Canada Ltd., 1971, French ed.

Nolan, R. L. FORTRAN IV Computing and Applications. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1971.

Nolan, R. L. DYNFOR: A General Business and Economic Systems Simulator. University of Washington Press Monographs. Seattle, Wash.: University of Washington Press, 1970.

Nolan, R. L. Introduction to Computing through the BASIC Language. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1969.

Published Papers

Austin, Robert D., Richard L. Nolan, and Shannon O'Donnell. "The Technology Manager's Journey: An Extended Narrative Approach to Educating Technical Leaders." Academy of Management Learning & Education (forthcoming).

Austin, Robert D., Richard L. Nolan, and Shannon O'Donnell. "A 'Novel' Approach to the Design of an IS Management Course." Communications of the Association for Information Systems 24, no. 1 (2009).

Austin, Robert D., and Richard L. Nolan. "Bridging the Gap Between Stewards and Creators." MIT Sloan Management Review 48, no. 2 (winter 2007): 29-36. (Winner of the 2008 Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize.)

Nolan, Richard, and F. Warren McFarlan. "Information Technology and the Board of Directors." Harvard Business Review 83, no. 10 (October 2005).

Austin, Robert D., and Richard L. Nolan. "In Search of the Next "Killer App"." MIT Sloan Management Review 46, no. 4 (summer 2005): 96.

Nolan, R. L. "Renaissance CIOs." CIO Insight (January 2002).

Nolan, R. L. "Connectivity and Control in the Year 2000 and Beyond." Harvard Business Review 76, no. 4 (July - August 1998).

McFarlan, F. W., and R. L. Nolan. "How to Manage an IT Outsourcing Alliance." MIT Sloan Management Review 36, no. 2 (winter 1995): 9-24.

Haeckel, S. H., and R. L. Nolan. "Managing by Wire." Harvard Business Review 71, no. 5 (September-October 1993): 122-132.

Nolan, R. L. "The Strategic Potential of Information Technology." Financial Executive 7, no. 4 (July-August 1991): 25-27.

Nolan, R. L. "Too Many Executives Today Just Don't Get It." Cause/Effect 13, no. 4 (winter 1990).

Nolan, R. L. "Transforming Higher Education in the Information Age: Presidents Respond." Cause/Effect 14, no. 13 (fall 1990).

Nolan, R. L. "Outsourcing: Harbinger of IS's Transformation." Stage-by-Stage (1990): 1-9.

Nolan, R. L. "Steering DP through a Recession." Harvard Business Review 60, no. 5 (September - October 1982).

Nolan, R. L. "Managing Information Systems by Committee." Harvard Business Review 60, no. 4 (July-August 1982).

Nolan, R. L. "Managing the Crises in Data Processing." Harvard Business Review 57, no. 2 (March-April 1979).

Nolan, R. L. "Controlling the Costs of Data Services." Harvard Business Review 55, no. 4 (July-August 1977).

Nolan, R. L. "Business Needs a New Breed of EDP Manager." Harvard Business Review 54, no. 2 (March - April 1976).

Goldstein, K., and R. L. Nolan. "Personal Privacy versus the Corporate Commuter." Harvard Business Review 53, no. 2 (March - April 1975).

Burnett, G. J., and R. L. Nolan. "At Last, Major Roles for Minicomputers." Harvard Business Review 53, no. 3 (May-June 1975).

Nolan, R. L., and Eric Knudsen. "Computerization of the ABC Company: Lessons of the Decade." Datamation 20, no. 4 (April 1974): 71-76.

Nolan, R. L., and Eric Knudsen. "Assessing Computer Costs and Benefits." Journal of Systems Management 25, no. 1 (January/February 1974): 28-34.

Gibson, C. F., and R. L. Nolan. "Managing the Four Stages of EDP Growth." Harvard Business Review 52, no. 1 (January-February 1974).

Hayes, R. H., and R. L. Nolan. "What Kind of Corporate Modeling Functions Best?" Harvard Business Review 52, no. 3 (May-June 1974).

Nolan, R. L., and Cyrus F. Gibson. "Organizational Issues in the Stages of EDP Growth." Data Base 5, nos. 2-4 (winter 1973): 50-63.

Nolan, R. L. "Computer Data Bases: The Future Is Now." Harvard Business Review 51, no. 5 (September - October 1973).

Dearden, J., and R. L. Nolan. "How to Control the Computer Resource." Harvard Business Review 51, no. 6 (November-December 1973).

