Jan W. Rivkin is the Senior Associate Dean and Chair of the MBA Program and a Professor in the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School. In the past, he has served as Senior Associate Dean for Research and head of the Strategy Unit. His research, course development, and teaching focus on two topics: business strategy and U.S. competitiveness.
Business strategy. Rivkin’s business strategy work examines the interactions across functional and product boundaries within a firm – that is, the connections that link marketing, production, logistics, finance, human resource management, and other parts of a firm. His work analyzes, first, how such interactions constrain managerial behavior and, second, how managers use cognitive devices and organizational design to cope with decisions whose ramifications span boundaries.
Rivkin's scholarly work has appeared in journals such as Management Science, Organization Science, the Strategic Management Journal, the Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Research Policy. Much of this work uses simulations of complex adaptive systems to examine the theoretical implications of cross-cutting interactions. His empirical work on the topic employs a mix of large-scale statistical studies, field research, and case studies.
Rivkin has taught business strategy in the Advanced Management Program, in the first year of the MBA program, and in a second-year MBA elective that he developed, Advanced Competitive Strategy: Integrating the Enterprise. The elective course aims to improve students’ ability to integrate across the parts of the companies they will manage. A comprehensive description of Advanced Competitive Strategy is available to fellow educators via Harvard Business Publishing.
In support of his strategy teaching and research, Rivkin has completed case studies on Airborne Express, BMG Entertainment, Dell, Delta Air Lines, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Husky Injection Molding Systems, LEGO, Lycos, Microsoft, Ryanair, Whirlpool Corporation, and Yahoo, among others.
U.S. competitiveness. Rivkin also co-chairs HBS's project on the competitiveness of the United States. In that role, he has worked with a faculty team to explore steps that leaders--especially business leaders--can take to improve the ability of firms in the U.S. to win in the global marketplace and support American living standards. His work in this domain focuses on (a) how managers choose to locate business activities in the United States or elsewhere and (b) how business leaders can best work with policymakers, nonprofit leaders, educators, and others to bring shared prosperity to America’s cities. In support of his U.S. competitiveness work, Rivkin has developed case studies on Barry-Wehmiller, the Columbus Partnership, the city of Detroit, and Southwire Corporation.
Rivkin received his Ph.D. in Business Economics from Harvard. Earlier, he studied chemical engineering and public policy at Princeton and obtained a M.Sc. in economics from the London School of Economics on a Marshall Scholarship. Prior to pursuing his doctorate, Rivkin led case teams and managed client relationships at Monitor Company, a strategy consulting firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Rivkin and his wife live in Newton, Massachusetts with their two sons.
- Featured Work
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This report presents the findings of HBS' 2013-14 survey on U.S. competitiveness. While HBS alumni saw strengths in elements of the business environment that influence firms' success, the weaknesses in elements that drive prosperity for the average American indicate that the American economy requires a strategy in order to do its full job. The survey delves into three elements of the business environment that play a key role in restoring U.S. competitiveness: K-12 education, workplace skills, and transportation infrastructure.
Findings of Harvard Business School's 2015 Survey on U.S. Competitiveness
In the 2015 survey on U.S. competitiveness, HBS alumni weigh in on the current state and future trajectory of U.S. competitiveness as well as the structural strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. business environment. In addition, alumni delve deeper into two aspects of competitiveness: the health of entrepreneurship in the U.S. and business leaders’ views on shared prosperity. Alumni are optimistic about the ability of U.S. firms to compete globally and they see entrepreneurship as more accessible today than it was a decade ago. But they doubt that firms in the U.S. will be able to lift the living standards of the average American. Alumni report that rising inequality, middle-class stagnation, economic immobility, and limited economic mobility are problems for their businesses, not just social issues. Business leaders would like to see the future gains in prosperity spread far more evenly among Americans than recent gains have been distributed.
This report presents the findings of the first-ever national survey of school superintendents on U.S. competitiveness and the role of business in improving education outcomes in the U.S., including specific actions that business leaders can take to support transformative change.
Harvard Magazine, September-October, 2012
An interview with Michael E. Porter, Lawrence University Professor and Jan W. Rivkin, Rauner Professor of Business Administration and Senior Associate Dean for Research.
Professors Michael Porter and Jan Rivkin of Harvard Business School address the audience of the U.S. Competitiveness Project.
