Technological Innovation →
- 16 Apr 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Can Biometric Tracking Improve Healthcare Provision and Data Quality? Experimental Evidence from Tuberculosis Control in India
This paper shows the benefits of biometric technology for strengthening service delivery and improving reliability of government data. The technology improved productivity of health workers operating tuberculosis treatment centers and decreased misreporting.
- 21 Mar 2019
- HBS Case
The Ferrari Way
Secretive sports car maker Ferrari opens up to Stefan Thomke about how it has bucked industry trends to achieve success. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 28 Feb 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
Pursuing Precision Medicine at Intermountain Healthcare
What happens when Intermountain Healthcare invests resources in an innovative precision medicine unit to provide life-extending, genetically targeted therapies to late-stage cancer patients? Professors Richard Hamermesh and Kathy Giusti discuss the case and its connections to their work with the Kraft Precision Medicine Accelerator. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 18 Feb 2019
- Book
What’s Really Disrupting Business? It’s Not Technology
Technology doesn't drive disruption—customers do. In a new book, marketing professor Thales Teixeira argues that successful disruptors are faster to spot and serve emerging customer needs than larger competitors. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 11 Feb 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The IBM PC
The IBM PC was the first computer platform to be open by choice and not because of financial constraints. Initially, this openness kept IBM competitive. But IBM’s control over two strategic bottlenecks— standards embedded in the Basic Input Output System, and system integration and manufacturing of the computer itself—turned out to be weak.
- 04 Feb 2019
- Book
Green Businesses Are Incredibly Difficult to Make Profitable. Try It Anyway
Making a business successful is a challenge in itself, but making a green business profitable is an even harder journey. For society's sake, entrepreneurs must be prepared to make that journey, says Geoffrey Jones. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 04 Jan 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The Digital Commons: Tragedy or Opportunity? A Reflection on the 50th Anniversary of Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons
Garrett Hardin’s Science article “The Tragedy of the Commons” 50 years ago focused on a physical world where common goods are finite and rivalrous. By contrast, this paper explores the digital commons, calling for better understanding of its long-term impact and for government policies supporting benefits while mitigating costs.
- 02 Jan 2019
- What Do You Think?
SUMMING UP: Do We Need an Artificial Intelligence Czar?
Having government oversee artificial intelligence development is either a sure way to kill a promising technology or the only way to keep our robot overlords at bay. James Heskett's readers debate. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 06 Dec 2018
- Cold Call Podcast
Honda Created a Civic for Very Light Jets. How High Will It Fly?
After thirty years of research and development, HondaJet is finally in the air and winning its market. Gary Pisano discusses how Honda moved from cars and lawn mowers to multimillion-dollar private aircraft. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Nov 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Pioneer (Dis-)advantages in Markets for Technology
When and how to enter a new market is central to firms’ innovation strategies, including in the medical device industry. The authors show how to evaluate early-mover advantage vs. disadvantage when the primary option to monetize an innovation lies in selling it in an intermediate “market for technology” rather than in a final product market.
- 08 Oct 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Developing Theory Using Machine Learning Methods
This paper provides a step-by-step roadmap for using machine learning (ML) techniques to explore novel and robust patterns in data. It introduces management researchers to a new use case for ML tools: building new theory from quantitative observational data. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 01 Oct 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Negative Shocks and Innovation: Evidence from Medical Device Recalls
This study examines Food and Drug Administration data on all medical device approvals and recalls over the years 2003-2015, finding that firms slow down their own innovation processes in response to recalls, while their direct competitors accelerate innovative activities. Recalls may thus pose a greater strategic disadvantage than previously understood.
- 05 Sep 2018
- Research & Ideas
The Hidden Benefit of Giving Back to Open Source Software
Firms that allow their software programmers to "give back" to the open source community on company time gain benefits—even though competitors might benefit too, says Frank Nagle. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 31 Jul 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
How Does Product Liability Risk Affect Innovation? Evidence from Medical Implants
This analysis examines how a surge in liability risk faced by upstream suppliers of general purpose technologies (polymers) affected downstream innovation in implant technologies. Implant patenting dropped by 36 percent relative to non-implant technologies.
- 25 Jun 2018
- Research & Ideas
In America, Immigrants Really Do Get the Job Done
Far from being a drain on the US economy, William Kerr’s research finds immigrants are a driver of innovation and entrepreneurship. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 17 Apr 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Digital Innovation with High Costs of Entry: Evidence from Software-Driven Medical Devices
Although technology shifts often allow new entrants to edge into a market, established firms seem to be maintaining leadership in the medical devices industry, where software integration is increasingly important.
- 26 Feb 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Different Strokes for Different Folks: Experimental Evidence on Complementarities Between Human Capital and Machine Learning
This study contributes to scholarship on how adoption of machine learning tools will shape knowledge worker productivity. Among its implications for managers, it suggests that complementarities between prior skills and technology will determine the productivity of workers using AI tools.
- 25 Oct 2017
- Research & Ideas
Will Machine Learning Make You a Better Manager?
Big data...artificial intelligence...Internet of Things. These technologies have taken their shares of the headlines the past few years, but now machine learning is the buzz. Mike Teodorescu explains how it is changing the lives of consumers and businesses. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 16 Aug 2017
- Research & Ideas
Researchers Use Google Street View to See the Future of Cities
Scott Duke Kominers, Nikhil Naik, and colleagues use Google Street View to show how cities are changing and help them improve over time. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
How Managers Stifle Creativity
3QUESTIONS: Teresa Amabile discusses the roots of creativity, how to achieve more of it, and combining it with artificial intelligence. Open for comment; 0 Comments.