Clayton Christensen
Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
About
Clayton Christensen (1952–2020) was the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and one of the most influential management thinkers of his era. He is best known for the theory of disruptive innovation, introduced in his 1997 book The Innovator's Dilemma, which explains how smaller entrants with simpler, cheaper products can displace established incumbents — a lens now central to debates about how AI reshapes industries. He co-founded the consulting firm Innosight and the investment firm Rose Park Advisors, and was twice ranked the world's most influential management thinker by Thinkers50. Beyond strategy, his 2010 essay and later book How Will You Measure Your Life? turned his analytical tools toward questions of purpose, relationships, and integrity.
Key Contributions
- Developed the theory of disruptive innovation in The Innovator's Dilemma (1997)
- Co-authored The Innovator's Solution, extending the theory to how firms create disruptive growth
- Applied disruption theory to education (Disrupting Class) and healthcare (The Innovator's Prescription)
- Wrote 'How Will You Measure Your Life?', applying his frameworks to questions of purpose and meaning
- Twice ranked #1 in the Thinkers50 list of global management thinkers (2011, 2013)