The American economy is clearly struggling to recover from a recession of unusual depth and duration, as we are reminded nearly every day. But the United States also faces a less visible but more fundamental challenge: a series of underlying structural changes that could permanently impair America’s ability to maintain, much less raise, the living standards of its citizens. If government and business leaders react only to the downturn and fail to confront America’s deeper challenge, they will revive an economy with weak long-term prospects.
This booklet provides a practical approach for business leaders seeking to understand the complex issues involved in transforming PK-12 education. It lists actions that businesses can take, as well as best practices that they can follow, to help educators create meaningful change in America's education system.
- Publications on U.S. Competitiveness
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- Porter, Michael E., Jan Rivkin, Mihir Desai, Katherine M. Gehl, William R. Kerr, and Manjari Raman. "A Recovery Squandered: The State of U.S. Competitiveness 2019." Report, U.S. Competitiveness Project, Harvard Business School, December 2019. View Details
- Porter, Michael E., Jan Rivkin, Mihir Desai, and Manjari Raman. "Problems Unsolved and a Nation Divided: The State of U.S. Competitiveness 2016." Report, U.S. Competitiveness Project, Harvard Business School, September 2016. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, and Michael E. Porter. "A Wake-Up Call for Tomorrow's Top 1 Percent: Rebuild America's Middle Class." Fortune.com (March 26, 2015). View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, Karen G. Mills, and Michael E. Porter. "The Challenge of Shared Prosperity: Findings of Harvard Business School's 2015 Survey on U.S. Competitiveness." Report, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, September 2015 (With contributions from Michael I. Norton and Mitchell B. Weiss.) View Details
- Porter, Michael E., and Jan W. Rivkin. "The Looming Challenge to U.S Competitiveness." Harvard Business Review 90, no. 3 (March 2012): 54–61. View Details
- Porter, Michael E., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Prosperity at Risk: Findings of Harvard Business School's Survey on U.S. Competitiveness." January 2012. (Report.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, Michael E. Porter, and Rosabeth M. Kanter. "Competitiveness at a Crossroads: Finding of Harvard Business School's 2012 Survey on U.S. Competitiveness." Report, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, February 2013. View Details
- Porter, Michael E., and Jan Rivkin. "An Economy Doing Half Its Job: Findings of Harvard Business School's 2013–14 Survey on U.S. Competitiveness." Report, Harvard Business School, September 2014. (With contributions from Joseph B. Fuller, Allen S. Grossman, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, and Kevin W. Sharer.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, and Michael E. Porter. "What Business Should Do to Restore U.S. Competitiveness." Fortune 166, no. 7 (October 29, 2012). View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, and Michael E. Porter. "What Washington Must Do Now." Art. 21566902. Special Issue on The World in 2013. Economist (2012). View Details
- Porter, Michael E., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Choosing the United States." Harvard Business Review 90, no. 3 (March 2012): 80–91. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, Sara Allan, Allen Grossman, and Nithya Vaduganathan. "Lasting Impact: A Business Leader's Playbook for Supporting America's Schools." Report, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, November 2013. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan. "Partial Credit: How America's School Superintendents See Business as a Partner." Report, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, November 2013. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, Meg Sommerfeld, Linda Jacobson, Lisa Rosenthal, David Ruenzel, Sara Allan, Tyce Henry, and Allen Grossman. "The Brink of Renewal: A Business Leader's Guide to Progress in America's Schools." Report, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, November 2013. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan. "How Executives Should Really Respond to Trump's Controversial Moves." Fortune.com (March 7, 2017). View Details
- Rivkin, Jan. "Local Leaders Have a Better Chance of Fixing the Economy than Washington Does: Here's Why and How Shared Prosperity Will Return to America City by City, not from Washington." Boston Globe (June 14, 2017). View Details
- Journal Articles
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- De Jong, Jorrit, Amy C. Edmondson, Mark Moore, Hannah Riley-Bowles, Jan Rivkin, Eva Flavia Martínez Orbegozo, and Santiago Pulido-Gomez. "Building Cities' Collaborative Muscle." Stanford Social Innovation Review (website) (Spring 2021). View Details
- Teti, Kimberly, Mu-Jeung Yang, Nicholas Bloom, Jan Rivkin, and Raffaella Sadun. "The Different Approaches Firms Use to Set Strategy." Harvard Business Review (website) (April 10, 2017). View Details
- Fuller, Joseph B., Karen G. Mills, and Jan W. Rivkin. "A Real Path to Shared Prosperity in America." Politico (September 20, 2015). View Details
- Lafley, A. G., Roger L. Martin, Jan W. Rivkin, and Nicolaj Siggelkow. "Bringing Science to the Art of Strategy." Harvard Business Review 90, no. 9 (September 2012). View Details
- Oxley, Joanne E., Jan Rivkin, Michael D. Ryall, and the Strategy Research Initiative. "The Strategy Research Initiative: Recognizing and Encouraging High-quality Research in Strategy." Strategic Organization 8, no. 4 (November 2010). View Details
