PON Live! Katherine Coffman – Capitalizing on the Best Ideas and Talent
The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School is pleased to present:
PON Live!
Katherine Coffman – Capitalizing on the Best Ideas and Talent
Harvard Business School
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET (US and Canada)
Free and open to the public.
About the Talk:
Even the best ideas and talent can only deliver value when they are put forward. A student who is unsure of an answer on a test can only answer correctly if she is willing to submit her best guess rather than skip the question. A corporate executive can only improve a board’s decision if she is willing to speak up with her opinion about the best path forward. A firm can only hire the best candidate if she applies for the opening. Whether we are considering negotiations, hiring, performance evaluations, conversations within teams, or any other aspect of workplace decision-making, the choice of process will influence whether and how individuals put themselves forward (supply-side) and how those individuals are treated (demand-side). Through discussion of scholarly research and case studies, we will explore how leaders can better manage both demand-side and supply-side decisions to capitalize on the best ideas and talent. We will analyze the impacts of reducing ambiguity in processes. Processes that are clearer and more objective not only help to reduce the “wiggle room” available for demand-side biases to influence decisions; they also communicate to candidates that demand-side biases are less likely to play a role in decisions, addressing supply-side considerations. Second, we will discuss how leaders can build processes that rely less on individuals to self-evaluate and self-advocate to advance.
About the Speaker:
Katherine Coffman is the Piramal Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Negotiations, Organizations & Markets unit. Before joining HBS, she was an assistant professor of economics at The Ohio State University. In her research, Professor Coffman uses experimental methods to study individual, team, and managerial decision making, with a focus on the role of gender stereotypes in shaping beliefs. Her work has been published in Management Science, the American Economic Review, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and Social Choice and Welfare. She is an associate editor of Management Science and the Journal of Political Economy: Microeconomics. Professor Coffman holds a PhD in economics from Harvard University and a BA in mathematics and economics from Williams College.
Accommodation Statement:
The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (PON) is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation(s) for persons with disabilities in connection with its programs and activities. Accommodations must not fundamentally alter applicable PON programming and are not retroactive.
Event participants should request accommodations at least two weeks prior to the start date of a program or event, as accommodations may take time to implement. Please note that PON will make every effort to secure services, but these are subject to availability.
To request accommodations please e-mail ponevents@law.harvard.edu.
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