
Reinventing an Organization to Do More with Less
From HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review
June 2, 2026 · 28 min · Episode 1081
About this episode
Kelly T. Clements discusses managing complex organizations with limited resources and the importance of resilience and innovation.
What does it take to manage a complex global institution when change is constant and resources are scarce? For Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), it's about building resilient teams, partnering across sectors, and balancing operational efficiency with humanity. In her more than a decade with the agency, Clements has helped steer key reforms in challenging circumstances, and she shares lessons for both public and private sector leaders about how to modernize systems, decentralize decision-making, and embrace innovation.
People in this episode
Guest: Kelly T. Clements
Topics covered
- organizational change
- resource management
- team resilience
- public sector leadership
- innovation
Keywords
- UNHCR
- leadership
- efficiency
- decentralization
- partnerships
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: UN Refugee Agency
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