-
Staples’ New Run at Strategic Innovation
Innovation Digital ArticleWhat do you do when the very breakthrough strategy that once made your business uniquely powerful now threatens to turn you into a commodity? That’s the question stationery supplier Staples is facing. I still remember when Staples changed my life. Before its 1986 opening, buying stationery and office supplies was a time-consuming, inconvenient, and expensive […] -
Better Healing from Better Hospital Design
Design thinking Digital ArticleHow physical space can reduce pain, lower costs, and save lives. -
Anatomy of a Failed Launch — The Michelin PAX Tire
Innovation Digital ArticleIt is always instructive to examine how successful firms can go wrong, even in markets that they think they understand well. The market failure of the Michelin run-flat PAX tire illustrates the common mistake of failing to realize that even a groundbreaking product has to create a complete consumption chain. Broken links in the chain […] -
Creating Breakthroughs at 3M
Innovation Magazine ArticleCompanies say they want breakthrough products, but most are far more adept at making incremental improvements to existing lines. A pioneering division at 3M successfully navigated a process that leads to breakthrough thinking. -
Five Warning Signs Your Innovation Efforts Are Going Off the Rails
Innovation Digital ArticleFor the past ten years, my colleague, Chris Trimble, and I have studied one critical question: What are the best practices for executing an innovation initiative? Execution is the poor stepchild of the innovation challenge. People love to engage in the hunt for the big ideas, but, let’s face it, without execution capability, an idea […] -
We Need More Transparency on the Cost of Specialty Drugs
Health and behavioral science Digital ArticleDecisions about drug formularies need to be made in broad daylight. -
Make the Most of Scarce Data-Mining Talent
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleTaking advantage of big data is as much about people as technology. -
Fear Factor
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleCompanies are always looking for innovative ideas. But employees often keep good ideas to themselves, afraid to test them in the workplace. Here's how... -
Visualizing Hip-Hop Lyrics as Cultural Indicator
Design thinking Digital ArticleGraphics aren’t just an alternative to representation in words. -
Is R&D Getting Harder, or Are Companies Just Getting Worse At It?
R&D Digital ArticleReturns to innovation appear to be declining. -
The Power of “Risktakes”
Leadership Digital ArticleYour animated interaction in response to my post The Miracle of Making Mistakes delved deep into the subject, broadened the interpretation of a mistake, and even coined a delightful new term: Risktakes. Thank you Notmd, Dawna, Brett, and all the others, who provided terrific insights over the past four weeks. A mistake is as an […] -
The Risky Business of Diversification
Innovation Magazine ArticleOn the basis of a sample from the top 200 of the Fortune “500” and data from the PIMS (Profit Impact of Market Strategies) project, this author gives some guidelines for established companies on what to expect from new ventures. He points out that it takes an average of 10 to 12 years before the […] -
Failing Toward Success at Google
Innovation Digital ArticleIn the latest Harvard Business Review, I made the argument that failures can be useful in that they teach us where our assumptions are wrong, expose dead ends, and generally can give us something of an education. In highly uncertain environments, failures are both useful and unavoidable. It was interesting, therefore, to run across an […] -
A Taxonomy of Innovation
Product development Magazine ArticleA Taxonomy of Innovation -
Even Cement Can Be Special
Innovation Digital ArticleWhere there are customers, there is differentiation. Even for commodities. -
Way Faster than a Speeding Bullet
Innovation Magazine ArticleFemtosecond lasers emit pulses of light that last just a millionth of a billionth of a second. These lasers enable surgery so precise that a single mitochondrion can be removed without harming the rest of the cell, and machining so controlled that structures can be micromachined within a piece of glass. Eric Mazur, a professor […] -
Wall Street Is No Friend to Radical Innovation
Innovation Magazine ArticleTo the list of reasons to resent Wall Street, now add another: It’s a wet blanket on innovation. A new study by Mary Benner of the Wharton School (published this year in Organization Science) examines the way securities analysts research and report on incumbent firms in industries undergoing disruptive change. She finds that analysts tend […] -
The CEO of Abbott on Revamping Its Breakthrough Diabetes Device
Innovation & Leadership Magazine ArticleIn 2008 Abbott introduced a revolutionary new device, FreeStyle Navigator, designed to improve the lives of the world's more than 500 million diabetes... -
From Do It Yourself to Do It Together
Organizational culture Digital ArticleChris Anderson continues to explore the edges of the Big Shift playing out around us. Having introduced us to The Long Tail and the growth of Free as a business model, Chris has just published a new article called “Atoms Are the New Bits” in the current issue of Wired. This article, highlighting the move […] -
Apple's Patently Absurd Smartphone Crusade
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Digital ArticleThe epic battle over who copied whom is bad for the industry, and for consumers.