- Siggelkow, Nicolaj, and Jan Rivkin. "Hiding the Evidence of Valid Theories: How Coupled Search Processes Obscure Performance Differences Among Organizations." Administrative Science Quarterly 54, no. 4 (December 2009): 602 – 634. View Details
- Gavetti, G., Daniel A. Levinthal, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Response to Farjoun's 'Strategy Making, Novelty, and Analogical Reasoning' Commentary on Gavetti, Levinthal, and Rivkin (2005)." Strategic Management Journal 29, no. 9 (September 2008). View Details
- Gavetti, G., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Seek Strategy the Right Way at the Right Time." Special Issue on HBS Centennial. Harvard Business Review 86, no. 1 (January 2008). View Details
- Rivkin, J., and Nicolaj Siggelkow. "Patterned Interactions in Complex Systems." Management Science 53, no. 7 (July 2007). View Details
- Gavetti, G., and Jan W. Rivkin. "On the Origin of Strategy: Action and Cognition Over Time." Organization Science 18, no. 3 (May–June 2007). View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, and Nicolaj Siggelkow. "Organizing to Strategize in the Face of Interdependencies: Preventing Premature Lock-in." Long Range Planning 39, no. 6 (December 2006): 591–614. View Details
- Siggelkow, Nicolaj, and Jan W. Rivkin. "When Exploration Backfires: Unintended Consequences of Multi-level Organizational Search." Academy of Management Journal 49, no. 4 (August 2006). View Details
- Khanna, Tarun, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Interorganizational Ties and Business Group Boundaries: Evidence from an Emerging Economy." Organization Science 17, no. 3 (May–June 2006): 333–352. View Details
- Fleming, Lee, O. Sorenson, and J. Rivkin. "Complexity, Networks and Knowledge Flow." Research Policy 35, no. 7 (September 2006): 994–1017. View Details
- Gavetti, Giovanni, Daniel A. Levinthal, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Strategy-Making in Novel and Complex Worlds: The Power of Analogy." Strategic Management Journal 26, no. 8 (August 2005): 691–712. View Details
- Gavetti, G., and Jan W. Rivkin. "How Strategists Really Think: Tapping the Power of Analogy." Harvard Business Review 83, no. 4 (April 2005): 54–63. View Details
- Siggelkow, Nicolaj, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Speed and Search: Designing Organizations for Turbulence and Complexity." Organization Science 16, no. 2 (March–April 2005): 101–122. View Details
- Gavetti, Giovanni, and Jan Rivkin. "Teaching Students How to Reason Well by Analogy." Journal of Strategic Management Education 1, no. 2 (2004). View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Nicolaj Siggelkow. "Balancing Search and Stability: Interdependencies Among Elements of Organizational Design." Management Science 49, no. 3 (March 2003): 290–311. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Nicolaj Siggelkow. "Organizational Sticking Points on NK Landscapes." Complexity 7, no. 5 (May/June 2002): 31–43. View Details
- Rivkin, J. "Reproducing Knowledge: Replication Without Imitation at Moderate Complexity." Organization Science 12, no. 3 (May–June 2001). View Details
- Khanna, Tarun, and J. Rivkin. "Estimating the Performance Effects of Business Groups in Emerging Markets." Strategic Management Journal 22, no. 1 (January 2001): 45–74. (Winner of Academy of Management. Business Policy and Strategy Division. Best Paper Award presented by Academy of Management.) View Details
- Rivkin, J. "Imitation of Complex Strategies." Management Science 46, no. 6 (June 2000): 824–844. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Review of Out of Control by Kevin Kelly." Emergence 1 (1999): 179–182. View Details
- Book Chapters
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- Rivkin, Jan, and Nicolaj Siggelkow. "Organizational Design: Balancing Search and Stability in Strategic Decision Making." In The Network Challenge: Strategy, Profit, and Risk in an Interlinked World, edited by Paul R. Kleindorfer and Yoram Wind. Wharton School Publishing, 2009. View Details
- Fleming, Lee, J. Rivkin, and O. Sorenson. "Informational Complexity and the Flow of Knowledge across Social Boundaries." In Applied Evolutionary Economics and Economic Geography, edited by K. Frenken. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2007. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Research on Interactions among Management Decisions." In The Interaction of Complexity and Management, edited by Michael R. Lissack. Westport: Quorum Books, 2002. View Details
- Working Papers
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- Yang, Mu-Jeung, Michael Christensen, Nicholas Bloom, Raffaella Sadun, and Jan Rivkin. "How Do CEOs Make Strategy?" Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-063, October 2020. View Details
- Raffaelli, Ryan, Tiona Zuzul, Ranjay Gulati, and Jan Rivkin. "Transforming the Federal Bureau of Investigation: Outcome and Process Framing." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 16-084, January 2016. (Revised September 2019.) View Details
- Smith, Troy, and Jan W. Rivkin. "A Replication Study of Alan Blinder's 'How Many U.S. Jobs Might Be Offshorable?'." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 08-104, June 2008. View Details
- Siggelkow, Nicolaj, and Jan Rivkin. "Coupled Search Processes: Why Is it so Difficult to Find that Organizational Design Matters?" Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 07-106, June 2007. View Details
- Siggelkow, Nicolaj, and Jan W. Rivkin. "When Exploration Backfires: Unintended Consequences of Multi-Level Organizational Search." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 06-016, October 2005. View Details
