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  • April 2019 (Revised December 2020)
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Wendell Weeks at Corning Inc.: Extending a History of Life-Changing Innovations (A)

By: Ryan Raffaelli, David G. Fubini and Aldo Sesia
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:23
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Abstract

This case examines the leadership challenges associated with maintaining a culture of innovation in established organizations. It asks students to step into the shoes of a leader faced with making several tough decisions about when to invest (or to stop investing) in radical innovation projects. Corning CEO Wendell Weeks, who nearly bankrupted the company in the early 2000s when he overinvested in fiber optics, must initially decide if the company should enter a then-risky deal with Steve Jobs to produce the glass covers for the first generation iPhones. The case then asks students to analyze the Corning’s 157-year innovation agenda that started with the development of a bulb-shaped glass encasement for Thomas Edison's new incandescent lamp. In the years that followed, Corning made investments that led to products such as PYREX cookware, fiber-optic broadband cable, LCD television screens, Gorilla Glass, and a recent bet on pharmaceuticals. At the end of the case, Weeks must decide if Corning should continue to invest in a new pharmaceutical packaging product that held enormous promise, but had already cost the company $200 million in R&D and might divert resources and attention from other key business lines.

Keywords

Innovation and Invention; Organizational Culture; Innovation Leadership; History; Technological Innovation; Investment; Decision Making

Citation

Raffaelli, Ryan, David G. Fubini, and Aldo Sesia. "Wendell Weeks at Corning Inc.: Extending a History of Life-Changing Innovations (A)." Harvard Business School Case 419-003, April 2019. (Revised December 2020.)
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About The Authors

Ryan L. Raffaelli

Organizational Behavior
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David G. Fubini

Organizational Behavior
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Related Work

    • April 2019 (Revised December 2020)
    • Faculty Research

    Wendell Weeks at Corning Inc.: Extending a History of Life-Changing Innovations (A)

    By: Ryan Raffaelli, David G. Fubini and Aldo Sesia
    • March 2021 (Revised August 2021)
    • Faculty Research

    Wendell Weeks at Corning Inc. (B): Valor Glass and the COVID-19 Pandemic

    By: Ryan Raffaelli and Aldo Sesia
Related Work
  • Wendell Weeks at Corning Inc.: Extending a History of Life-Changing Innovations (A) By: Ryan Raffaelli, David G. Fubini and Aldo Sesia
  • Wendell Weeks at Corning Inc. (B): Valor Glass and the COVID-19 Pandemic By: Ryan Raffaelli and Aldo Sesia
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