Harvard Professor Discusses Mad Men’s Don Draper in Case Study
One of the defining features of the Harvard Business School‘s MBA program is its Case Method. According to the HBS website, “The case method is a profound educational innovation that presents the greatest challenges confronting leading companies, nonprofits and government organizations—complete with the constraints and incomplete information found in real business issues—and places the student in the role of the decision maker.” Professors present case studies to students to help them apply the skills that they are learning in the program to real world issues by analyzing the problem and presenting solutions to the issues.
Gautam Mukunda, a Harvard Business School professor recently wrote a case study that analyzes Don Draper, the protagonist from the AMC television series Mad Men. Don Draper is considered to be the most talented “ad man” in New York. However, he does present the companies that he works for with issues. The case study titled, “Don Draper: Is he worth it?” presents students with the problem that managers face with professionals who often make more problems for the company but whose talent usually out weighs the issues.
The case study covers Draper’s history and the history of his company and the issues that Draper has caused for his partners at the various advertising firms that he has worked with. Mukunda explains, “Cases never have a “right” answer. And Draper is obviously a nightmare to work with. But he is so good at his job that losing him could cost McCann-Erickson millions of (1970!) dollars a year in lost revenues. Someone who is consistently able to both generate powerful advertising campaigns and capture and hold clients has a valuable and rare combination of talents and is unlikely to be easily replaced.”
The case study concludes with the idea that although Draper causes problems for the company and has issues with partners and other managers at the firm, his talents are well worth the hassle. So, Don Draper: Is he worth it? Makunda states that the answer seems to be yes, but students who are analyzing the case study should look at the ways in which the problems can be solved with the smallest effect on the employee’s progress but should always think about the best outcome for the company as a whole, not just for those that are facing issues.
More information on the Harvard Business School MBA program can be found at metromba.com.
About the Author
Erin Purcell
Staff Writer, covering MetroMBA's news beat for New York, Philadelphia, and Boston.