- Gavetti, Giovanni, and Jan W. Rivkin. "On the Origin of Strategy: Action and Cognition Over Time." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 05-005, July 2004. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Nicolaj Siggelkow. "Balancing Search and Stability: Interdependencies among Elements of Organizational Design." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 03-010, July 2002. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Nicolaj Siggelkow. "Organizational Sticking Points on NK Landscapes." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 03-009, July 2002. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Reproducing Knowledge: Replication without Imitation at Moderate Complexity." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 99-057, August 2001. View Details
- Khanna, Tarun, and Jan Rivkin. "The Structure of Profitability Around the World." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 01-056, April 2001. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Choice Interaction and Organizational Structure." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 01-057, March 2001. View Details
- Khanna, Tarun, and Jan Rivkin. "Estimating the Performance Effects of Networks in Emerging Markets." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 99-108, March 1999. View Details
- Porter, Michael, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Activity Systems as Barriers to Imitation." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 98-066, January 1998. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Imitation of Complex Strategies." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 98-068, January 1998. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Optimally Local Search on Rugged Landscapes." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 98-067, January 1998. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Reconcilable Differences: The Relationship Between Industry Conditions and Firm Effects." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 98-065, January 1998. View Details
- Cases and Teaching Materials
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- Rivkin, Jan W. "Hurtigruten: Sailing into Warm Water?" Harvard Business School Teaching Note 721-360, July 2020. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Kerry Herman. "Hurtigruten: Sailing into Warm Water?" Harvard Business School Case 720-410, January 2020. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, and Susie Ma. "12 for Life." Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative Case, 2018. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, and Susie Ma. "Golden Triangle Development LINK." Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative Case, 2018. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, and Michael Norris. "The Itasca Project." Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative Case, 2018. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, and Susie Ma. "StrivePartnership." Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative Case, 2018. View Details
- Mills, Karen, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Amazon's HQ2 (C): Choices." Harvard Business School Supplement 719-465, May 2019. View Details
- Mills, Karen, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Amazon's HQ2." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 718-507, May 2018. View Details
- Mills, Karen, Manjari Raman, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Amazon's HQ2 (B): Utah." Harvard Business School Supplement 718-503, March 2018. View Details
- Mills, Karen, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Amazon's HQ2 (A)." Harvard Business School Case 718-494, February 2018. (Revised August 2019.) View Details
- Gulati, Ranjay, Jan W. Rivkin, and Aldo Sesia. "BlackRock (D): Organizing for the Future (with video links)." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Case 717-487, April 2017. (Revised November 2017.) View Details
- Gulati, Ranjay, Jan W. Rivkin, and Aldo Sesia. "BlackRock (C): Integrating BGI (with video links)." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Case 717-486, April 2017. (Revised November 2017.) View Details
- Gulati, Ranjay, Jan W. Rivkin, Stuart C. Gilson, and Aldo Sesia. "BlackRock (B): Acquire MLIM? (with video links)." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Case 717-485, April 2017. (Revised November 2017.) View Details
- Gulati, Ranjay, Jan W. Rivkin, and Kelly McNamara. "BlackRock (A): Selling the Systems? (with video links)." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Case 717-484, March 2017. (Revised November 2017.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, and Dylan Minor. "Truly Human Leadership at Barry-Wehmiller." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 717-435, December 2016. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan, and Dylan Minor. "Truly Human Leadership at Barry-Wehmiller: Video Supplement." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Supplement 717-803, February 2017. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan. "Cross-sector Collaborations for Shared Prosperity." Harvard Business School Background Note 717-433, December 2016. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Ryan Lee. "Southwire and 12 For Life: Scaling UP? (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 714-435, October 2013. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Ryan Lee. "Southwire and 12 For Life: Scaling Up? (A)." Harvard Business School Case 714-434, October 2013. (Revised November 2015.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Amram Migdal. "Intellectual Ambition at Harvard Business School: Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger." Harvard Business School Case 717-469, March 2017. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Detroit: On the Right Track?" Harvard Business School Teaching Note 717-432, November 2016. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "The Columbus Partnership." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 717-429, November 2016. View Details
