In his third lecture for Saïd Business School, Clayton Christensen looks at the process of research and explores the complexities involved in developing a theory. He draws particular attention to the importance of finding anomalies in research and the potential of anomalies to shed light and give greater insight into phenomena.
Capitalists seem almost uninterested in capitalism, even as entrepreneurs eager to start companies find that they can't get financing. Businesses and investors sound like the Ancient Mariner, who complained of "Water, water everywhere - nor any drop to drink."
It's a paradox, and at its nexus is what I'll call the Doctrine of New Finance, which is taught with increasingly religious zeal by economists, and at times even by business professors like me who have failed to challenge it. This doctrine embraces measures of profitability that guide capitalists away from investments that can create real economic growth.
In the second of his lectures for Saïd Business School, Clayton Christensen gives an insight into the 'panda's thumbs' of management thinking- dated practices that hinder management decision-making and the profitability of companies. He gives the examples of managers focusing too heavily on gross margins rather than net profit and refusing to reduce their production costs as a way of avoiding disruption by smaller companies. He then gives an insight his Job to be Done theory.
OUR PHILOSOPHY IS UNIQUE in the consulting industry. We were founded by Clayton Christensen, professor and author of the best-selling books The Innovator's Dilemma and The Innovator's Solution, but we are not a typical "guru" firm. We have developed a series of market-tested tools and techniques that enable growth through innovation, but we are not a "black box." We deliver compelling workshops and speeches, but we are not "trainers."
The Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP) is an internationally leading research organisation funded by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
We are technologists, community organizers, entrepreneurs, activists, and artists working for the greatest good of all beings. We amplify cooperation among people working to regenerate our communities and our planet. We do this by building systems and tools that foster trust and collaboration, starting in the Bay Area bioregion.
California Forward (CA FWD) leads a statewide movement, bringing people together across communities, regions and interests to improve government and create inclusive, sustainable growth for everyone.
A 501(c)(3) organization, CA FWD drives collective action to identify solutions that can be taken to scale to meet the challenges the state is facing. The organization is driven by the belief that the collective impact of regional solutions across the state will help ensure the economic, environmental and social prosperity of all people.
The Agenda 360 organizers began with the framework of Northern Kentucky's Vision 2015 growth plan as a way to closely align the two plans once Agenda 360 was complete. Developing a shared agenda is a novel approach to regional civic leadership, and it includes a strong bias toward action.
Our intention was not to re-create the outstanding long-range planning and visioning work completed by various other public and private organizations over the years, but instead to synthesize and focus the results of previous initiatives and develop bold and inclusive action strategies.
University City District is a partnership of world-renowned anchor institutions, small businesses and residents that creates opportunity, improves economic vitality and quality of life in the University City area of West Philadelphia. Our primary mission is community revitalization. We work within a place-based, data-driven framework to invest in world-class public spaces, address crime and public safety, bring life to commercial corridors, connect low-income residents to careers, and promote job growth and innovation.
In 2008, Tina Roth Eisenberg (Swissmiss) started CreativeMornings out of a desire for an ongoing, accessible event for New York's creative community. The concept was simple: breakfast and a short talk one Friday morning a month. Every event would be free of charge and open to anyone.
Today, attendees gather in cities around the world to enjoy fresh coffee, friendly people, and an international array of breakfast foods. Volunteer hosts and their team members organize local chapters that not only celebrate a city's creative talent, but also promote an open space to connect with like-minded individuals. The growing archive of past breakfast talks is humbling. From design legends to hometown heroes, speakers are selected by each chapter based on a global theme.