Innovation Authority Headlines Smith School's "Leading Through Innovation" Conference

World-renowned innovation authority Clayton Christensen addressed executives and researchers as part of the Smith School's "Leading Through Innovation" conference on January 23, 2004. (Christensen's PowerPoint Presentation.)

Christensen, who has been dubbed by Newsweek magazine as the "Master of Innovation," discussed his latest book, "The Innovator's Solution," which was released in October 2003. Christensen's research on the challenges of innovating large, well-established organizations, led to his 1997 best-selling book, "The Innovator's Dilemma."

The daylong conference gave attendees the opportunity to share thoughts and experiences on innovation. In addition to excellent networking opportunities, attendees discovered strategies for adapting emerging technologies. Conference speakers provided detailed action plans for promoting and maintaining growth through innovation.

"We were thrilled to have Clayton Christensen, the world's leading authority on innovation management and disruptive technologies, here at the Smith School for this exciting day of thought leadership," said Susan Taylor, director of the Smith School's Center for Human Capital, Innovation and Technology.

Clayton Christensen is a professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School. He teaches courses in technology and operations management, general management, and operations strategy. He has also developed a course called Managing Innovation. His research and teaching interests center on management issues related to the development and commercialization of technological and business model innovation. Specific areas of focus include developing organizational capabilities and finding new markets for new technologies.

Christensen is the author of three books: "The Innovator's Dilemma," which received the Global Business Book Award for the best business book published in 1997; "Innovation and the General Manager," a casebook; and "The Innovator's Solution." Christensen's writings have been featured in a variety of publications, and have won a number of awards, such as the "Best Dissertation Award" from The Institute of Management Sciences for his doctoral thesis on technology development in the disk drive industry; and the 1995 and 2001 McKinsey Awards for articles published in the Harvard Business Review.

In addition to Christensen's presentation, BearingPoint CEO Rand Blazer discussed how large companies wrestle with innovation. (Blazer's PowerPoint Presentation) Nextel Vice President for Human Resources Development Jim Caprara spoke on human capital's impact on innovation.

The Smith School's Center for Human Capital, Innovation and Technology (HCIT), together with the Office of Executive Education, are co-sponsors of the event.

HCIT is at the forefront of knowledge generation. Center researchers explore the interface of human capital, innovation, and technology to discover how these resources can be managed to create and sustain organizational competitive advantage. HCIT draws upon the collective expertise and research interests of Smith School faculty, counted among the world's thought leaders on compelling management issues.