Reinventing an Organization to Do More with Less

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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