- Gulati, Ranjay, Jan W. Rivkin, and Aldo Sesia. "BlackRock (D): Organizing for the Future." Harvard Business School Supplement 717-407, October 2016. (Revised January 2018.) View Details
- Gulati, Ranjay, Jan W. Rivkin, and Aldo Sesia. "BlackRock (C): Integrating BGI." Harvard Business School Supplement 717-406, October 2016. (Revised January 2018.) View Details
- Gulati, Ranjay, Jan W. Rivkin, Stuart C. Gilson, and Aldo Sesia. "BlackRock (B): Acquire MLIM?" Harvard Business School Supplement 717-405, October 2016. (Revised January 2018.) View Details
- Gulati, Ranjay, Jan W. Rivkin, and Kelly McNamara. "BlackRock (A): Selling the Systems?" Harvard Business School Case 717-404, October 2016. (Revised January 2018.) View Details
- Minor, Dylan, and Jan Rivkin. "Truly Human Leadership at Barry-Wehmiller." Harvard Business School Case 717-420, September 2016. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Manjari Raman. "Detroit: On the Right Track?" Harvard Business School Case 716-444, April 2016. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "The Columbus Partnership." Harvard Business School Case 715-462, May 2015. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Stefan Thomke. "LEGO (A): The Crisis." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 714-464, January 2014. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., Stefan H. Thomke, and Daniela Beyersdorfer. "LEGO (A): The Crisis." Harvard Business School Case 713-478, February 2013. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Advanced Competitive Strategy: Integrating the Enterprise." Harvard Business School Course Overview Note 712-454, December 2011. View Details
- Collis, David J., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Strategic Decline." Harvard Business School Background Note 708-497, April 2008. (Revised July 2011.) View Details
- Collis, David J., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Strategic Renewal." Harvard Business School Module Note 708-503, April 2008. (Revised July 2011.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., Michael Roberto, and Ranjay Gulati. "Federal Bureau of Investigation, TN - 2001, 2007, and 2009." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 711-487, January 2011. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Michael Roberto. "Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2001 (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 710-450, March 2010. (Revised May 2010.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., Michael Roberto, and Ranjay Gulati. "Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2009." Harvard Business School Case 710-452, March 2010. (Revised May 2010.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., Michael Roberto, and Ranjay Gulati. "Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2007." Harvard Business School Case 710-451, March 2010. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Revitalizing Dell." Harvard Business School Case 710-442, February 2010. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Ann Cullen. "Finding Information for Industry Analysis." Harvard Business School Background Note 708-481, January 2008. (Revised January 2010.) View Details
- Ghemawat, Pankaj, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Airborne Express Video Supplement." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 710-803, November 2009. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Eric J. Van den Steen. "Microsoft's Search (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 710-416, July 2009. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Michael A. Roberto. "Federal Bureau of Investigation (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 707-553, April 2007. (Revised June 2009.) View Details
- Bradley, Stephen P., David J. Collis, Kevin P. Coyne, Andrei Hagiu, Mikolaj Jan Piskorski, Jan W. Rivkin, and John R. Wells. "How to Crack a Strategy Case." Harvard Business School Background Note 707-549, March 2007. (Revised February 2009.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Eric J. Van den Steen. "Microsoft's Search." Harvard Business School Case 709-461, January 2009. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Troy Smith. "Offshoring Day in BGIE and Strategy." Harvard Business School Background Note 708-492, February 2008. (Revised January 2009.) View Details
- Halaburda, Hanna, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Analyzing Relative Costs." Harvard Business School Background Note 708-462, October 2007. (Revised January 2009.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Introduction to the RC Strategy Course." Harvard Business School Course Overview Note 707-492, November 2006. (Revised November 2008.) View Details
- "Strategy: Building and Sustaining Competitive Advantage." Harvard Business School Class Lecture 705-509, June 2005. (Revised September 2008.) View Details
- Vietor, Richard H.K., Jan W. Rivkin, and Juliana Seminerio. "The Offshoring of America." Harvard Business School Case 708-030, February 2008. (Revised April 2008.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Husky Injection Molding Systems." Harvard Business School Case 799-157, May 1999. (Revised March 2008.) View Details
