A recent CBS “60 Minutes” segment throws open the doors of the MIT Media Lab and provides insight into the visionaries who work there.
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On episode 23 of the Minds Worth Meeting podcast, Harvard’s Gary Pisano argues that big business can innovate as well as startups – provided they understand strategy and culture.
From innovation to AI and life planning, these TED speakers offer fresh perspectives on the issues facing business and the world.
In this episode of the MWM podcast, Efosa Ojomo reveals how businesses can tap into the unseen growth potential of frontier markets.
Stern Speakers’ roster includes women who address innovation – from building dynamic companies to reforming our wider economic framework.
Our clients aren’t just in the news. They are the news.
In their book, Clay Christensen, Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon show how businesses can generate prosperity – for themselves and the poor.
In a TEDx presentation, innovation and design expert Larry Keeley reveals a new perspective on fostering a prosperous urban improvement.
What are the biggest obstacles to driving your company’s transformation? Too often, leaders think of the barriers purely in terms of technical or strategic issues. But Nathan Furr, INSEAD professor…
What is the biggest obstacle to large companies innovating and disrupting their industries? It may be perception. In an era where entrepreneurs are romanticized, we have become conditioned to believe…
In a new book, leadership expert Hal Gregersen reveals how asking better questions will solve your most vexing problems, while creating innovative cultures.
In her new book, just released in the U.S., Mariana Mazzucato warns of a capitalism that is devouring itself.
Leadership is an all-encompassing challenge. These sessions will help turn problems into opportunities for personal and organizational growth.
Hal Gregersen shows how emerging technology can not only solve problems but prompt new questions and drive innovation.
In an updated version of his acclaimed book, Mark Johnson shows companies how to capture value in new markets, and fend off disruption.
Beth Altringer shows that creating products people want depends on understanding needs and desirability.
Thomas Malone’s new book shows organizations how people and computers can accomplish far more together than either can alone.
In Forbes, Jeff Dyer and Hal Gregersen look beyond company structure to get at the heart of what makes for a dynamic enterprise: leadership.
In an excerpt from her new book, Mariana Mazzucato challenges society’s conception of value, and warns of capitalism undermining itself.
NEW to Stern: Neuroengineer Ed Boyden is changing the way we understand the human brain and innovation in all fields.
Mariana Mazzucato, renowned economist and author of the new book “The Value of Everything,” advises companies and governments on the benefits of state-led investment in innovation, and how to reward value creation over value extraction.
In a new Harvard Business Review article, Robert S. Kaplan and co-authors reveal how to unblock innovation through reforming hospital financial structures.
In a society that seeks answers to problems, Hal Gregersen reveals the creative power of inquiry.
Efosa Ojomo offers the key to creating prosperity in developing nations.
In his latest research, Clay Christensen uses his “Jobs to Be Done” framework tackle America’s chronic disease epidemic.
Stern Strategy Group Senior Vice President Tara Baumgarten reveals how Alex Osterwalder made her a better strategic communicator in 2017.
Amy Webb and Hal Gregersen win big at Thinkers50!
Innovation drives our economy, revolutionizes industries, and provides an avenue to radically rethink existing ways of conducting business. But how do companies and entrepreneurs make sure they’re on the winning side of the innovation battle? Strategy+Business magazine has released its list of the top new books on innovation in 2017, and we are pleased to announce that all the chosen books were authored or co-authored by our clients. This holiday season, give the gift of innovation with these winning titles…
What sets a brand apart from its competitors? It’s not always the quality or cost of the product or service. A key differentiator is the engaging story behind the brand that connects to people on an emotional plane. Andrew Gordon, 20-year veteran of Pixar Animation and professional storyteller, has helped numerous companies distinguish themselves by…
Toys”R”Us, Kodak, Nokia, and Blackberry were well-managed, exemplary leaders in their industries – until they weren’t. Now, as they teeter on the edge of the abyss, it’s apparent that they…
Innovation guru Hal Gregersen has interviewed more than 200 CEOs across industries and from around the world. His discovery? A parallel crucial to reimagining business…
From traditional drive-throughs to food trucks, the fast-food landscape has never been more crowded or competitive. Yet, despite its odds, Pal’s Sudden Service – a U.S. chain of local hamburger restaurants – is experiencing steady growth and continues to expand. It’s all about scale…
Most of us believe we know what purpose our products serve. We assume we understand our customers – what they want, and how and where they want it. The amount of customer data at our fingertips is unprecedented, and yet, we’re not getting any better at innovating…
