Publications

09 Oct 2019
Research & Ideas

For Better Ideas, Bring the Right People to the Brainstorm

and wrote down as many innovative ideas as they could think of, with the average person coming up with 4.5 new ideas. These ideas were then anonymously scored by other participants View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

25 Jul 2007
Lessons from the Classroom

The Evolution of Apple

halted production of the Newton, an early version of the personal digital assistant, and closed the division working to develop a portable PC for the education sector. "What Apple is great at is figuring out how to View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Computer; Technology

2025
Working Paper

Mammography - Early Detection, Precise Diagnoses: Case Histories of Transformational Advances

By: Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar and Katherine Stebbins

This case history describes how the development of x-ray-based techniques and equipment (“mammography”) led to widespread screening for breast cancer and enabled “minimally invasive” biopsies of breast tumors. Specifically, we chronicle how: 1) new protocols and... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Technological Innovation; Innovation Strategy; Technology Adoption; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Invention; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms

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November 2021 (Revised May 2022)
Case

QuantumScape's Mission to Revolutionize Energy Storage for a Sustainable Future

By: William A. Sahlman, Allison M. Ciechanover and Jeff Huizinga

QuantumScape CEO Jagdeep Singh juggles the many activities required to lead the next-generation battery pioneer. Founded in 2010, QuantumScape’s mission was to develop new “solid-state” car batteries that would improve upon traditional lithium-ion batteries in key... View Details

Keywords: Batteries; Electric Vehicles; SPACs; Innovation and Management; Technological Innovation; Science-Based Business; Environmental Sustainability; Auto Industry; Energy Industry; California; San Jose

10 Nov 2008
Research Event

Social Media Leads the Future of Technology

Internet-connected televisions, social media, and the power of simplicity were all cited as launch pads for future innovation in technology, according to a panel of experts that convened at Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

12 Oct 2016
Research & Ideas

Break the Rules of How Business is Done

talent, these companies are fueling creativity and innovation across their organizations. "By taking a chance at doing something different, not only are they attracting new talent, these companies are... View Details

Keywords: by Julia B. Austin

July 2024
Case

ZEISS: Commercializing Science

By: Maria P. Roche, Carlota Moniz and Daniela Beyersdorfer

Karl Lamprecht, President and CEO of the ZEISS AG Group, mused on how far ZEISS had come in 175 years of being a pioneer in optics, and how the course he had charted since taking the helm of the company could keep it on track. In his role, he oversaw the four core... View Details

26 May 2003
Research & Ideas

What Your Competition is Telling You

up. With firsthand experience both in a world of no competition and in one of intense competition, he is decidedly in favor of the latter. A strong, innovative competitor "makes you more efficient in... View Details

Keywords: by David Stauffer

01 Aug 2011
Research & Ideas

Immigrant Innovators: Job Stealers or Job Creators?

The debate has gotten to the point where neither side is willing to cede ground." The Supply Side Of Innovation Kerr's desire for a systematic study of the H-1B program resulted in the paper The Supply Side of Innovation: H-1B Visa... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Technology

19 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Digital Technology’s Profound Game Change for Marketers

technology's impact on their business, the entire customer experience, and leading innovation within their enterprises, not simply following a course set by their IT department. "Madison Avenue meets... View Details

Keywords: by Jeffrey Bussgang; Advertising; Technology

2024
Working Paper

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting—Impossible to Routine: Case Histories of Transformational Advances

By: Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar and Fabio Villa

We describe how Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG, or more popularly, “bypass”) operations revolutionized the treatment of coronary disease (that can produce fatal heart attacks and debilitating angina). Specifically, we chronicle the: 1) development of the... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Technological Innovation; Innovation Strategy; Technology Adoption; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Invention; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms

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September 2013 (Revised November 2015)
Case

Living Proof: Are We a Technology Company or a Beauty Company?

By: Willy Shih

Jon Flint came up with the idea of a science-based beauty company while talking with his hairdresser about the problems with typical hair and skin care products. Together with a small team that included Professor Robert Langer of MIT, he committed to assemble a team... View Details

29 May 2001
Research & Ideas

How Technological Disruption Changes Everything

who are focused on their existing and most profitable markets and don't see the threat coming from below. Exhibit A: The death of Digital Equipment Corp., which, along with a string of other minicomputer... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Health

Summer 2018
Book Review

Leslie Berlin, Troublemakers: Silicon Valley's Coming of Age

By: William A. Sahlman

Leslie Berlin's book Troublemakers, is an engaging and insightful people-first exploration of the roots of Silicon Valley, from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. Berlin portrays seven individuals who played important roles at critical junctures in the... View Details

Keywords: Silicon Valley; Technological Innovation; Disruptive Innovation; History; California

Find at Harvard

2025
Working Paper

Antibiotic Treatments for Ulcers--Eradicating H-Pylori Infections: Case Histories of Transformational Advances

By: Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar and Katherine Stebbins

This case history describes how a chance discovery of bacteria that infect stomach linings completely changed how physicians treat ulcers. Specifically, we chronicle how: 1) two Australian physicians brought the bacterial infection to the world’s attention and... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Technological Innovation; Innovation Strategy; Technology Adoption; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Invention; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms

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November 2024
Supplement

AlphaGo (B): Birth of a New Intelligence

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai

This case, the second in a three-part series, explores DeepMind's evolution from developing game-specific AI to more generalized learning systems. Following AlphaGo's 2017 victory over the Go world champion, DeepMind introduced two revolutionary systems that eliminated... View Details

Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Technological Innovation; Disruptive Innovation; Innovation Leadership; Information Technology Industry; United States; Russia; China