-
Boards Need a New Approach to Technology
Boards Magazine ArticleBy worrying primarily about security and IT, they’re missing out on big opportunities across the sciences. -
The CEO of Abbott on Revamping Its Breakthrough Diabetes Device
Innovation Magazine ArticleUnsatisfied with the initial response, the company doubled down on the patient experience. -
The Legacy Company’s Guide to Innovation
Innovation Magazine ArticleHow to collaborate well and scale up fast -
AI Won’t Give You a New Sustainable Advantage
AI and machine learning Magazine ArticleBut using it may amplify the ones you already have. -
Is It Time to Pivot Your Strategy?
Corporate strategy Digital ArticleThree questions to help you decide when and how to correct the course. -
Can AI Help Your Company Innovate? It Depends
AI and machine learning Digital ArticleCompanies that use it for recombination see better results than those that use it for incremental improvements and radical innovation efforts. -
Should Your Company Build an Open or Closed Ecosystem?
Innovation Digital ArticleFour research-backed principles to help you determine what’s right for your company. - SPONSORED CONTENT FROM CANVA
The Creative Edge: Transforming Ideas into Impact
Developing employees ResearchHBR-AS Sponsored Article Sponsored By Canva -
3 Steps to Cultivate an Innovator’s Mindset
Managing yourself Digital ArticleEmbracing curiosity, engaging in continuous learning, and fostering collaboration can help fast-track your career. -
Firms Led by CEOs from Former U.S. Frontier Areas Are Awarded More Patents
Entrepreneurship Magazine ArticleThe qualities that were needed to succeed on the frontier are the same ones needed to drive corporate innovation. -
Why Entrepreneurs Should Think Like Scientists
Entrepreneurship Magazine ArticleFounders of start-ups who question and test their theories are more successful than their overly confident peers. -
The Middle Path to Innovation
Innovation Magazine ArticleForget disruption and incrementalism. Here’s how to develop high-growth products in slow-growth companies. -
Why Cross-Functional Collaboration Stalls, and How to Fix It
Collaboration and teams Digital ArticleResearch shows that 78% of leaders report “collaboration drag” — too many meetings, too much peer feedback, and too much time spent getting buy-in from stakeholders. - SPONSOR CONTENT FROM NVIDIA
Video Quick Take: Balancing AI-Driven Innovation With Data Responsibility
AI and machine learning Sponsor ContentSponsor Content from NVIDIA. - SPONSOR CONTENT WEBINAR FROM WORKDAY
How Technology Can Help Drive DEI Success
Diversity and inclusion Sponsor ContentSponsor content webinar from Workday. -
Make Decisions with a VC Mindset
Organizational decision making Magazine ArticleThe key is to embrace risk, disagreement, and agility. -
Should Your Brand Hire a Virtual Influencer?
Marketing SpotlightRelying on AI-generated personalities can be a low-risk, high-engagement strategy. -
Winning at Influencer Marketing
Management Digital ArticleOver the past 20 years the social media influencer industry has completely rearranged the way information and culture are conceived, produced, marketed,... -
Your Teams Should Drive AI Adoption — Not Senior Leadership
Innovation Digital ArticleMany companies appoint a designated senior leader to find ways to integrate new tech — and that’s a mistake. -
The 3-Stage Process That Makes Universities Prime Innovators
Business and society Digital ArticleHow these institutions carefully curate connections and relationships to take ideas from the drawing board into the marketplace.
-
Lenovo: Digital Transformation for Supply Chain Intelligence
Management Case Study11.95View Details Through the example of Lenovo Group Limited, this case provides students an opportunity to learn about emerging and advanced digital technologies for... -
Flexibility at Genentech: Developing Versatile Domain Experts and Deploying Flexible Resources at One U.S. Medical Affairs Unit
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details The Genentech Spectrum case is about infusing flexibility in a medical unit of a global biotechnology company. The protagonist is Mauricio Silva de Lima,... -
Teaching Old Companies New Tricks: The Challenge of Managing New Streams Within the Mainstream
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details Describes the challenge of starting new ventures or new activities in established companies, especially if they diverge from the mainstream of ongoing... -
Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them
Strategy & Execution Book32.00View Details In a world of unrelenting change and unprecedented challenges, we need organizations that are resilient and daring. Unfortunately, most organizations,... -
SAM100: Will Construction Robotics Disrupt the US Bricklaying Industry?
