Publications

08 Sep 2014
News

The Original Disruptor, Clayton Christensen, And VC Bill Hambrecht Talk About The Theory Of Disruption

March 2022
Article

Winner Takes All? Tech Clusters, Population Centers, and the Spatial Transformation of U.S. Invention

By: Brad Chattergoon and William R. Kerr

U.S. invention has become increasingly concentrated around major tech centers since the 1970s, with implications for how much cities across the country share in concomitant local benefits. Is invention becoming a winner-takes-all race? We explore the rising spatial... View Details

Keywords: Clusters; Invention; Agglomeration; Artificial Intelligence; Innovation and Invention; Patents; Applications and Software; Industry Clusters; AI and Machine Learning

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January 2017 (Revised December 2017)
Case

Carmichael Roberts: To Create a Private Equity Firm?

By: Steven Rogers and Kenneth J. Cooper

Carmichael Roberts, a rare African-American venture capitalist, considered leaving his general partnership in a private equity firm near Boston and setting up his own in 2015. He weighed whether the timing was right, with the economy still not fully recovered from the... View Details

November–December 2019
Article

Pivoting Isn't Enough? Managing Strategic Reorientation in New Ventures

By: Rory McDonald and Cheng Gao

New ventures often experience deviations from their plans that oblige them to reorient in pursuit of better fit between their evolving products and their target customers. Yet research is largely silent on how managers explain such changes and justify their ventures in... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Reorientation; Technology Entrepreneurship; Innovation; Product Development Processes; Organizational Adaptation; Qualitative Methods (General); Entrepreneurship; Information Technology; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategy; Innovation and Invention; Product Development; Communication Strategy

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2012
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Richard Fahey and Robert Saudek (A): Lighting Liberia

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Anne Arlinghaus

After successful careers as lawyers Richard Fahey and Robert Saudek set out to tackle a large-scale infrastructure challenge in a complex environment by increasing Liberian citizens’ access to lighting solutions. They developed the Liberian Energy Network, which aimed... View Details

March 2015
Case

Unilever: Combatting Global Food Waste

By: David F. Drake, Janice H. Hammond and Matthew G. Preble

The global consumer goods company Unilever was on pace to hit a number of aggressive targets by 2020 as part of the Unilever Sustainable Living Project, including a goal to halve the waste associated with the disposal of its products. Unilever's chief supply chain... View Details

01 Jun 2001
News

Making A Difference: HBS Club of Puget Sound Reaches Out to Young Alumni

of membership and now as club president, Kwiker has worked to build a basic loyalty to the club and to foster connections to the extended HBS community. Her innovations have included more events targeted... View Details

Keywords: Elena N. Berg

Article

Hurry or Wait: The Pros and Cons of Going Fast or Slow on Climate Change

By: Eleanor Denny and Jurgen Weiss

Climate change risk will likely force the de-carbonization of our electricity sector and thus involve massive investments in long-lived assets using many new and emerging technologies. Since technological progress (independent or dependent on deployment) will likely... View Details

Keywords: Electricity Sector; Environmental Risks; Fat Tails; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Climate Change; Information Technology; Investment; Technological Innovation; Cost vs Benefits

14 May 2024
Blog Post

Creating Emerging Markets Sustainability Series - How to Build a Culture of Intrapreneurship

importance of a culture that encourages progress, outlining how “sustainability-oriented innovation involves making intentional changes to an organization's philosophy and values.” But what kind View Details

23 Aug 2020
News

In the UK, She Leads the Search for a COVID Vaccine

Kate Bingham (MBA 1991) Kate Bingham (MBA 1991) When she was asked to chair the UK’s Vaccine Taskforce back in May, Kate Bingham (MBA 1991) paused. Despite nearly three decades of experience as a life sciences investor with SV Health... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19; vaccines; leadership; biomedicine; venture capital; operations; public health; government innovation; Finance; Scientific Research and Development Services

