The Clayton M Christensen Reader

The best of Clayton Christensen’s seminal work on disruptive innovation, all in one place. No business can afford to ignore the theory of disruptive innovation. But the nuances of Clayton Christensen’s foundational thinking on the subject are often forgotten or misinterpreted. To achieve continuing growth in your business while defending against upstarts, you need to understand clearly what disruption is and how it works, and know how it applies to your industry and your company. In this collection of Christensen’s most influential articles—carefully selected by Harvard Business Review’s editors—his incisive arguments, clear theories, and readable stories give you the tools you need to understand disruption and what to do about it. The collection features Christensen’s newest article looking back on 20 years of disruptive innovation: what it is, and what it isn’t. Covering a broad spectrum of topics—business model innovation, mergers and acquisitions, value-chain shifts, financial incentives, product development—these articles illuminate the impact and implications of disruptive innovation as well as Christensen’s broader thinking on management theory and its application in business and in life. This collection of best-selling articles includes: “Disruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave,” by Joseph L. Bower and Clayton M. Christensen, “Meeting the Challenge of Disruptive Change,” by Clayton M. Christensen and Michael Overdorf, “Marketing Malpractice: The Cause and the Cure,” by Clayton M. Christensen, Scott Cook, and Taddy Hall, “Innovation Killers: How Financial Tools Destroy Your Capacity to Do New Things,” by Clayton M. Christensen, Stephen P. Kaufman, and Willy C. Shih, “Reinventing Your Business Model,” by Mark W. Johnson, Clayton M. Christensen, and Henning Kagermann, “The New M&A Playbook,” by Clayton M. Christensen, Richard Alton, Curtis Rising, and Andrew Waldeck, “Skate to Where the Money Will Be,” by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael E. Raynor, and Matthew Verlinden, “Surviving Disruption,” by Maxwell Wessel and Clayton M. Christensen, “What Is Disruptive Innovation?” by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael E. Raynor, and Rory McDonald, “Why Hard-Nosed Executives Should Care About Management Theory,” by Clayton M. Christensen and Michael E. Raynor, and “How Will You Measure Your Life?” by Clayton M. Christensen.

Examines how companies can create a balance between marketing cutting-edge technology and anticipating customer demand

In the spring of 2010, Harvard Business School’s graduating class asked HBS professor Clay Christensen to address them—but not on how to apply his principles and thinking to their post-HBS careers. The students wanted to know how to apply his wisdom to their personal lives. He shared with them a set of guidelines that have helped him find meaning in his own life, which led to this now-classic article. Although Christensen’s thinking is rooted in his deep religious faith, these are strategies anyone can use. Since 1922, Harvard Business Review has been a leading source of breakthrough ideas in management practice. The Harvard Business Review Classics series now offers you the opportunity to make these seminal pieces a part of your permanent management library. Each highly readable volume contains a groundbreaking idea that continues to shape best practices and inspire countless managers around the world.

Named one of 100 Leadership & Success Books to Read in a Lifetime by Amazon Editors An innovation classic. From Steve Jobs to Jeff Bezos, Clay Christensen’s work continues to underpin today’s most innovative leaders and organizations. The bestselling classic on disruptive innovation, by renowned author Clayton M. Christensen. His work is cited by the world’s best-known thought leaders, from Steve Jobs to Malcolm Gladwell. In this classic bestseller—one of the most influential business books of all time—innovation expert Clayton Christensen shows how even the most outstanding companies can do everything right—yet still lose market leadership. Christensen explains why most companies miss out on new waves of innovation. No matter the industry, he says, a successful company with established products will get pushed aside unless managers know how and when to abandon traditional business practices. Offering both successes and failures from leading companies as a guide, The Innovator’s Dilemma gives you a set of rules for capitalizing on the phenomenon of disruptive innovation. Sharp, cogent, and provocative—and consistently noted as one of the most valuable business ideas of all time—The Innovator’s Dilemma is the book no manager, leader, or entrepreneur should be without.

