https://www.hbs.edu/forum-for-growth-and-innovation

The Forum for Growth & Innovation, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA (2026)

01/09/2024

Five years ago, Darius Shahida, a member of the Harvard Business School Class of 2019, joined us in The podcast studio to discuss how Butterfly Network, Inc, a disruptive startup where he was employed as Chief Growth Officer, was working to revolutionize the ultrasound industry. Now, as the company's Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Business Development Officer, he joins his former BSSE professor, Derek van Bever, to reflect on Butterfly's entrepreneurial journey over the last half decade. Since Darius was last on the podcast, the company has gone public; has successfully commercialized the world's first semiconductor-based, whole-body, single-probe digital ultrasound device; has introduced its second generation device, Butterfly iQ+; and has significantly expanded its market of users, with a presence in over 100 countries. In this conversation, Darius highlights these developments and also reflects on how the BSSE frameworks have helped to inform the company's emergent strategy over the years. As a hybrid disruptor - both a low end and a new market disruption - Butterfly Network's growth is fascinating to observe. Listen to learn more! https://thedisruptivevoice.libsyn.com/120-butterflys-digital-revolution-in-ultrasound-a-conversation-with-darius-shahida + 4Catalyzer Gates Foundation Harvard Business School Alumni

12/12/2023

In this new episode of The Disruptive Voice, Amy Edmondson, sharing insights from her new book, Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well, reminds listeners, "The most successful among us have not failed less often than the rest of us. They've failed more often - right kind of wrong failures." Hosted by Scott Anthony, the two engage in a fascinating conversation covering a myriad of topics, including the origin of the idea of psychological safety; the different types of failure, and why they matter; the emotional challenges of innovation; and right kind of wrong in the context of parenting, to cite but a few examples. We're all going to get things wrong in our professional and personal lives, but resilience and learning through intelligent failures is an important part of the journey! To listen - https://thedisruptivevoice.libsyn.com/119-right-kind-of-wrong-a-conversation-with-amy-edmondson

12/12/2023

The promise of artificial intelligence is immense and companies that view AI as an enabler of corporate transformation can reap potentially enormous benefits in terms of both value creation and growth. In this panel discussion, Freddy Solis hosts his Innosight colleague and co-leader in the company’s global AI practice, Shari Parvarandeh, along with renowned thought leaders in management and information systems, and co-authors of the forthcoming book, Fusion Strategy, Vijay Govindarajan and Venkat Venkatraman, for a wide-reaching discussion on artificial intelligence and its implications for companies. Their conversation spans the genesis and current state of AI in business; its transformative impact across industries; blockers and enablers of adoption; different types of models and use cases; and when to build, buy, or partner, to cite but a few examples. Companies that stand to benefit from the vast opportunities that AI presents in virtually every industry will be those that act boldly and ahead of the curve. Listen to learn more! https://thedisruptivevoice.libsyn.com/118-leading-into-the-age-of-ai-through-fusion-strategy-a-panel-discussion

10/31/2023

Higher education has long been on an unsustainable trajectory, with rising costs - and subsequent debt passed on to students - hindering the ability of many to get ahead. In this episode of The Disruptive Voice, education author and researcher, Michael B. Horn, hosts fellow Harvard Business School alumnus Scott Pulsipher, President of Western Governors University (WGU). Among many topics, the two discuss how the accredited, non-profit university is disrupting traditional models of higher education through its online, competency-based model. A long-time friend of Clayton Christensen's, Scott also shares how Clay’s frameworks have been instrumental to his thinking. With a strong focus on serving its students, the majority of whom haven’t been well served or even served at all by traditional models of learning, along with an alumni base of over 340,000 graduates, Western Governors University is a prime example of Disruptive Innovation as a powerful force for democratizing access and opportunity. To listen - https://thedisruptivevoice.libsyn.com/117-creating-pathways-to-opportunity-at-western-governors-university-a-conversation-with-scott-pulsipher Harvard Business School Alumni