2016
Teaching Note

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Richard Fahey and Robert Saudek—Lighting Liberia

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter, Tessa Natanay Hamilton and Ai-Ling Jamila Malone

Teaching Note for Case 313-032. After successful careers as lawyers and Fellows in Harvard's Advanced Leadership Initiative, Richard Fahey and Robert Saudek set out to tackle a large-scale infrastructure challenge in a complex environment by ultimately using advanced... View Details

16 Feb 2021
Blog Post

The Rise of The Sixes: Interview with CEO and Founder Franci Girard

Picture yourself in the 4th grade. Are you looking up at your teacher as you hand in your math worksheet? Standing on your tip toes to reach the breakfast cereal? Franci Girard (MBA 2016) wasn’t. In the 4th grade, Girard hit her growth spurt and shot up to 5’9”, making... View Details

February 2019 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Where to Grow Next at Online Marketplace OLX

By: Thales Teixeira, Leandro A. Guissoni and Samy Dana

The CEO of OLX Brazil, an online classifieds platform business, is debating among multiple paths to grow sustainably (i.e., profitably) without the need for investor money. The options under consideration are (1) penetration growth by focusing on the core, (2) new... View Details

Keywords: Online Marketplace; Growth; Customer Acquisition; Facebook; Two-sided Network; E-commerce; Classifieds; Naspers; Schibsted; Innovation; Startup; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Brazil

14 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Ethics Bots and Other Ways to Move Your Code of Business Conduct Beyond Puffery

helps cultivate the kind of behavior and culture the firm wants to support on a day-to-day basis,” Soltes says. “That requires a different and more innovative approach than many firms are currently... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

2022
Article

Is Maximising Creativity Good? The Importance of Elaboration and Internal Confidence in Producing Creative Ideas

By: Goran Calic, Elaine Mosakowski, Nick Bontis and Sébastien Hélie

While knowledge management researchers acknowledge that individuals transition from generation to implementation of ideas, these transitions are not fully understood. The current article focuses on idea elaboration – defined as the transition of an idea from an... View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Management; Organizational Culture; Creativity; Cognition and Thinking; Innovation and Invention; Learning

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01 Apr 2001
News

Making A Difference: HBS Club of Puget Sound Reaches Out to Young Alumni

of membership and now as club president, Kwiker has worked to build a basic loyalty to the club and to foster connections to the extended HBS community. Her innovations have included more events targeted... View Details

Keywords: Elena N. Berg; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade

2012
Other Unpublished Work

Lost in the Clouds: The Impact of Copyright Scope on Investment in Cloud Computing Ventures

By: Josh Lerner and Greg Rafert

Our analysis seeks to understand the impact of changes in copyright scope on investment in new firms. We begin by analyzing the investment effects of the Cartoon Network, et al. v. Cablevision decision in the U.S. and court rulings in France and Germany on venture... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Venture Capital; Internet and the Web; Investment; Business Startups; Copyright; France; Germany; United States; European Union

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Article

The Governance of Innovation: Vertical Integration and Collaborative Arrangements in the Biotechnology Industry

By: Gary P. Pisano

Keywords: Governance; Innovation and Invention; Vertical Integration; Biotechnology Industry

January 2018
Case

Tomer Zvulun and The Atlanta Opera: At Crossroads (A)

By: Michael L. Tushman and Kerry Herman

In 2017, Tomer Zvulun, the CEO and artistic director of The Atlanta Opera, was considering next steps. Zvulun had adapted quickly to the new, dual role of chief executive and artistic director, although there had been a steep learning curve. As he gained traction, the... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Explore/Exploit; Ambidexterity; Zvulun; Opera; Strategy; Talent; Talent Management; Non-profit; Leadership Transition; Organizational Behavior; Leadership; Innovation and Invention; Talent and Talent Management; Arts; Strategic Planning; Fine Arts Industry