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Clayton Christensen Quotes

Professor

Clayton M. Christensen is an esteemed professor known for his contributions to the fields of business management and innovation. Born on April 6, 1952, he is a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of 'The Innovator's Dilemma'.

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All Ifs Innovation People Technology Way Company Management Products Theory Customers Helping Ends Managers Needs Thinking Disruptive Individual Successful Want Years

Famous Clayton Christensen Quotes

“An innovation will get traction only if it helps people get something that they're already doing in their lives done better.”

People Ifs Done Helping Innovation Traction

Author:Clayton Christensen

“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.”

Ifs Years Mind May Ends Happens School Half Praying University Excited Harvard Bankruptcy Business School

Author:Clayton Christensen

“If you study the root causes of business disasters, over and over you'll find this predisposition toward endeavors that offer immediate gratification.”

Ifs Causes Study Offers Roots Disaster Over You Endeavor Gratification Root Cause Immediate Gratification

Book:Harvard Business Review Leadership Library: The Executive Collection (12 Books)

Source: Harvard Business Review Leadership Library: The Executive Collection (12 Books)

“If the theory accurately predicts what they [scientists] see, it confirms that it's a good theory. If they see something that the theory didn't lead them to believe, that's what Thomas Kuhn calls an anomaly. The anomaly requires a revised theory - and you just keep going through the cycle, making a better theory.”

Ifs Believe Theory Scientist Cycles Keep Going Anomalies

Author:Clayton Christensen

“In the study of management, unfortunately, many writers have been so anxious to articulate a theory in the form of, "If you do this, this will result," that they never go through this careful effort.”

Ifs Has Beens Form Results Effort Study Theory Management Careful Anxious

Author:Clayton Christensen

“Often they [writers on the study of management] have a point of view based upon intuition and experience. They then offer a cadence of two-paragraph examples carefully selected to "prove" their theory, and then they write "one size fits all" books. The message is, "If you'd do what these companies did, you'd be successful too."”

“If you want to make better theory, you've got to use the best that's available and look through the lens of another discipline to see if you can uncover more anomalies. By looking at the phenomena of failure from the perspective of sales, marketing, finance, general management, and the equity markets, I was able to see things that Rebecca [Henderson] hadn't.”

Ifs Want Looks Use Able Theory Perspective Discipline Management Marketing Available Finance Lenses Equity Anomalies Rebecca

Author:Clayton Christensen

“If you ask the average guy on the street to name five companies that have truly transformed themselves over the few decades, Hewlett-Packard would be on everybody's list. You'd also put on this list GE and Johnson & Johnson.”

Ifs Would Be Guy Asks Names Company Five Streets Average Decades Lists Transformed Johnson

Author:Clayton Christensen

“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.”

Ifs Fall Steps Example Theory Practicals Data Gravity Cliffs

Author:Clayton Christensen

“If you just look at the data, you are led to believe that things are getting better, rather than worse. That's why the fall is really precipitous, once you hit the ceiling.”

Ifs Believe Looks Fall Data Get Better Ceilings Things Are Getting Better

Author:Clayton Christensen

“If I know what to spec, and I can measure it, and there are no unpredictable interdependencies between what you do and what I must do in response, then an economist would say that is sufficient information for a market to emerge between you and me.”

Ifs Knows I Can Information Response Sufficient Unpredictable Economist Between You And Me Specs

Author:Clayton Christensen

“If the technology is disruptive, on the other hand, the odds are that at the end of the transition, the leaders will have been toppled and new companies will be on top.”

Ifs Has Beens Ends Hands Company Leader Technology Transition Odds Disruptive New Company

Author:Clayton Christensen

“There are other dimensions of biotechnology. If you think of biotechnology like the Internet, it's not a category - it's an infrastructure that can be deployed to sustain or disrupt. In health care, the most complex problems at the high end have to be dealt with in a problem-solving mode by the best, most experienced physicians you can find.”

Ifs Thinking Ends Problem Care Internet Complexes Health Care Dimensions Categories Problem Solving Physicians Infrastructure Complex Problems Biotechnology

Author:Clayton Christensen

“We decided that humility was defined not by self-deprecating behavior or attitudes but by the esteem with which you regard others... Generally, you can be humble only if you feel really good about yourself - and you want to help those around you feel really good about themselves, too.”

Ifs Want Feels Self Helping Attitude Humility Pride Behavior Decided Regard Humble Esteem Defined About Yourself Be Humble Self Deprecating

Book:How Will You Measure Your Life? (Harvard Business Review Classics)

Source: How Will You Measure Your Life? (Harvard Business Review Classics)

“My conclusion: Management is the most noble of professions if it's practiced well. No other occupation offers as many ways to help others learn and grow, take responsibility and be recognized for achievement, and contribute to the success of a team.”

Source: Harvard Business Review Leadership Library: The Executive Collection (12 Books)

“If you defer investing your time and energy until you see that you need to, chances are it will already be too late.”

Ifs Needs Energy Chance Late Investing Too Late Chances Are Time And Energy Investing Your Time

Author:Clayton Christensen

“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.”

Ifs Reason Past Leader Risk One Day Models Wake Up Instinct Persuasive Business Models

Author:Clayton Christensen

“Because if the decisions you make about where you invest your blood, sweat, and tears are not consistent with the person you aspire to be, you’ll never become that person.”

Ifs Persons Decision Blood Tears Consistent Sweat Be You Aspire Decisions You Make Sweat And Tears Blood Sweat And Tears

Author:Clayton Christensen

“Questions are places in your mind where answers fit. If you haven't asked the question, the answer has nowhere to go. It hits your mind and bounces right off. You have to ask the question - you have to want to know - in order to open up the space for the answer to fit.”

Ifs Knows Want Mind Order Asks Space Answers Havens Fit Bounce Nowhere To Go

Author:Clayton Christensen

“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.”

Ifs Way Want Mean Ends Purpose Clear Resources Strategy Intention Investing Consistent Good Intentions

Author:Clayton Christensen

“If you take away religion, you can't hire enough police.”

Ifs Enough Police

Author:Clayton Christensen

“Management is the most noble of professions if it's practiced well.”

Ifs Wells Management Noble Profession

Book:The Clayton M. Christensen Reader

Source: The Clayton M. Christensen Reader

“And if your attitude is that only smarter people have something to teach you, your learning opportunities will be very limited. ... When we see people acting in an abusive, arrogant, or demeaning manner toward others, their behavior almost always is a symptom of their lack of self-esteem. They need to put someone else down to feel good about themselves.”

People Ifs Needs Feels Self Opportunity Acting Attitude Teach Self Esteem Behavior Feel Good Esteem Arrogant Smarter Symptoms Abusive Demeaning

Book:The Clayton M. Christensen Reader

Source: The Clayton M. Christensen Reader