10/11/2023

Last June, Efosa Ojomo and Sandy Sanchez were on The Disruptive Voice to discuss the process of market creation - Discovery, Distribution, and Democratization - as it applied to the creation of a market for solar energy in Nigeria. In this new episode, they return to share specific examples of four companies that are getting it right. SunFi_HQ, co-founded by Harvard Business School alumnus Tomiwa Igun, highlights successful employment of an emergent rather than deliberate strategy; SteamaCo illustrates benefits drawn from a clear understanding of customers' Jobs To Be Done; Husk Power Systems exemplifies the strength of pull (as opposed to push) strategies in emerging markets; and Auxano Solar Nig. Limited is a company now firmly in the midst of the important Distribution phase of the market creation process. There are lessons to be learned from all of these examples, companies that to-date have been successful in addressing barriers to market creation in Nigeria's energy sector. In this conversation, Efosa and Sandy reflect on and share these learnings. As Efosa says, "People don’t want solar. People want progress." With this in mind, real advancements can be made towards reaching the last stage of the market creation process - Democratization, and in this case democratizing access to electricity in Nigeria and beyond. To listen - https://thedisruptivevoice.libsyn.com/116-four-companies-creating-a-market-for-solar-energy-in-nigeria-a-conversation-with-efosa-ojomo-and-sandy-sanchez All On Partnerships for Energy Access United States African Development Foundation Harvard Business School Alumni

09/19/2023

Arthur Brooks teaches a popular course at Harvard Business School called Leadership & Happiness. One important underpinning of the course is that science can help us to better understand what will actually make us happier – and Arthur has worked hard to incorporate these concepts into his own life. Recently, he teamed up with Oprah Winfrey to write, "Build The Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier." In those pages, they consider a number of thought-provoking questions, including “How can we mobilize our lives toward greater happiness? How do we translate ideas about happiness into action? And how do we take control of our present and our future?” In this episode of The Disruptive Voice, Arthur joins host Karen Dillon - co-author with Clayton Christensen of "How Will You Measure Your Life?" - to dive into these questions and more! Arthur also reflects on the fact that much of the knowledge that is shared in “Build The Life You Want” is practical and yet relatively unknown. Listen to learn more about both the art and science of becoming happier - https://thedisruptivevoice.libsyn.com/115-build-the-life-you-want-a-conversation-with-arthur-brooks-and-karen-dillon

08/29/2023

The Business Model Framework draws an important distinction between a company's Priorities (i.e. its Value Proposition and Profit Formula) and its Capabilities. Regarding the latter, which are more effective drivers of corporate innovation – Processes or Resources? The answer depends on an organization's circumstances and strategic goals. In circumstances where companies are pursuing growth via sustaining opportunities, an organization's Processes are key. However, in circumstances where companies are pursuing potentially disruptive opportunities, their Resources - and particularly senior leadership - are crucial. In this episode, Robyn Bolton brings these concepts to life through the stories of two companies working to build disruptive growth engines, highlighting the actions of senior executives at each firm, one of which was ultimately successful while the other faltered and failed in these attempts. Robyn shares insights on several topics related to the role of senior leaders, including the necessity of standing astride the interfaces of mainstream and disruptive growth businesses; the ability to sense when circumstances are changing; the importance of adjusting metrics and incentives to create space for employees to spot disruptive opportunities; and the need to act when business is good rather than during difficult times. As Robyn points out, if you want different results, then you need to do things differently - and this often means setting aside processes that drive sustaining innovation, at least in some parts of the business, and leaning more on a company's resources, including its senior leadership, to play a crucial role in the management of disruptive growth initiatives. To listen - https://thedisruptivevoice.libsyn.com/114-the-role-of-senior-executives-in-leading-new-growth-initiatives-a-conversation-with-robyn-bolton