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details This case explores the marketing challenges that a robotics and automation technology start-up faces in the construction industry. A recommended framework... -
Coca-Cola's 'eKOCool' Solar Cooler: Innovation to Empower Women Retailers in Rural India
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In 2011, Coca-Cola India recognised the opportunity to access the rural and remote markets of India in a more effective manner by launching the 'eKOCool',... -
Enpara.com: Digital Bank at a Crossroad
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details In March 2017, Elsa Pekmez Atan (MBA 2004), was wondering about the future of Enpara.com, a digital-only banking platform of QNB Finansbank. Since its... -
Adam Aircraft
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details This case chronicles the evolution of Adam Aircraft, a highly innovative, entrepreneurial, start-up company that flew in the face of conventional wisdom... -
Uber Pricing Strategies and Marketing Communications
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details By late March 2014, the ridesharing company Uber was on a roll, rapidly expanding service to untapped markets and gaining new, enthusiastic customers,... -
The World Wrestling Federation (C): Vince McMahon vs. Bret "the Hitman" Hart
Leadership & Managing People Case Study5.00View Details Supplement to case IN1075. Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation faces a serious threat to survival from the deep pockets of media mogul Ted Turner... -
Bitmaker Labs: Innovation on Hold
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Inspired by software development boot camps in New York and San Francisco, Bitmaker Labs has just launched a similar offering but without considering... -
Lowell General Physician Hospital Organization
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details This case focuses on the Alternative Quality Contract (AQC), a novel payment program designed to incentivize providers to deliver less costly, high quality... -
Roger Caracappa: Package Deals for the Estee Lauder Companies
Communication Case Study11.95View Details Roger Caracappa must negotiate a cost-saving, innovative proposal from a potential French supplier that could displace the otherwise satisfactory, long-time... -
frog design (Multimedia Case)
Management Tool25.00View Details The case follows the genesis and development of Palo, a radical urban communications hub designed to replace payphone booths in Manhattan, through a joint... -
GVK EMRI: Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emergency Medical Response
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details SEMRI is the first not-for-profit public private partnership (PPP) arrangement in the healthcare sector in India. From its modest beginnings of providing... -
Cypress Semiconductors (B): Vision, Values, But No Killer Software
Organizational Development Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
Cambridge Technology Partners (A)
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details Cambridge Technology Partners uses a highly innovative product strategy, supported by a human resources strategy, that has been very successful. However,... -
Kunshan, Incorporated: The Making of China's Richest Town
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details In 1980, the city of Kunshan was mere countryside, registering neither on the Chinese government's nor the international business community's radar. By... -
Academic Entrepreneurship: Navigating Commercialization Challenges
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details In September 2015, Pooja Viswanathan, a post-doctoral research scientist, emerged perplexed after a meeting with her post-doc supervisor. The purpose... -
Backchannelmedia: Making Television 'Clickable'
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Backchannelmedia (BCM), a three year old start-up, intended to completely disrupt the world of advertising by transforming the way Americans watched television....
-
Staples’ New Run at Strategic Innovation
Innovation Digital ArticleWhat do you do when the very breakthrough strategy that once made your business uniquely powerful now threatens to turn you into a commodity? That’s the question stationery supplier Staples is facing. I still remember when Staples changed my life. Before its 1986 opening, buying stationery and office supplies was a time-consuming, inconvenient, and expensive […] -
Better Healing from Better Hospital Design
Design thinking Digital ArticleHow physical space can reduce pain, lower costs, and save lives. -
Lenovo: Digital Transformation for Supply Chain Intelligence
Management Case Study11.95View Details Through the example of Lenovo Group Limited, this case provides students an opportunity to learn about emerging and advanced digital technologies for... -
Anatomy of a Failed Launch — The Michelin PAX Tire
Innovation Digital ArticleIt is always instructive to examine how successful firms can go wrong, even in markets that they think they understand well. The market failure of the Michelin run-flat PAX tire illustrates the common mistake of failing to realize that even a groundbreaking product has to create a complete consumption chain. Broken links in the chain […] -
Creating Breakthroughs at 3M
Innovation Magazine ArticleCompanies say they want breakthrough products, but most are far more adept at making incremental improvements to existing lines. A pioneering division at 3M successfully navigated a process that leads to breakthrough thinking. -
Five Warning Signs Your Innovation Efforts Are Going Off the Rails
Innovation Digital ArticleFor the past ten years, my colleague, Chris Trimble, and I have studied one critical question: What are the best practices for executing an innovation initiative? Execution is the poor stepchild of the innovation challenge. People love to engage in the hunt for the big ideas, but, let’s face it, without execution capability, an idea […] -
We Need More Transparency on the Cost of Specialty Drugs
Health and behavioral science Digital ArticleDecisions about drug formularies need to be made in broad daylight. -
Make the Most of Scarce Data-Mining Talent
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleTaking advantage of big data is as much about people as technology. -
Fear Factor
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleCompanies are always looking for innovative ideas. But employees often keep good ideas to themselves, afraid to test them in the workplace. Here's how... -
Visualizing Hip-Hop Lyrics as Cultural Indicator
Design thinking Digital ArticleGraphics aren’t just an alternative to representation in words.