Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • April 2015 (Revised December 2018)
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Steve Jobs: Leader Strategist

By: Cynthia A. Montgomery and David B. Yoffie
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:31
ShareBar

Abstract

Strategically, Steve Jobs got it brilliantly right some times and terribly wrong other times. This case examines Jobs' development as a leader strategist over the course of his entire career. The successes and failures of Apple, NeXT, and Pixar are used to probe the role of strategy in organizational success and to examine a leader's distinctive responsibility to set (and reset) a viable course for a business. While Jobs' greatness may make him seem inaccessible at times, a closer look shows that some of his most valuable managerial capabilities were honed slowly, painfully, over time, and that there is much others can learn from his experience.

Keywords

Strategist; Steve Jobs; Apple; Leadership; Competitive Advantage; Personal Development and Career; Strategy

Citation

Montgomery, Cynthia A., and David B. Yoffie. "Steve Jobs: Leader Strategist." Harvard Business School Case 715-454, April 2015. (Revised December 2018.)
  • Educators
  • Purchase

About The Authors

Cynthia A. Montgomery

Strategy
→More Publications

David B. Yoffie

Strategy
→More Publications

Related Work

    • November 2015
    • Faculty Research

    Steve Jobs: Leader Strategist

    By: Cynthia A. Montgomery and David B. Yoffie
    • April 2015 (Revised December 2018)
    • Faculty Research

    Steve Jobs: Leader Strategist

    By: Cynthia A. Montgomery and David B. Yoffie
Related Work
  • Steve Jobs: Leader Strategist By: Cynthia A. Montgomery and David B. Yoffie
  • Steve Jobs: Leader Strategist By: Cynthia A. Montgomery and David B. Yoffie
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College