08/08/2023

"In our view, the crux of the problem is that investments in different types of innovation affect economies (and companies) in very different ways – but are evaluated using the same (flawed) metrics.” This quote comes from the 2014 Harvard Business Review article that Clayton Christensen and Derek van Bever co-authored, entitled The Capitalist’s Dilemma. As you’ll hear in this conversation, the article is as relevant today as it was when it was first published. In this episode – originally recorded as part of Aidan McCullen’s series on The Innovation Show dedicated to Clay’s life and work - Derek joins Aidan to discuss a number of topics related to the article's main theme, that being the assertion that "the tools we use to guide our investments are blind to the best opportunities for creating new jobs and new markets." Derek considers how our behavior, in interacting with metrics, can often lead to unfortunate consequences; the pull of established markets; the different types of innovation and their respective impacts on growth; and the challenges faced by corporate innovators, to cite but a few examples. Also discussed are potential solutions to the capitalist's dilemma, along with the observation that if people understand the dilemma, they are then better equipped to respond to the challenges that it presents. To listen - https://thedisruptivevoice.libsyn.com/113-the-capitalists-dilemma-a-conversation-with-derek-van-bever

07/18/2023

In a 2012 TEDxBoston Talk, while drawing on insights from "How Will You Measure Your Life?", Clayton Christensen said, "The way we invest our time and energy and talents (sometimes) causes us to implement a strategy that we wouldn't at all plan to pursue." His co-author, Karen Dillon, recently partnered with Rob Cross to write "The Microstress Effect: How Little Things Pile Up And Create Big Problems - And What To Do About It". While her work with Clay sets forth important frameworks for thinking about the decisions that we make, The Microstress Effect helps readers to understand why and how we make those decisions, while also providing concrete tools for living intentionally. There's a hidden but very real toll resulting from the accumulation of small moments of stress in our lives. However, if we recognize these microstresses, we can then take deliberate actions to navigate them, leading to increased resilience and happiness. In this Disruptive Voice episode, Rob and Karen not only delve into the concept of microstress but also discuss a number of antidotes, including finding purpose in small moments, the power of living a multidimensional life, the importance of authentic and diverse connections, and more that can be done to proactively foster resiliency and improve well-being. To listen - https://thedisruptivevoice.libsyn.com/112-the-microstress-effect-a-conversation-with-rob-cross-and-karen-dillon

06/27/2023

Nigeria is home to the largest energy deficit in the world. What can be done to address the striking level of energy poverty in the country? Clayton Christensen used to say that good theory helps us to explain the world but that great theory helps us to transform it. With this in mind, co-author with Clay of "The Prosperity Paradox", Efosa Ojomo, joins host Sandy Sanchez to consider the application of the frameworks to the energy sector in Nigeria. Solutions to many of the current energy challenges in the country lie in the process of market creation, which Efosa outlines as discovery, distribution, and democratization. Currently, too many attempt to jump from the discovery phase directly to democratization, wanting to push modular energy solutions out to the population but without first understanding the process by which markets are created or the context in which the solutions may be absorbed. The distribution phase, however, is crucial to this process, as it is in this phase where infrastructure is built, where trust is established, where discoveries are made profitable, and where democratization becomes possible. Tune in to this newly-released episode of The Disruptive Voice to learn more about the process and potential of market creating innovations and, in this example, how it's applied to the acceleration of solar energy adoption in Nigeria! https://thedisruptivevoice.libsyn.com/111-creating-a-market-for-solar-energy-in-nigeria-a-conversation-with-efosa-ojomo Harvard Business School Alumni Clayton Christensen Institute

06/27/2023

Radiology touches around 80% of all hospital and health system visits, impacting every specialty in medicine. However, the incumbent radiology IT system infrastructure places the promise and power of AI out of reach for practitioners. Though radiology has historically been on the cutting edge of technological advancements in medicine, it is now stuck in a technological gridlock, a situation in which each modular component of the tech stack works well enough but where the system as a whole is failing to sufficiently support physicians and their patients. Working to enhance both the quantity and quality of work that radiologists can deliver, Sirona Medical is driving the shift away from modular gridlock to an interdependent system, employing AI to amplify the value of radiology to downstream care. In this episode, Cameron Andrews, Founder & CEO of Sirona, joins Spencer Christensen to discuss the cloud-native unified workflow software they're working to build, along with its applications. The two consider the history of radiology; the challenges and opportunities of both the present day and on the healthcare horizon; how Sirona Medical is reimagining the system’s underlying architecture; and more! To listen - https://thedisruptivevoice.libsyn.com/110-radiology-elevated-a-conversation-with-cameron-andrews-and-spencer-christensen

The Forum for Growth & Innovation

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10/31/2023

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