Innovation Killers: How Financial Tools Destroy Your Capacity to Do New Things

by Clayton M. Christensen

In this seminal article, innovation experts Clayton Christensen, Stephen P. Kaufman, and Willy C. Shih explore the key reasons why companies struggle to innovate. The authors uncover common mistakes companies make--from focusing on the wrong customers to choosing the wrong products to develop--that can derail innovation efforts, and offer a better way forward for management teams who want to avoid these obstacles and get innovation right.

Genres: Business

58 pages, Hardcover

First published July 22, 2010

About the author

Clayton Magleby Christensen was an American academic and business consultant who developed the theory of "disruptive innovation", which has been called the most influential business idea of the early 21st century. Christensen introduced "disruption" in his 1997 book The Innovator's Dilemma, and it led The Economist to term him "the most influential management thinker of his time." He served as the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School (HBS), and was also a leader and writer in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was one of the founders of the Jobs to Be Done development methodology.
Christensen was also a co-founder of Rose Park Advisors, a venture capital firm, and Innosight, a management consulting and investment firm specializing in innovation.

Reviews

[Alexis Volen · Rating 5 out of 5]

quick read with succinct takeaways

This was a great short and sweet take on ways to not let financial analysis interfere with innovation. Love the perspective and tangible takeaways.

[Marcus Goncalves · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it comes to innovation, Christensen, in my opinion, is the best author. This work is very interesting, although I think a more detailed and elaborated mathematical aproach book is required.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a pamphlet, on how innovation is stifled by old tools.