Nolan, R. L. "Plight of the EDP Manager." Harvard Business Review 51, no. 3 (May-June 1973).

Book Chapters

Nolan, R. L. "Information Technology Management Since 1960." In A Nation Transformed by Information: How Information Has Shaped the United States from Colonial Times to the Present, edited by A. Chandler and J. Cortada. Oxford University Press, 2000.

Nolan, R. L. Foreword to Evaluating Success of a Y2000 Project, edited by B. Robbins and H. Rubin. Information Economics Press, 1998.

Bradley, S. P., and R. L. Nolan. "Capturing Value in the Network Era." In Sense and Respond: Capturing Value in the Network Era, edited by Stephen P. Bradley and Richard L. Nolan. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1998.

Nolan, R. L., and S. H. Haeckel. "The Role of Technology in an Information Age: Transforming Symbols into Action." In The Knowledge Economy: The Nature of Information in the Twenty-first Century. Northern Telecom and The Aspen Institute, 1994.

Bradley, Stephen P., R. L. Nolan and J. A. Hausman. "Global Competition in Technology." In Globalization, Technology, and Competition: The Fusion of Computers and Telecommunications in the 1990s, edited by S. P. Bradley, J. A. Hausman and R. L. Nolan. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press, 1993.

Nolan, R. L. "The Stages Theory: A Framework for IT Adoption and Organizational Learning." In America's Information Technology Agenda, edited by J. Mechling and C. Rosenberg. Cambridge: John F. Kennedy School of Government, 1992.

Other Papers

Austin, Robert D., Richard L. Nolan, and Shannon O'Donnell. "Remaking the IT Management Curriculum: A 'Novel' Approach." Accepted for presentation at the International Conference on Information Systems.

Austin, Robert D., and Richard L. Nolan. "Stewards versus Creators." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 06-001, 2005.

Nolan, Richard L., and F. Warren McFarlan. "Governance in the Information Economy." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 05-045, 2005.

Austin, Robert D., and Richard L. Nolan. "On Identifying and Tracking the Next “Killer App”." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 05-027, 2004.

Nolan, Richard L., and Larry Bennigson. "Information Technology Consulting." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 03-069, 2003.

Austin, Robert D., and Richard L. Nolan. "Manage ERP Initiatives as New Ventures, Not IT Projects." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 99-024, 1998.

Nolan, Richard L. "Information Technology Management from 1960-2000." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 99-018, 1998.

Sole, Deborah L., F. Warren McFarlan, and Richard L. Nolan. "A Knowledge-based Model of IT Outsourcing for the Network Era." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 97-076, 1997.

Bradley, Stephen P., and Richard L. Nolan. "Capturing Value in the Network Era." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 97-061, 1997.

Galal, Hossam, and Richard L. Nolan. "The Effect of Information Technology on Organizational Structure: A Critical Review." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 96-011, 1995.

Francalanci, Chiara, and Richard L. Nolan. "IT Architectures and Organizational Information Processing Capacity: A Synthesis and Illustration." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 96-002, 1995.

Nolan, Richard L. "Economic Functions of Central Cities." DBA diss., University of Washington, 1966.

HBS Course Materials

Nolan, Richard L. "Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: IT Organization and Architecture Challenges." Harvard Business School Case 196-017.

Nolan, Richard L. "Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: IT Organization and Architecture Challenges TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 196-089.

Nolan, Richard L. "Airwick Industries, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 173-022.

Nolan, Richard L., and Thomas H. Sander. "Anderson Consulting." Harvard Business School Case 193-069.

Nolan, Richard L., and Robert S. Borsi. "Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Technology Note." Harvard Business School Note 397-014.

Nolan, Richard L., and Suresh Kotha. "Boeing 787: The Dreamliner." Harvard Business School Compilation 305-101.

Nolan, Richard L., and Suresh Kotha. "Boeing 787: The Dreamliner (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 305-104.

Austin, Robert D., Richard L. Nolan, and Shannon O'Donnell. "The Boeing Company: Moonshine Shop." Harvard Business School Case 607-130.

Nolan, Richard L., and Stephen P. Bradley. "China's Telecommunications Sector." Harvard Business School Note 904-416.

Nolan, Richard L., Donna B. Stoddard, Chiara Francalanci, and Elise C Martin. "CIGNA Property and Casualty Reengineering (A)." Harvard Business School Case 196-059.

Nolan, Richard L. "CIGNA Property and Casualty Reengineering (A) TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 196-015.