Clay Christensen's groundbreaking bestselling work in education now updated and expanded, including a new chapter on Christensen's seminal "Jobs to Be Done" theory applied to education. "Provocatively titled, Disrupting Class is just what America's K-12 education system needs--a well thought-through proposal for using technology to better serve students and bring our schools into the 21st Century. Unlike so many education 'reforms,' this is not small-bore stuff. For that reason alone, it's likely to be resisted by defenders of the status quo, even though it's necessary and right for our kids. We owe it to them to make sure this book isn't merely a terrific read; it must become a blueprint for educational transformation." —Joel Klein, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education "A brilliant teacher, Christensen brings clarity to a muddled and chaotic world of education." —Jim Collins, bestselling author of Good to Great “Just as iTunes revolutionized the music industry, technology has the potential to transform education in America so that every one of the nation’s 50 million students receives a high quality education. Disrupting Class is a must-read, as it shows us how we can blaze that trail toward transformation.” —Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida According to recent studies in neuroscience, the way we learn doesn't always match up with the way we are taught. If we hope to stay competitive-academically, economically, and technologically-we need to rethink our understanding of intelligence, reevaluate our educational system, and reinvigorate our commitment to learning. In other words, we need "disruptive innovation." Now, in his long-awaited new book, Clayton M. Christensen and coauthors Michael B. Horn and Curtis W. Johnson take one of the most important issues of our time-education-and apply Christensen's now-famous theories of "disruptive" change using a wide range of real-life examples. Whether you're a school administrator, government official, business leader, parent, teacher, or entrepreneur, you'll discover surprising new ideas, outside-the-box strategies, and straight-A success stories. You'll learn how: Customized learning will help many more students succeed in school Student-centric classrooms will increase the demand for new technology Computers must be disruptively deployed to every student Disruptive innovation can circumvent roadblocks that have prevented other attempts at school reform We can compete in the global classroom-and get ahead in the global market Filled with fascinating case studies, scientific findings, and unprecedented insights on how innovation must be managed, Disrupting Class will open your eyes to new possibilities, unlock hidden potential, and get you to think differently. Professor Christensen and his coauthors provide a bold new lesson in innovation that will help you make the grade for years to come. The future is now. Class is in session.

Clayton Christensen’s definitive works on innovation—offered together for the first time Will you fall victim to disruptive innovation—or become a disruptor yourself? Tip the odds in your favor with the bestselling books that have made Christensen one of the world’s foremost authorities on innovation. You’ll also get his award-winning HBR article, full of inspiration for finding meaning and happiness in your life using the principles of business. The 4-volume collection includes: The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail In one of the most influential business books of our time, Christensen introduced the world to the concept of disruptive innovation, showing how even the most outstanding companies can do everything right—yet still lose market leadership. Don’t repeat their mistakes. The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth Citing in-depth research and theories tested in hundreds of companies across many industries, Christensen and co-author Michael Raynor provide the tools organizations need to become disruptors themselves. The Innovator's DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators Christensen and coauthors Jeffrey Dyer and Hal Gregersen identify behaviors of the world’s best innovators—from leaders at Amazon and Apple to those at Google, Skype, and the Virgin Group—to show how you and your team can unlock the code to generating and executing more innovative ideas. “How Will You Measure Your Life?” (HBR article) At Harvard Business School, Clayton Christensen teaches aspiring MBAs how to apply management and innovation theories to build stronger companies. But he also believes that these models can help people lead better lives. In this award-winning Harvard Business Review article, he explains how, exploring questions everyone needs to ask: How can I be happy in my career? How can I be sure that my relationship with my family is an enduring source of happiness? And how can I live my life with integrity?

An analysis of the new business paradigm shows how firms that do "everything right" can nevertheless fail because of new technologies and disruptions in the market structure.

Every day, individuals take action based on how they believe innovation will change industries. Yet these beliefs are largely based on guesswork and incomplete data and lead to costly errors in judgment. Now, internationally renowned innovation expert Clayton M. Christensen and his research partners Scott D. Anthony and Erik A. Roth present a groundbreaking framework for predicting outcomes in the evolution of any industry. Based on proven theories outlined in Christensen's landmark books The Innovator's Dilemma and The Innovator's Solution, Seeing What's Next offers a practical, three-part model that helps decision-makers spot the signals of industry change, determine the outcome of competitive battles, and assess whether a firm's actions will ensure or threaten future success. Through in-depth case studies of industries from aviation to health care, the authors illustrate the predictive power of innovation theory in action.