- Alcacer, Juan, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Monitor's Opportunities in India (B): Grail Research." Harvard Business School Case 708-483, March 2008. View Details
- Alcacer, Juan, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Monitor's Opportunities in India (A)." Harvard Business School Case 708-482, February 2008. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "The British Motorcycle Industry at a Crossroads." Harvard Business School Case 703-031, January 2003. (Revised January 2008.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Dogfight over Europe: Ryanair (A)." Harvard Business School Case 700-115, June 2000. (Revised November 2007.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Troy Smith. "Organic Growth at Wal-Mart." Harvard Business School Case 707-498, January 2007. (Revised November 2007.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Airborne Express (CW)." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-751, January 2003. (Revised September 2007.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Airborne Express (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 700-085, January 2000. (Revised September 2007.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Airborne Express." Harvard Business School Case 798-070, February 1998. (Revised May 2007.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Michael A. Roberto. "Federal Bureau of Investigation (A)." Harvard Business School Case 707-500, April 2007. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., Michael Roberto, and Erika Ferlins. "Managing National Intelligence (A): Before 9/11." Harvard Business School Case 706-463, April 2006. (Revised July 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Advanced Competitive Strategy: Integrating the Enterprise." Harvard Business School Background Note 706-452, November 2005. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Advanced Competitive Strategy, Notes for Educators 5. Key Concepts in a Module on Strategic Failure." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 706-471, January 2006. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Advanced Competitive Strategy, Notes for Educators 6. Key Concepts in a Module on Strategic Change." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 706-472, January 2006. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Advanced Competitive Strategy, Notes for Educators 7. Tools and Techniques, Plus Practice." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 706-473, January 2006. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Advanced Competitive Strategy, Notes for Educators 8. Research Question." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 706-474, January 2006. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Advanced Competitive Strategy, Notes for Educators: 1. An Overview of the Course." Harvard Business School Background Note 706-449, December 2005. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Advanced Competitive Strategy, Notes for Educators 2. Integration in Business Education and Research." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 706-468, January 2006. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Advanced Competitive Strategy, Notes for Educators 3. Key Concepts in a Modulle on Analysing the Parts of a Strategy." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 706-469, January 2006. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Advanced Competitive Strategy, Notes for Educators 4. Key Concepts in a Module on the Origins of Strategy." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 706-470, January 2006. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Dogfight over Europe: Ryanair (C)." Harvard Business School Supplement 700-117, June 2000. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "BMG Entertainment (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 701-049, November 2000. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Dogfight Over Europe: Ryanair (A), (B), and (C) TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 701-090, March 2001. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., Dorothy A. Leonard, and Gary Hamel. "Change at Whirlpool Corporation (A)." Harvard Business School Case 705-462, April 2005. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., Dorothy A. Leonard, and Gary Hamel. "Change at Whirlpool Corporation (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 705-463, April 2005. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., Dorothy A. Leonard, and Gary Hamel. "Change at Whirlpool Corporation (C)." Harvard Business School Supplement 705-464, April 2005. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Delta Air Lines (A): The Low-Cost Carrier Threat and Delta Air Lines (B): The Launch of Song (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 706-430, September 2005. (Revised March 2006.) View Details
- Gavetti, Giovanni M., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Use and Abuse of Analogies, The." Harvard Business School Background Note 703-429, February 2003. (Revised February 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "How can a strategist analyze the parts of a firm's strategy?: Advanced Competitive Strategy, Module note for students." Harvard Business School Background Note 706-431, December 2005. (Revised February 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "How do firms change their strategies successfully?" Harvard Business School Background Note 706-434, December 2005. (Revised February 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Why do strategies fail?: Advanced Competitive Strategy, Module note for students." Harvard Business School Background Note 706-433, December 2005. (Revised February 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Matching Dell: Teaching Note Supplement." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 706-482, February 2006. View Details