There was a time when cautious, conservative companies were investors’ best bets. No longer. Those that get to the top and stay there are grounded in creativity, constantly ideating and innovating. Forbes’ annual “Most Innovative Companies” list offers numerous…
Ideas – and the actions they trigger – have the power to change the world. It’s a mantra that propels organizations and individuals alike to innovate, push boundaries, and stimulate change and progress. It’s also a mission shared by all the thought leaders Stern Speakers represents…
Companies struggle with innovation, and Greg Bernarda believes he knows why. They’re still operating in the 20th century, a world where exploitation – executing and scaling products and services in known environments – is key currency for success. To compete in the 21st century, companies need to…
Technology has forever altered the leadership and business strategy landscapes, and it continues to enable disruption across nearly every industry. Surviving – and succeeding – is one of the greatest challenges managers face, and it requires not only a different mindset, but also a …
The breakneck pace of development, particularly in technology, fuels growth and prosperity around the world. Yet, for all the positive value created by constant innovation, there’s a dismal downside: increased global inequality. But what if the world’s innovators turned their sights on…
Most of us spend our entire life looking for the right answers – from the first day of school until retirement, success is measured by answers. But the real value of those answers is based on the quality of the questions. Good questions inspire deep thinking and…
Can you kick-start the economic growth of an entire region? It depends. How many billions do you have to throw around? Daniel Isenberg, entrepreneur and professor of entrepreneurship practice, has a better way. His method partners with stakeholders to help create growth innovation at a small fraction of the region’s businesses, which then drive growth in the entire area. More than theory, he’s worked scaling up success stories with major cities in the USA, Latin America and Northern Europe.
Karen Dillon will help you figure out your job. Not your profession – the “job” that your customers are trying to accomplish. “Jobs To Be Done” theory, as described in “Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice” (HarperCollins, October 2016), co-authored by Clay Christensen and Dillon, explains this kind of job: it’s the progress your customer wants to achieve when they’re struggling. It can be small, like bottled iced coffee as a more convenient way to perk up in the morning, or huge, like the almost universal switch from film to digital photography.
Disruptive change is accelerating, enabled by the frantic pace of technological advancement. Mark W. Johnson, authority on innovation and co-founder of Innosight, has identified the businesses at greatest risk: “The companies most vulnerable to disruption today are those at the top of their game. In mature industries, incumbent leaders are extremely vulnerable to competitors offering greater simplicity, convenience, accessibility, and affordability.” He projects that over the next decade half the S&P 500 index will have turned over, thanks to disruptive innovation.
Taddy Hall and Karen Dillon, partners of Jobs Theory creator Clay Christensen, team up to walk through a compelling real-world application of Jobs Theory in this video. After introducing the theory, Hall applies it to a case study of International Delight’s recently introduced iced coffee line. Hall looks at the jobs performed by iced coffee in general, i.e. why consumers “hire” it every day, and then walks through the innovation process that created an entirely new product category in grocery store refrigerators.
The Chinese smartphone market has produced companies, leaders, and, of course, phones. But its most significant output is perhaps more unique: a user-centric innovation by Xiaomi that treats hardware as an afterthought rather than the main driver of sales. Clay Shirky, an NYU professor living in China for this academic year (he returns to teaching at New York University later this year), has been studying the $20 billion start-up and its techniques – the centerpiece of his new book, “Little Rice” (Columbia Global Reports).
No one would argue that there’s much work to be done with America’s infrastructure. It’s one of our President-elect’s priorities in his first 100 days. But how should it be approached?
In Rwanda, more than 80% of the population lives in homes with a dirt floor. In India, only 25% of the population can afford a refrigerator. Such poverty-stricken countries are not markets for business – or are they?
Do you really understand what your product means to your customer?
Are your services as carefully designed as your physical widgets? Does your service bridge the gap between your customers’ experiences and the advancement of your strategic goals?
There’s no question Tesla is a remarkable brand. Just the name evokes emotionally charged responses from both its critics and its champions. It records quarterly losses by the millions, and rarely hits company goals or meets new vehicle launch deadlines. Yet, Tesla has what your organization (and every other) covets…
Trying to satisfy your customers is a misguided mission. There is no such thing as a perfectly and permanently satisfied customer, argues Gabor George Burt, an innovation pioneer and mastermind on re-imagining market boundaries…
