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Staples’ New Run at Strategic Innovation
Innovation Digital ArticleWhat do you do when the very breakthrough strategy that once made your business uniquely powerful now threatens to turn you into a commodity? That’s the question stationery supplier Staples is facing. I still remember when Staples changed my life. Before its 1986 opening, buying stationery and office supplies was a time-consuming, inconvenient, and expensive […] -
Better Healing from Better Hospital Design
Design thinking Digital ArticleHow physical space can reduce pain, lower costs, and save lives. -
Anatomy of a Failed Launch — The Michelin PAX Tire
Innovation Digital ArticleIt is always instructive to examine how successful firms can go wrong, even in markets that they think they understand well. The market failure of the Michelin run-flat PAX tire illustrates the common mistake of failing to realize that even a groundbreaking product has to create a complete consumption chain. Broken links in the chain […] -
The Businesses That Platforms Are Actually Disrupting
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Digital ArticleProbably not the ones you think. -
Creating Breakthroughs at 3M
Innovation Magazine ArticleCompanies say they want breakthrough products, but most are far more adept at making incremental improvements to existing lines. A pioneering division at 3M successfully navigated a process that leads to breakthrough thinking. -
Five Warning Signs Your Innovation Efforts Are Going Off the Rails
Innovation Digital ArticleFor the past ten years, my colleague, Chris Trimble, and I have studied one critical question: What are the best practices for executing an innovation initiative? Execution is the poor stepchild of the innovation challenge. People love to engage in the hunt for the big ideas, but, let’s face it, without execution capability, an idea […] -
What Drives Growth in Midsize Firms?
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleLessons from a survey of CEOs. -
We Need More Transparency on the Cost of Specialty Drugs
Health and behavioral science Digital ArticleDecisions about drug formularies need to be made in broad daylight. -
Don't Let Financial Metrics Prematurely Stifle Innovation
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Digital ArticleHow to measure progress in a product that's still getting off the ground. -
Visualizing Hip-Hop Lyrics as Cultural Indicator
Design thinking Digital ArticleGraphics aren’t just an alternative to representation in words. -
When Providing Wait Times, It Pays to Underpromise and Overdeliver
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleFour findings from a decade of research on virtual queues. -
Leveraging AI to Battle This Pandemic - And the Next One
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleWe may need to rethink the rules around data sharing. -
Is R&D Getting Harder, or Are Companies Just Getting Worse At It?
R&D Digital ArticleReturns to innovation appear to be declining. -
The Power of “Risktakes”
Leadership Digital ArticleYour animated interaction in response to my post The Miracle of Making Mistakes delved deep into the subject, broadened the interpretation of a mistake, and even coined a delightful new term: Risktakes. Thank you Notmd, Dawna, Brett, and all the others, who provided terrific insights over the past four weeks. A mistake is as an […] -
Collaboration Is a Team Sport, and You Need to Warm Up
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleThis post is part of the HBR Insight Center Making Collaboration Work. Jimmy Guterman wrote about Nokia's culture of purposefully fostering a collaborative... -
The Risky Business of Diversification
Innovation Magazine ArticleOn the basis of a sample from the top 200 of the Fortune “500” and data from the PIMS (Profit Impact of Market Strategies) project, this author gives some guidelines for established companies on what to expect from new ventures. He points out that it takes an average of 10 to 12 years before the […] -
Failing Toward Success at Google
Innovation Digital ArticleIn the latest Harvard Business Review, I made the argument that failures can be useful in that they teach us where our assumptions are wrong, expose dead ends, and generally can give us something of an education. In highly uncertain environments, failures are both useful and unavoidable. It was interesting, therefore, to run across an […] -
A Taxonomy of Innovation
Product development Magazine ArticleA Taxonomy of Innovation -
Struggling to Solve a Problem? Try Reframing It.
Innovation Digital ArticleThe way you describe an issue will determine how you address it. -
Even Cement Can Be Special
Innovation Digital ArticleWhere there are customers, there is differentiation. Even for commodities.
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Boards Need a New Approach to Technology
Boards Magazine ArticleBy worrying primarily about security and IT, they’re missing out on big opportunities across the sciences. -
The Legacy Company’s Guide to Innovation
Innovation Magazine ArticleHow to collaborate well and scale up fast -
The CEO of Abbott on Revamping Its Breakthrough Diabetes Device
Innovation Magazine ArticleUnsatisfied with the initial response, the company doubled down on the patient experience. -
AI Won’t Give You a New Sustainable Advantage
AI and machine learning Magazine ArticleBut using it may amplify the ones you already have. -
Research: How to Build Consensus Around a New Idea
Innovation Digital ArticleStrategies for overcoming the disagreements that can stymie innovation. -
Is It Time to Pivot Your Strategy?