- Ghemawat, Pankaj, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Creating Competitive Advantage." Harvard Business School Background Note 798-062, January 1998. (Revised February 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Silverado (A) (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 706-464, February 2006. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Honda (A), Honda (B), and The British Motorcycle Industry at a Crossroads (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 704-022, November 2003. (Revised February 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "An Options-led Approach to Making Strategic Choices." Harvard Business School Background Note 702-433, December 2001. (Revised February 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Lycos (A): The Tripod Decision (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 704-472, January 2004. (Revised February 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Husky Injection Molding Systems (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 700-087, January 2000. (Revised January 2006.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Gerrit Meier. "BMG Entertainment." Harvard Business School Case 701-003, July 2000. (Revised September 2005.) View Details
- Khanna, Tarun, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Math for Strategists." Harvard Business School Background Note 705-433, November 2004. (Revised April 2005.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Laurent Therivel. "Delta Air Lines (A): The Low-Cost Carrier Threat." Harvard Business School Case 704-403, January 2004. (Revised January 2005.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Laurent Therivel. "Delta Air Lines (B): The Launch of Song." Harvard Business School Case 704-439, January 2004. (Revised January 2005.) View Details
- Ghemawat, Pankaj, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Selected Exhibits from Lamoiyan Corporation of the Philippines (CW)." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 705-803, January 2005. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Charles J. Woodard. "Silverado (A)." Harvard Business School Case 703-441, January 2003. (Revised March 2004.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Simona Giorgi. "Matching Dell (B): 1998-2003." Harvard Business School Case 704-476, January 2004. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Where Do Great Strategies Come From?" Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing Class Lecture, 2004. Electronic. (Faculty Lecture: HBSP Product Number 9-754-4C.) View Details
- Corts, Kenneth S., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Performance Indicator (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 703-456, May 2003. View Details
- Ghemawat, Pankaj, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Baseball Industry Update, 2002." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-754, February 2003. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Sunrise Medical, Inc.'s Wheelchair Products." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-764, February 2003. View Details
- Ghemawat, Pankaj, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Sears, Roebuck and Company: The Merchandise Group." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-762, February 2003. View Details
- McGahan, Anita M., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Saturn Corporation in 1998." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-761, February 2003. View Details
- McGahan, Anita M., and Jan W. Rivkin. "The Baseball Strike." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-753, February 2003. View Details
- Gavetti, Giovanni M., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Lycos (A): The Tripod Decision." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-758, February 2003. View Details
- Ghemawat, Pankaj, and Jan W. Rivkin. "USA Today Decision." Harvard Business School Background Note 703-765, February 2003. View Details
- Collis, David J., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream Inc.: A Period of Transition." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-755, February 2003. View Details
- Ghemawat, Pankaj, Anita M. McGahan, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Arborite." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-752, January 2003. View Details
- Ghemawat, Pankaj, Anita M. McGahan, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Saturn: A different Kind of Car Company." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-760, January 2003. View Details
- Corts, Kenneth S., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Performance Indicators." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-759, January 2003. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Husky Injection Molding Systems." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-757, January 2003. View Details
- Ghemawat, Pankaj, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Adolph Coors in the Brewing Industry (CW)." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 703-756, January 2003. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Elizabeth Johnson. "Baseball Industry Update, 2002." Harvard Business School Case 702-443, January 2002. (Revised November 2002.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Press Looks Inside Sears, Roebuck: 1938-89, The." Harvard Business School Compilation 703-443, November 2002. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Jay R. Girotto. "Yahoo!: Business on Internet Time TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 700-086, January 2000. (Revised March 2002.) View Details
