Top Clayton Christensen Quotes - Quotesmemo.com

Clayton Christensen Biography

Clayton Christensen

Clayton Magleby Christensen (born April 6, 1952) is an American scholar, educator, author, business consultant, and religious leader who currently serves as the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School of Harvard University. He is best known for his theory of "disruptive innovation"—first introduced in his first book, The Innovator's Dilemma—which has been called the most influential business idea of the early 21st century.

Read about Clayton Christensen in Wikipedia

Random Authors

Clayton Christensen Quotes

The personal computer was a disruptive innovation relative to the mainframe because it enabled even a poor fool like me to have a computer and use it, and it was enabled by the development of the micro processor. The micro processor made it so simple to design and build a computer that IB could throw in together in a garage. And so, you have that simplifying technology as a part of every disruptive innovation. It then becomes an innovation when the technology is embedded in a different business model that can take the simplified solution to the market in a cost-effective way.

Design, Disruptive, Market, Simple, Technology, Use

Justification for infidelity and dishonesty in all their manifestations lies in the marginal cost economics of “just this once.

Cost, Economics, Infidelity, Justification, Lies, Lying

Only the general manager can mold the resources, processes, and values that affect innovation , into a coherent capability to develop and launch superior new products and services repeatedly.

Capability, Coherent, Innovation, Launch, Mold, Process

Regulatory fiat cannot create a market at a technologically interdependent interface. And by the same token, regulation and so-called monopoly power rarely prevail at modular interfaces between stages of value-added technology.

Interdependent, Modular, Monopoly Power, Regulation, Technology

You can talk all you want about having a clear purpose and strategy for your life, but ultimately this means nothing if you are not investing the resources you have in a way that is consistent with your strategy. In the end, a strategy is nothing but good intentions unless it's effectively implemented.

Clear, Consistent, Investing, Mean, Purpose, Talk

I was lucky enough to build on the work of a number of people who had already run laps around this theory-building track. The original classification scheme, years ago, distinguished radical from incremental change. The theory said that established firms managed incremental change well, but would be expected to founder when their industry encountered a radical change.

Change, Firms, Numbers, People, Running, Years

Breaking an old business model is always going to require leaders to follow their instinct. There will always be persuasive reasons not to take a risk. But if you only do what worked in the past, you will wake up one day and find that you’ve been passed by.

Day, Follow, Leader, Past, Reasons, Risk

Whenever we have thanked these men and women for what they have done for us, without exception they have expressed gratitude for having the chance to help - because they grew as they served.

Exception, Grateful, Gratitude, Men, Served

Management has to provide the coordinating mechanism between what the supplier provides and what the user needs in not-good-enough situations where product architecture is consequently interdependent. Management always beats markets when there is not sufficient information.

Information, Management, Needs, Not Good Enough, Supplier

Motivation is the catalyzing ingredient for every successful innovation. The same is true for learning.

Catalyzing, Innovation, Motivation, Successful, True

In 15 years from now half of US universities may be in bankruptcy. . . in the end I'm excited to see that happen. So pray for Harvard Business School if you wouldn't mind.

Business, Half, Harvard, Mind, School, Years

Efficiency innovations provide return on investment in 12-18 months. Empowering innovations take 5-10 years to yield a return. We have ample capital - oceans of capital - that is being reinvested into efficiency innovation.

Capital, Ocean, Return, Years, Yield

But actually theory is very practical. Gravity is a theory, for example. It allows you to predict that if you step off a cliff you will fall; you don't have to collect data on that.

Data, Example, Fall, Practical, Step, Theory

The innovations are far more important because the technology itself has now way to impact the world for good until it's embedded in the business model. Innovation it's the combination of the simplifying technology and the business model.

Technology, Innovation, Important, Combination

You can't find returns in investments you haven't made.

Investment, Investments, Made, Return, Returns

Innovation almost always is not successful the first time out. You try something and it doesn't work and it takes confidence to say we haven't failed yet. Ultimately you become commercially successful.

Successful, Innovation, Trying, Commercially, Say, Work

I don't view it as mystic. I believe that God is our father. He created us. He is powerful because he knows everything. Therefore everything I learn that is true makes me more like my father in heaven. When science seems to contradict religion, then one, the other, or both are wrong, or incomplete. Truth is not incompatible with itself. When I benefit from science it's actually not correct for me to say it resulted from science and not from God. They work in concert.

Believe, Father, Powerful, Religion, True

You can invest to create the new growth business while the core business is still growing, because new business units don't need to get big fast. But when the core business stops growing, investing to create new growth businesses becomes impossible.

Big, Fast, Growth, Investing, Needs

Capitalism has taught us that markets are always more efficient than hierarchical managerial coordination. But in a situation where those three conditions aren't met, I can't outsource or partner with you because markets don't function in the absence of sufficient information.

Information, Partner, Sufficient, Taught Us, Three

I have healed the sick by the power of the God. I have spoken with the gift of tongues.

Healed, Sick, Tongue, Tongues

1