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person1990s-2020

Clayton Christensen

Disciplines:
business
political theory/innovation theory

Summary

American business theorist who developed the theory of disruptive innovation — explaining why successful companies fail when confronted with new entrants offering simpler, cheaper products.

Core Contribution

Disruptive innovation: new entrants initially offer inferior but cheaper products at the low end of the market or in new markets — incumbents rationally ignore them, then are blindsided when they improve. The Innovator's Dilemma: good management practice (listening to customers, investing in high margins) is precisely what causes established firms to miss disruptive innovations. Jobs to be Done: customers 'hire' products to do jobs.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • The Innovator's Dilemma is the most influential business book of the last 30 years — every Silicon Valley investor has internalized the framework, making 'disruptive' one of the most overused and misused terms in business.
  • His personal religion was central to his public identity — he regularly discussed his Mormon faith as the framework for personal decisions, and How Will You Measure Your Life? applies his business frameworks to questions of meaning.

Notable Works & Achievements

The Innovator's Dilemma

The Innovator's Solution

Disrupting Class

How Will You Measure Your Life?

Historical Influences

Joseph Schumpeter Michael Porter

Intellectual Lineage

Business Strategy Innovation Management

Contemporaries & Peers

Michael Porter Gary Hamel

Minds Influenced

Silicon Valley Thinking Innovation Policy

Intellectual Posterity

Disruptive Innovation Theory

Discussing

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