- Gavetti, Giovanni M., Jan W. Rivkin, and Elizabeth Johnson. "Lycos (A): The Tripod Decision." Harvard Business School Case 702-435, January 2002. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "BMG Entertainment." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 702-901, January 2002. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Music Industry Update: April, 2001." Harvard Business School Case 701-130, April 2001. View Details
- Porter, Michael E., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Competition & Strategy: Course Structure TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 700-091, January 2000. (Revised March 2001.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Matching Dell TN." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 700-084, December 1999. (Revised March 2001.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W. "Dogfight over Europe: Ryanair (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 700-116, June 2000. (Revised October 2000.) View Details
- Porter, Michael E., and Jan W. Rivkin. "Industry Transformation." Harvard Business School Background Note 701-008, July 2000. View Details
- Anand, Bharat N., Tarun Khanna, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Market Failures." Harvard Business School Background Note 700-127, April 2000. View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., and Jay R. Girotto. "Yahoo!: Business on Internet Time." Harvard Business School Case 700-013, July 1999. (Revised January 2000.) View Details
- Corts, Kenneth S., and Jan W. Rivkin. "A Note on Microeconomics for Strategists." Harvard Business School Background Note 799-128, March 1999. (Revised January 2000.) View Details
- Rivkin, Jan W., Michael E. Porter, Charles E. Bruin, Markus Chappel, Thomas M Galizia, and Laila J Worrell. "Matching Dell (A)." Harvard Business School Case 799-158, June 1999. View Details
- Presentations
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- Other Publications and Materials
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- Rivkin, Jan, Karen G. Mills, and Michael E. Porter. "The Challenge of Shared Prosperity: Findings of Harvard Business School's 2015 Survey on U.S. Competitiveness." Report, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, September 2015 (With contributions from Michael I. Norton and Mitchell B. Weiss.) View Details
- Gavetti, G., Daniel Levinthal, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Strategy Making in Novel and Complex Worlds: The Power of Analogy." March 2003. View Details
- Gavetti, Giovanni, and Jan W. Rivkin. "Rationality, Plasticity, and Age: Toward a Grounded Theory of the Origins of Strategies." December 2001. View Details
- Teaching
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The objective of this course is to help students develop the skills for formulating strategy, and provides an understanding of:
- A firm's operative environment and how to sustain competitive advantage.
- How to generate superior value for customers by designing the optimum configuration of the product mix and functional activities.
- How to balance the opportunities and risks associated with dynamic and uncertain changes in industry attractiveness and competitive position.
Students learn to:
- Develop a mastery of a body of analytical tools and the ability to take an integrative point of view.
- Use these tools to perform in-depth analyses of industries and competitors, predict competitive behavior, and analyze how firms develop and sustain competitive advantage over time.
Particular attention is paid to competitive positioning; understanding comparative costs; and addressing issues such as cannibalization, network externalities, and globalization.
With the accelerating pace of competition, cutting-edge companies are defined by innovative strategies. In this Executive Education program, we explore how to develop groundbreaking stratgies and action plans for execution, forecast industry evolution, and analyze strategic costs—in order to ultimately build and sustain your company's competitive advantage.
- Awards & Honors
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Winner of the 2019 Strategic Management Society (SMS) Annual Conference Best Research Methods Paper Award for “Cognitive Framing and Capability Development at the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” with Tiona Zuzul, Ranjay Gulati, and Ryan Raffaelli.
Finalist for the 2019 Strategic Management Society (SMS) Annual Conference Best Paper Award for “Cognitive Framing and Capability Development at the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” with Tiona Zuzul, Ranjay Gulati, and Ryan Raffaelli.
Received the 2012 HBS Student Association Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Elective Curriculum from the HBS Class of 2012.
Received the 2009 HBS Student Association Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Required Curriculum from the HBS Class of 2009.
Received the 2009 Charles M. Williams Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Winner of the 1999 Best Paper Prize from the Business Policy and Strategy Division of the Academy of Management for "Estimating the Performance Effects of Networks in Emerging Markets" (with Tarun Khanna, Strategic Management Journal, January 2001).
- Additional Information
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- Areas of Interest
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- In The News
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