Clayton M. Christensen

Clayton M. Christensen

Clayton M. Christensen (MBA 1979, DBA 1992), Harvard Business School’s Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration, acclaimed author and teacher, and the world’s foremost authority on disruptive innovation, died on January 23, 2020, surrounded by his loving family. Christensen was 67 years old.

Christensen joined the HBS faculty in 1992. He earned a BA with highest honors in economics from Brigham Young University (1975); an M.Phil. in applied econometrics from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar (1977); and an MBA with High Distinction (1979) and a DBA (1992) from Harvard Business School. He was granted tenure at the School in 1998 and named to a chaired professorship in 2001.

“Clayton Christensen was one of the world’s greatest scholars on innovation and a remarkable person who had a profound influence on his students and colleagues,” says Dean Nitin Nohria. “His research and writings transformed the way aspiring MBAs, industries, and companies look at management. He was a beloved professor and role model whose brilliant teaching and wisdom inspired generations of students and young academics. Most importantly, Clayton had a passion for helping others be their best selves that permeated every aspect of his life. His loss will be felt deeply by many in our community and his legacy will be long-lasting.”

A gifted teacher across all of Harvard Business School's educational programs, Christensen developed and taught for many years the MBA elective curriculum offering, Building and Sustaining a Successful Enterprise, which uses a general manager's lens to evaluate theories about strategy, innovation, and management to predict which tools, strategies, and methods will be most effective. His HBS Online course, Disruptive Strategy, has engaged more than 5,000 learners—more than 10% of Online's cumulative learners to-date. He also led Doctoral seminars, served on a number of doctoral thesis committees, and was a member of the Doctoral Policy Committee. And he was a (highly sought-after) regular in a number of the School's comprehensive leadership and focused Executive Education program offerings. In everything he did, Christensen sought to help his students understand the powerful way they could be a force for good in society and in the lives of others as managers—managers who energized and uplifted those around them.

A distinguished scholar, Christensen was one of the most influential business theorists of the last 50 years, according to Forbes, and was twice ranked at the top of the Thinkers 50 list among many other awards and accolades. His research and ideas focus on identifying and managing factors that shape the way firms introduce advanced technologies to existing and prospective markets, and the process by which innovation transforms—or displaces—companies or entire industries. He first introduced the notion of “disruptive innovation” in his seminal book, The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. It became a New York Times bestseller and received the Global Business Book Award for the best business book published in 1997. More than two decades later, business leaders from around the world continue to credit Christensen’s work on disruptive innovation for their ability to innovate, grow, and compete in today’s global economy.

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Updates and Information

After careful consideration and in accordance with the new Harvard University guidelines for events and meetings on campus due to COVID-19, the memorial service for our friend and colleague, Clayton Christensen, on Friday, March 13 will not be held. The family and school are deeply touched by the outpouring of support during this difficult time. We would like to encourage you to continue sharing memories of Clayton at memoriesofclay.com. Thank you for your understanding and we will keep you informed on any details as they become available to celebrate Clayton's life.

From social media, alumni reflect on the life and impact of Professor Christensen. Others with personal stories to share may do so at: memoriesofclay.com

Donations may be made in Clayton's honor to:
~ The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, the nonprofit research institute he founded.
~ The Clayton Christensen Fund at Harvard Business School. (In the dropdown menu, select “Other” and then enter the fund’s name.)
~ The Verda Mae Christensen Fund at Brigham Young University.

Listen to Christensen discuss how his business theory has affected his home life (Skydeck podcast 2016)

Christensen writes on "How Will You Measure Your Life?" (HBR 2010)

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