Publications

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1994
Book

The Perpetual Enterprise Machine: Seven Keys to Corporate Renewal through Successful Product and Process Development

By: H. K. Bowen, K. B. Clark, C. H. Holloway and S. C. Wheelwright

Keywords: Business Processes; Innovation and Invention; Product Development

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Web

Harvard Business School and Polaroid - Edwin H. Land & Polaroid | Harvard Business School

industry, and government—laid the foundation upon which entrepreneurship and innovation thrived in Eastern Massachusetts. Colleges and... View Details

Web

Seen and Unseen | Baker Library | Bloomberg Center | Harvard Business School

everything from stomach pains to coughs to kidney disease, “Sagwa” was in reality Healy and Bigelow's own formulation. They not only told fictional accounts of its origins but likely invented its name to... View Details

December 2004 (Revised May 2005)
Case

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

By: David E. Bell and Hal Hogan

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has a long, successful history at inventing solutions that help developing countries improve their agriculture. Their research centers are spread across the globe. For many years, they were funded by... View Details

Keywords: History; Adaptation; Investment; Research and Development; Agribusiness; Developing Countries and Economies; Innovation and Invention; Consulting Industry

14 Aug 2014
News

E-Commerce Is Not Eating Retail

Keywords: e-commerce; bricks and mortar stores; retail industry; sales strategy; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade

January 1997 (Revised June 1997)
Case

Corporate New Ventures at Procter & Gamble

By: Teresa M. Amabile and Dean Whitney

Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble is faced with an urgent need to revitalize new-product innovation, given its recent focus on incremental product improvements and its aggressive growth goals. As part of this effort, the company's top executives form a small,... View Details

Keywords: Innovation Strategy; Creativity; Working Conditions; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Groups and Teams; Retail Industry; Ohio

25 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

How Software Platforms Revolutionize Business

independent developers to build new features. The cell phone has become a lucrative platform for more than handset makers—also in on the party are makers of digital cameras, music services, and organizer... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Video Game; Web Services

07 May 2013
First Look

First Look: May 7

incumbent attracting and retaining more profitable customers over time. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=39914 Clusters of Entrepreneurship and View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

May 2007 (Revised April 2009)
Case

Netflix

By: Willy C. Shih, Stephen P. Kaufman and David Spinola

Reed Hastings founded Netflix with a vision to provide a home movie service that would do a better job satisfying customers than the traditional retail rental model. But as it encouraged challenges it underwent several major strategy shifts, ultimately developing a... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Film Entertainment; Disruptive Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Distribution Channels; Service Delivery; Renting or Rental; Competitive Strategy; Motion Pictures and Video Industry

November 2019 (Revised April 2021)
Technical Note

Rechargeable Batteries, 2017: Gigafactory Wars in the Offing?

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

In 2017, the global market for rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries was 126 gigawatt-hours (GWh) valued at $37 billion, growing by $10 billion in two years. Once confined largely to consumer electronics and appliances, the rapid increase in demand was spurred by... View Details

Shikhar Ghosh is a Professor of Management Practice in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit. He currently teaches in the elective curriculum and is the course head for 3 Technologies that will Change the World. Shikhar received the Apgar Award for innovation in... View Details

Research Summary

Recruiting specialized inventors into young organizations

Commercializing nascent technologies may require the expertise of those intimately involved in the original invention, especially when tacit knowledge is essential. Yet the organization home to the original invention may not serve as the best commercialization... View Details

May 2008 (Revised May 2008)
Case

Symyx Technologies, Inc.

By: H. Kent Bowen, Courtney Purrington and Thomas D. Perry

Symyx is a science-based company spun out of Berkeley. Its unique materials technology has been exploited for 10 years, but the company needs a new business model. The company concept required the invention of hardware and software to do high throughput materials... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Transition; Engineering; Technological Innovation; Resource Allocation; Product Development; Partners and Partnerships; Science-Based Business; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software

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22 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

Lack of Female Scientists Means Fewer Medical Treatments for Women

scientist.” Missed innovation opportunities Koning, an assistant professor of business administration in the Strategy Unit at HBS, teamed up with John-Paul Ferguson of McGill University and Sampsa Samila of... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

June 2000 (Revised October 2017)
Case

IDEO

By: Stefan Thomke and Ashok Nimgade

Describes IDEO, the world's leading product design firm, and its innovation culture and process. Emphasis is placed on the important role of prototyping and experimentation in general, and in the design of the very successful Palm V handheld computer in particular. A... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Innovation Strategy; Business or Company Management; Time Management; Product Design; Product Development; Business Processes; Organizational Culture; Practice; Problems and Challenges; Creativity; Hardware