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
  • 2016
  • Book

Lead and Disrupt: How to Solve the Innovator's Dilemma

By: Charles A. O'Reilly and Michael Tushman
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

Abstract

In the past few years, a number of well-known firms have failed—think of Blockbuster, Kodak, and RadioShack. When we read about their demise, it often seems inevitable—a natural part of "creative destruction." But closer examination reveals a disturbing truth: companies large and small are shuttering more quickly than ever. What does it take to buck this trend? One answer is this: ambidexterity. Firms must remain competitive in their core markets, while also winning in new domains. Clayton M. Christensen has been pessimistic about whether established companies can prevail in the face of disruption. Charles A. O'Reilly III and Michael L. Tushman have a contrasting point of view. The authors explain how shrewd organizations have used an ambidextrous approach to solve their own innovator's dilemma. They contrast these luminaries with companies that—often trapped by their own successes—have been unable to adapt and grow. Drawing on an extensive research program and over a decade of helping companies innovate, the authors present a set of practices to guide firms as they adopt ambidexterity. Senior leadership is crucial here. We discuss the importance of leading in a consistently inconsistent fashion. Readers will come away with a new understanding of how to improve their existing businesses through efficiency, control, and incremental change, while also seizing new markets where flexibility, autonomy, and experimentation rule the day.

Keywords

Organizational Change and Adaptation; Disruptive Innovation; Innovation and Management

Citation

O'Reilly, Charles A., and Michael Tushman. Lead and Disrupt: How to Solve the Innovator's Dilemma. Stanford, CA: Stanford Business Books, 2016.
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Purchase

About The Author

Michael L. Tushman

Organizational Behavior
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Senior Team Emotional Dynamics and Strategic Decision Making at a Platform Transition

    By: Timo O. Vuori and Michael L. Tushman
    • October 2022 (Revised December 2022)
    • Faculty Research

    Reimagining Enel: Enabling Sustainable Progress

    By: Michael L. Tushman and Kerry Herman
    • 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Corporate Explorer: How Corporations Beat Startups at the Innovation Game

    By: Andrew Binns, Charles A. O'Reilly III and Michael Tushman
More from the Authors
  • Senior Team Emotional Dynamics and Strategic Decision Making at a Platform Transition By: Timo O. Vuori and Michael L. Tushman
  • Reimagining Enel: Enabling Sustainable Progress By: Michael L. Tushman and Kerry Herman
  • Corporate Explorer: How Corporations Beat Startups at the Innovation Game By: Andrew Binns, Charles A. O'Reilly III and Michael Tushman
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