Nolan, Richard L., Donna B. Stoddard, Chiara Francalanci, and Elise C Martin. "CIGNA Property and Casualty Reengineering (B)." Harvard Business School Case 196-014.

Nolan, Richard L. "Cisco Systems Architecture: ERP and Web-enabled IT TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 301-145.

Nolan, Richard L., Kelley Porter, and Christina Akers. "Cisco Systems Architecture: ERP and Web-enabled IT." Harvard Business School Case 301-099.

Nolan, Richard L. "Cisco Systems, Inc. Series TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 301-143.

Austin, Robert D., Richard L. Nolan, and Mark J. Cotteleer. "Cisco Systems, Inc.: Implementing ERP." Harvard Business School Case 699-022.

Nolan, Richard L., Robert D. Austin, and Mark J. Cotteleer. "Cisco Systems, Inc.: Implementing ERP TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 699-031.

Nolan, Richard L. "Cisco Systems, Pete Solvik, Sr VP and CIO." Harvard Business School Video Supplements 302-801.

Nolan, Richard L., and Christina Darwall. "Cisco Systems: Building Leading Internet Capabilities." Harvard Business School Case 301-133.

Nolan, Richard L. "Cisco Systems: Building Leading Internet Capabilities TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 301-146.

Nolan, Richard L., Kelley Porter, and Christina Akers. "Cisco Systems: Web-enablement." Harvard Business School Case 301-056.

Nolan, Richard L. "Creative Destruction of Industrial Age Management Principles and Creative Construction of Information Age Management Principles." Harvard Business School Note 301-153.

Nolan, Richard L. "Dot com Business Models." Harvard Business School Note 301-152.

Nolan, Richard L. "drugstore.com." Harvard Business School Case 300-036.

Nolan, Richard L. "drugstore.com TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 300-057.

Nolan, Richard L., Stephen P. Bradley, John J. Sviokla, and Kelley Porter. "Edmund's-www.edmunds.com (Supplement)." Harvard Business School Supplement 399-036.

Nolan, Richard L., Karen A. Brown, and Subodha Kumar. "Esterline Technologies: Lean Manufacturing." Harvard Business School Case 906-417.

Nolan, Richard L., Karen A Brown, and Subodha Kumar. "Esterline Technologies: Lean Manufacturing (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 907-401.

Nolan, Richard L. "Frito-Lay, Inc: The Stages Assessment." Harvard Business School Case 195-194.

McKenney, James L., Richard L. Nolan, Theodore H. Clark, and David Croson. "H.E. Butt Grocery Company: A Leader in ECR Implementation." Harvard Business School Case 195-125.

Nolan, Richard L. "Hannaford Brothers Co. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 172-297.

Nolan, Richard L. "Hannaford Brothers Co. (B)." Harvard Business School Case 172-298.

Nolan, Richard L., and Suresh Kotha. "Harley-Davidson: Preparing for the Next Century." Harvard Business School Case 906-410.

Nolan, Richard L., and Suresh Kotha. "Harley-Davidson: Preparing for the Next Century (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 906-412.

Austin, Robert D., and Richard L. Nolan. "IBM Corporation Turnaround." Harvard Business School Case 600-098.

Nolan, Richard L. "IBM Corporation Turnaround TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 301-073.

Nolan, Richard L. "Information Technology Management from 1960-2000." Harvard Business School Note 301-147.

Nolan, Richard L., Stephen J. Gallagher, and Mark E. Ledbetter. "Intranets and Middleware." Harvard Business School Note 397-118.

Nolan, Richard L. "IT Asset: the "Legacy" System Problem." Harvard Business School Note 301-148.

Nolan, Richard L., and George Francis Westerman III. "james martin + co." Harvard Business School Case 399-030.

Applegate, Lynda M., Richard L. Nolan, and Janis Lee Gogan. "KPMG Peat Marwick: The Shadow Partner TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 196-066.

Nolan, Richard L. "KPMG Peat Marwick: The Shadow Partner TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 196-046.

Nolan, Richard L. "Laura Ashley (A): A New CEO Takes Charge." Harvard Business School Case 194-142.

Nolan, Richard L. "Laura Ashley (B): Defining a Strategy." Harvard Business School Case 194-143.

Nolan, Richard L. "Laura Ashley (C): Rebuilding and Transforming a Global Brand." Harvard Business School Case 194-144.

Nolan, Richard L. "Laura Ashley (D)." Harvard Business School Case 194-146.

