Publications

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October 2000 (Revised January 2001)
Case

Polycom, Inc.: Visualizing Culture

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Polycom is a rapidly growing maker of video conferencing and teleconferencing equipment. Management is attempting to use "natural work groups" as an organizing mechanism, and to build into the culture implicit rules that will cause desired behaviors to be... View Details

Keywords: Communication Technology; Growth Management; Organizational Design; Groups and Teams; Organizational Culture; Manufacturing Industry; Telecommunications Industry

April 1999
Teaching Note

Dimensions of Technology Strategy: Managing Innovation: Overview Teaching Note for Module 5

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Provides instructors with an overview teaching note for the technology strategy module of the course. The cases in the module give students insights about several issues in technology strategy. These include: 1) Whether to be a technological leader or follower; 2)... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Investment Return; Innovation and Management; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Managerial Roles; Performance Improvement; Problems and Challenges; Research; Strategy; Technology

April 1999 (Revised May 1999)
Teaching Note

Innovation and the General Manager: Managing Innovation: Introductory Teaching Note for Instructors

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Provides instructors with an overview of the entire Managing Innovation course. It lists the cases that are recommended to be taught in each class session and summarizes the key concepts students should learn in each of the course's five modules. View Details

Keywords: Cases; Innovation and Management; Managerial Roles

December 1998 (Revised July 2000)
Case

Implementing Strategies for Mobile Telephony: The Cases of BellSouth and U S WEST

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Recounts how BellSouth and US WEST developed and implemented their strategies for becoming major players in the mobile telephony business. Shows how initial success at BellSouth attracted more resources and aggressive investment, while initial failures at US WEST... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Growth and Development Strategy; Resource Allocation; Outcome or Result; Opportunities; Expansion; Mobile Technology; Communications Industry

May 1998
Teaching Note

Improving the Product Development Process at Kirkham Instruments Corporation TN

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Teaching Note for (9-697-058). View Details

March 1998
Teaching Note

Electric Vehicles: Pipe Dream or Product of the Future? TN

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Teaching Note for (1-698-065). (A reprint not in this system). View Details

Keywords: Disruptive Innovation; Information Technology; Performance; Auto Industry

April 1998
Teaching Note

Materials Technology Corporation TN

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Teaching Note for (9-694-075). View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Market Entry and Exit; Technology; Research; Markets; Marketing Strategy; Product Development

March 1998
Teaching Note

Hospital Equipment Corporation TN

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Teaching Note for (9-697-086). View Details

Keywords: Health Industry

March 1998
Teaching Note

Vallourec's Venture into Metal Injection Molding TN

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Teaching Note for (9-697-001). View Details

May 1997
Teaching Note

Hewlett-Packard: The Flight of the Kittyhawk TN

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Teaching Note for (9-697-060). View Details

Keywords: Technology; Management; Computer Industry

January 1997 (Revised September 1997)
Case

Improving the Product Development Process at Kirkham Instruments Corp.

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Describes the efforts of a manufacturer of scientific instruments to implement new methods of managing new product development, which its executives had learned in a Harvard Business School seminar. The executives left the seminar excited to implement a new way of... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Product Launch; Innovation and Invention; Product Development; Manufacturing Industry; Technology Industry; United States

February 1996 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Eli Lilly and Company: Innovation in Diabetes Care

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Summarizes Eli Lilly's history of innovation in its business, describing how the dimensions along which innovations have been made in the industry have changed. Lilly's innovation strategy has been to pursue ever higher performance products, while others in the... View Details

Keywords: Change; Product; Service Delivery; Product Development; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Health Care and Treatment; Pharmaceutical Industry

July 1994
Teaching Note

Building Process-based Capabilities: A Principal Focus of Operations Management, Module Outline and Teaching Note

By: Clayton M. Christensen

October 1993 (Revised November 1994)
Case

Michigan Manufacturing Corp.: The Pontiac Plant--1988

By: Clayton M. Christensen

Michigan Manufacturing is a broad-line maker of components for the automotive industry. It has developed a network of nine plants as its product line has grown. Newer, higher-volume products tend to be made in newer, focused, high-volume plants, while older product... View Details

Keywords: Cost Accounting; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Profit; Brands and Branding; Mission and Purpose; Networks; Auto Industry; Manufacturing Industry