Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative

Case and Materials

Charting a Course for Boston: Organizing for Change

  • Lisa Cox Mitch Weiss
  • Authors Lisa C. Cox, Mitchell B. Weiss, Jorrit de Jong
a person sitting at a desk reading paperwork
Photo by John Wilcox

Last Updated

Topic
Strategic Leadership and Management
Locations
North America, Northeast Region, United States

Overview

Boston Mayor-elect Michelle Wu faced the challenge of structuring her team to create far-reaching change across city departments. Should she hire high-profile advisors in the mayor’s office, assign the work to department heads, or pursue another arrangement? This case study helps set the stage for learners to discuss how mayors can structure roles and teams to deliver strong results.

Guides for using this case are forthcoming.

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Supporting Materials

Introduction

Michelle Wu was elected on the promise of systemic change. Four days after her November 2021 victory — and just eleven days before taking office as mayor of Boston — she considered how to get started delivering on her sweeping agenda. This case ends with Wu deciding between two organizational models she might leverage to deliver on her campaign promises.

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The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative is located at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University.