Corporate strategy Digital ArticleThree questions to help you decide when and how to correct the course. -
Can AI Help Your Company Innovate? It Depends
AI and machine learning Digital ArticleCompanies that use it for recombination see better results than those that use it for incremental improvements and radical innovation efforts. -
Should Your Company Build an Open or Closed Ecosystem?
Innovation Digital ArticleFour research-backed principles to help you determine what’s right for your company. - SPONSORED CONTENT FROM CANVA
The Creative Edge: Transforming Ideas into Impact
Developing employees ResearchHBR-AS Sponsored Article Sponsored By Canva -
3 Steps to Cultivate an Innovator’s Mindset
Managing yourself Digital ArticleEmbracing curiosity, engaging in continuous learning, and fostering collaboration can help fast-track your career. -
Firms Led by CEOs from Former U.S. Frontier Areas Are Awarded More Patents
Entrepreneurship Magazine ArticleThe qualities that were needed to succeed on the frontier are the same ones needed to drive corporate innovation. -
The Middle Path to Innovation
Innovation Magazine ArticleForget disruption and incrementalism. Here’s how to develop high-growth products in slow-growth companies. -
Why Entrepreneurs Should Think Like Scientists
Entrepreneurship Magazine ArticleFounders of start-ups who question and test their theories are more successful than their overly confident peers. -
Why Cross-Functional Collaboration Stalls, and How to Fix It
Collaboration and teams Digital ArticleResearch shows that 78% of leaders report “collaboration drag” — too many meetings, too much peer feedback, and too much time spent getting buy-in from stakeholders. - SPONSOR CONTENT FROM NVIDIA
Video Quick Take: Balancing AI-Driven Innovation With Data Responsibility
AI and machine learning Sponsor ContentSponsor Content from NVIDIA. - SPONSOR CONTENT WEBINAR FROM WORKDAY
How Technology Can Help Drive DEI Success
Diversity and inclusion Sponsor ContentSponsor content webinar from Workday. -
Make Decisions with a VC Mindset
Organizational decision making Magazine ArticleThe key is to embrace risk, disagreement, and agility. -
Should Your Brand Hire a Virtual Influencer?
Marketing SpotlightRelying on AI-generated personalities can be a low-risk, high-engagement strategy. -
Winning at Influencer Marketing
Management Digital ArticleOver the past 20 years the social media influencer industry has completely rearranged the way information and culture are conceived, produced, marketed,... -
Your Teams Should Drive AI Adoption — Not Senior Leadership
Innovation Digital ArticleMany companies appoint a designated senior leader to find ways to integrate new tech — and that’s a mistake.
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Rainmaker Labs: Commercialising a Great Idea
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details In September 2013, Alex Leong, co-founder of Rainmaker Labs, considers where to invest the limited resources available to his technology start-up company... -
Alibaba's Growth Frenzy: Pioneer in China's Internet Financial Service
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details Alibaba has been heavily involved in financial innovations in China, offering services such as online payment, online retail wealth management and purely... -
Go Red For Women: Raising Heart Health Awareness
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details In 2003, the $654 million American Heart Association (AHA) approached Cone, Inc. (a brand and communications agency) to develop a corporate sponsorship... -
Gun Safety in America: Three Leaders Propose Innovative Solutions
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details Gun violence was a significant problem in America. Three Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellows Christy Wood, Russell Sternlicht, and Gareth Glaser... -
Farmstar Goes Global: Corporate Entrepreneurship Bringing Sustainable Value Innovation to Agribusiness
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details This case tells the story of successful corporate entrepreneurship bringing sustainable value innovation to agribusiness. It recounts the history of EADS-Astrium,... -
Vanguard Inc.: Value Innovation in the Mutual Funds Business
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details This case examines the dramatic growth of the Vanguard group. It specifically examines the value logic that drove this growth. -
SLB: Disrupting the Traditional Energy Industry Through AI Drilling Innovations
Management Case Study11.95View Details SLB (formerly Schlumberger), the world's largest oilfield services company, developed autonomous directional drilling using cloud computing and machine... -
American Well: The Doctor Will E-See You Now
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details What is next for healthcare IT provider American Well, whose innovative Online Care technology allows physicians to deliver care to patients online in... -
The Credit Suisse/Gerson Lehrman Group Alliance
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details The equity research department of Credit Suisse and the expert network firm of Gerson Lehrman Group, historically competitors, have established a strategic... -
The Metropolitan Opera (A)