Nolan, Richard L., and Robert D. Austin. "Managing Business Risk of Information Technology." Harvard Business School Case 604-004.

Nolan, Richard L. "Managing in the Information Age (MIA98): Course Overview Program for Management Development (PMD)." Harvard Business School Color Case 399-042.

Nolan, Richard L. "Mrs. Fields' Cookies TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 196-047.

Nolan, Richard L. "Note on Estimating the Value of the "IT Asset" Part I." Harvard Business School Note 195-197.

Nolan, Richard L. "Note on Estimating the Value of the "IT Asset" Part II." Harvard Business School Note 195-199.

Nolan, Richard L., and Katherine Seger. "Note on Information Technology and Strategy." Harvard Business School Note 193-137.

Nolan, Richard L. "Note on Reengineering, Transformation and New Management Principles." Harvard Business School Note 195-226.

Nolan, Richard L. "Novell: World's Largest Network Software Company." Harvard Business School Case 300-038.

Nolan, Richard L. "Novell: World's Largest Network Software Company TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 301-068.

Nolan, Richard L., and Robert D. Austin. "Novell: CEO-led Turnaround and Growth Strategy." Harvard Business School Case 605-004.

Nolan, Richard L., Donna B. Stoddard, and Sorin A. Bodea. "Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.: IT Support of Corn Research and Development." Harvard Business School Case 193-010.

Nolan, Richard L. "Process of Creative Destruction, The: Business Transformation." Harvard Business School Note 196-018.

Nolan, Richard L., and Donna B. Stoddard. "Reengineering the Organization, Course Overview and Syllabus." Harvard Business School Color Case 396-057.

Nolan, Richard L. "Reengineering: Competitive Advantage and Strategic Jeopardy." Harvard Business School Note 196-019.

Nolan, Richard L. "Role of Management Consulting in Reengineering." Harvard Business School Note 195-200.

Nolan, Richard L., David Croson, and Katherine Seger. "Stages Theory, The: A Framework for IT Adoption and Organizational Learning." Harvard Business School Note 193-141.

Nolan, Richard L., Donna B. Stoddard, and Chiara Francalanci. "State Street Boston Corporation: Leading with Information Technology TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 196-058.

Nolan, Richard L. "Sturdivant Electric Corp." Harvard Business School Case 172-123.

Nolan, Richard L., and Kelley Porter. "Sun Microsystems and the N-tier Architecture." Harvard Business School Case 399-037.

Nolan, Richard L. "Teaching IT Executive Education Courses TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 301-151.

Austin, Robert D., Richard L. Nolan, George Francis Westerman III, and Mark J. Cotteleer. "Tektronix, Inc.: Global ERP Implementation." Harvard Business School Case 699-043.

Nolan, Richard L. "Ten Components of a Strategic I-Net, The." Harvard Business School Note 301-154.

Nolan, Richard L., and Robert S. Borsi. "Union Bank of Switzerland: Strategic Options When Outsourcing ATM Services." Harvard Business School Case 397-013.

Nolan, Richard L., Anne Donnellon, and Donna B. Stoddard. "VeriFone (1997)." Harvard Business School Case 398-030.

Nolan, Richard L., Donna B. Stoddard, and Hossam Galal. "VeriFone: The Transaction Automation Company (A)." Harvard Business School Case 195-088.

Nolan, Richard L., and Kelley Porter. "Working with Your "Shadow Partner"." Harvard Business School Exercise 399-051.

Nolan, Richard L. "Working with your "Shadow Partner" TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 399-072.

Nolan, Richard L. "Working with your "Shadow Partner" in the healthcare industry (A)." Harvard Business School Exercise 399-177.

Crane, Dwight B., and Richard L. Nolan. "Working with Your "Shadow Partner": Building a High Tech Investment Portfolio." Harvard Business School Exercise 302-029.

Nolan, Richard L. "Working with Your Shadow Partner in Analyzing IT Strategic Partnering." Harvard Business School Exercise 301-003.

Bradley, Stephen P., Richard L. Nolan, and James Leonard. "XcelleNet, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 796-189.

Nolan, Richard L. "Xerox: Outsourcing Global Information Technology Resources TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 196-055.

Nolan, Richard L., and George Francis Westerman III. "ZEFER: Building and Positioning an e-Business Consulting Company TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 301-090.

Nolan, Richard L., George Francis Westerman III, and Matthew Sandoval. "ZEFER: Building and Positioning an e-Business Consulting Company." Harvard Business School Case 301-010.