Publications

Article

Scaling Social Impact Strategies for Spreading Social Innovations

December 2016 (Revised May 2018)
Module Note

Strategy Execution Module 15: Using the Levers of Control to Implement Strategy

By: Robert Simons

This module reading pulls together key concepts and techniques from the Strategy Execution series into an integrated model—the levers of control. The four levers are: (1) belief systems, (2) boundary systems, (3) diagnostic control systems, and (4) interactive control... View Details

Keywords: Management Control Systems; Implementing Strategy; Execution; Levers Of Control; Balancing Innovation And Control; Managing Growing Businesses; Turn Around Management; Human Behavior; Organizational Life Cycle; Strategy; Management Systems; Performance; Measurement and Metrics; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Behavior

May 2013 (Revised May 2014)
Case

Innovation at the Boston Consulting Group

By: Robert G. Eccles, Das Narayandas and Penelope Rossano

This case is about how the Boston Consulting Group has approached innovation from its founding to the present day. It discusses the role of the firm's talent market and client market in developing these innovations. View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Strategy Consulting; Professional Service Firm; Knowledge Management; Client Management; Product Development; Leadership; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Value and Value Chain; Independent Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Value Creation; Consulting Industry

01 Jun 2000
News

New York Club Focuses on Entrepreneurship

As interest in entrepreneurship grows, so too does the number of alumni events focused on this hot topic. The HBS Club of Greater New York, for instance, recently hosted its second annual America's Entrepreneur Awards ceremony. "We... View Details

Article

Firms, Crowds, and Innovation

By: Teppo Felin, Karim R. Lakhani and Michael L. Tushman

The purpose of this article is to suggest a (preliminary) taxonomy and research agenda for the topic of “firms, crowds, and innovation” and to provide an introduction to the associated special issue. We specifically discuss how various crowd-related phenomena and... View Details

Keywords: Crowdsourcing; Innovation; Open Innovation; Organization Theory; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Organizations; Theory; Strategy

October 2019 (Revised October 2019)
Background Note

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Trends in China K-12

By: John J-H Kim, Haibo Zhao and Shu Lin

This note provides a brief survey of the major entrepreneurial and innovation trends in China’s K-12 education landscape, using trends in public policy as background, but focusing on opportunities available for the private market. The note first provides a brief... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Innovation ＆ Entrepreneurship; Education; Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Invention; Education Industry; China

2006
Working Paper

Architectural Innovation and Dynamic Competition: The Smaller "Footprint" Strategy

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin and Kim B. Clark

July 2004
Article

Overcoming Focusing Failures in Competitive Environments

By: Lorraine Chen Idson, Dolly Chugh, Yoella Bereby-Meyer, Simone Moran, Brit Grosskopf and Max H. Bazerman

Keywords: Failure; Competition

Find at Harvard

2021
Working Paper

Enabling Mission Impact: Funding Strategies for High-Risk High-Reward Innovation

By: Carolyn J. Fu, Lars Frolund and Fiona Murray

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Research and Development

May 2013 (Revised March 2014)
Case

Strategy and the Strategist

By: Eric Van den Steen

This short case presents a series of brief accounts, observations, and quotations that challenge students to think about the role of the CEO — and of the CEO's (possibly strong) beliefs and convictions — in strategy. It focuses in particular on three issues and their... View Details

Keywords: Belief Systems; Strategic Analysis; Competitive Advantage; Values; Vision; Strategy And Leadership; Strategy; Leadership; Values and Beliefs

Teaching Interest

Strategy

By: Goran Calic

Strategic management focuses on the concept of strategy analysis, formulation, and implementation by exploring the functions and nature of general management. The course serves as an opportunity to develop skills for strategic thinking and analysis, leadership,... View Details

June 2023
Article

Gaining Organizational Adoption: Strategically Pacing the Deployment of Digital Innovations

By: Rebecca Karp

Scholars have long suggested that to foster adoption for their innovative products and services, entrepreneurs should engage with customers to better understand their unmet needs. Yet, customers frequently reside in organizations, and organizational members may not be... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship And Strategy; Digital Innovation; Healthcare; Work And Organizations; Organizational Adoption; B2B; Customers; Technology Adoption; Innovation Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation

Find at Harvard

10 Jun 2014
News

In Defense of Routine Innovation

Keywords: innovation

November 2016 (Revised December 2016)
Module Note

Strategy Execution Module 14: Managing Strategic Risk

By: Robert Simons

This module reading provides an overview of the business conduct boundaries, strategic boundaries, and internal control systems used to manage risk. Boundary systems—linked to clear, enforceable sanctions—are essential whenever demanding performance goals are set and... View Details

Keywords: Management Control Systems; Implementing Strategy; Strategy Execution; Boundary Systems; Innovation; Internal Controls; Fraud; Human Behavior; Staff Experts; Strategy; Risk Management; Behavior; Governance Controls; Management Practices and Processes; Boundaries; Employees; Business Strategy; Innovation and Invention

18 Sep 2015
News

Better Value in Health Care Requires Focusing on Outcomes

Awards

Strategy+Business, Best Business Books

By: Gary P. Pisano

Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation was selected by Strategy+Business as one of the Best Business Books on Strategy in 2019. View Details

September 2017 (Revised January 2018)
Case

Innovation at Parker Hotels

By: Srikant M. Datar and Caitlin Bowler

In this case students explore challenges changing demographics and preference pose to global hotel brands. Students then use human-centered design tools to generate concepts hoteliers might embrace to win over Millennials who tend to seek out local over global options. View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Innovation and Invention; Problems and Challenges; Demographics; Strategy; Accommodations Industry

2020
Working Paper

Iterative Coordination and Innovation

By: Sourobh Ghosh and Andy Wu

Agile management practices from the software industry continue to transform the way organizations innovate across industries, yet they remain understudied in the organizations literature. We investigate the widespread Agile practice of iterative coordination: frequent... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Goals; Specialization; Coordination; Field Experiment; Software Development; Organizations; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Goals and Objectives; Integration; Software