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details In April 2007, the New York City Metropolitan Opera's general manager Peter Gelb looks back on the first season of a daring experiment to broadcast performances... -
WholesalerDirect
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Describes the development of WholesalerDirect, a B2B electronic commerce venture in the plumbing, heating, cooling, and piping industry. Adam Berger,... -
Richard Fahey and Robert Saudek (B): Overcoming Crises and Growing the Liberian Energy Network
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study8.95View Details After a challenging start to the Liberian Energy Network, Richard Fahey and Robert Saudek, together with their Liberian counterpart Abu Sherif, set out... -
Introduction of FM Radio (A): Finally, a "Staticless" Radio
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Describes the evolution of radio technology and business from the initial days of wireless telegraphy to the advent, growth, and establishment of amplitude-modulated... -
Borusan Cat: Monetizing Prediction in the Age of AI (B)
Sales & Marketing Case Study5.00View Details "Borusan Cat is an international distributor of Caterpillar heavy machines. In 2021, it had been three years since Ozgur Gunaydin (CEO) and Esra Durgun... -
Thinx, Inc. - Breaking Barriers in Feminine Care
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details ... -
Decoding Steve Jobs: Select Commentary from HBR.org
9.99View Details Observations on Steve Job's legacy - and Apple's leadership future - are only just beginning. In recent years, many leading thinkers have contributed... -
Innovation and Collaboration at Merrill Lynch
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details In the spring of 2005, Candace Browning, head of Global Securities Research and Economics at Merrill Lynch, led about 500 Merrill Lynch analysts worldwide... -
From Imitation to Innovation: Zongshen Industrial Group
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details As Zuo Zongshen drove the transformation of the Zongshen Industrial Group from an early imitator in the motorcycle business to a company that increasingly... -
Autonomous Vehicles: Technological Changes and Ethical Challenges
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details In 2014, General Motors (GM) announced that semi-autonomous technology, named Super Cruise, would be released in the upcoming 2016 Cadillac CT6 model.... -
Alex Atala: Bringing Brazil to the World
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Brazilian Michelin-star chef Alex Atala managed four restaurants, a foundation advocating for the environment, and a seminar focused on food and sustainability....
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Staples’ New Run at Strategic Innovation
Innovation Digital ArticleWhat do you do when the very breakthrough strategy that once made your business uniquely powerful now threatens to turn you into a commodity? That’s the question stationery supplier Staples is facing. I still remember when Staples changed my life. Before its 1986 opening, buying stationery and office supplies was a time-consuming, inconvenient, and expensive […] -
Better Healing from Better Hospital Design
Design thinking Digital ArticleHow physical space can reduce pain, lower costs, and save lives. -
Anatomy of a Failed Launch — The Michelin PAX Tire
Innovation Digital ArticleIt is always instructive to examine how successful firms can go wrong, even in markets that they think they understand well. The market failure of the Michelin run-flat PAX tire illustrates the common mistake of failing to realize that even a groundbreaking product has to create a complete consumption chain. Broken links in the chain […] -
The Businesses That Platforms Are Actually Disrupting
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Digital ArticleProbably not the ones you think. -
Creating Breakthroughs at 3M
Innovation Magazine ArticleCompanies say they want breakthrough products, but most are far more adept at making incremental improvements to existing lines. A pioneering division at 3M successfully navigated a process that leads to breakthrough thinking. -
Five Warning Signs Your Innovation Efforts Are Going Off the Rails
Innovation Digital ArticleFor the past ten years, my colleague, Chris Trimble, and I have studied one critical question: What are the best practices for executing an innovation initiative? Execution is the poor stepchild of the innovation challenge. People love to engage in the hunt for the big ideas, but, let’s face it, without execution capability, an idea […] -
Rainmaker Labs: Commercialising a Great Idea
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details In September 2013, Alex Leong, co-founder of Rainmaker Labs, considers where to invest the limited resources available to his technology start-up company... -
What Drives Growth in Midsize Firms?
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleLessons from a survey of CEOs. -
Alibaba's Growth Frenzy: Pioneer in China's Internet Financial Service
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details Alibaba has been heavily involved in financial innovations in China, offering services such as online payment, online retail wealth management and purely... -
We Need More Transparency on the Cost of Specialty Drugs
Health and behavioral science Digital ArticleDecisions about drug formularies need to be made in broad daylight.