H a r v a r d | B u s i n e s s | S c h o o lExecutive Education
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Program Advising team
Email: executive_education@hbs.edu
Disruptive Innovation—Virtual
Dates: 10–21 MAY 2021
Location: Virtual
Fee: $7,500
The program fee covers tuition, e-books, and online case materials.
This program includes live online classes, self-paced work, discussion groups, and virtual networking. Download brochure for detailed schedule.
Program Announcement
The information below is based on the prior program session and does not reflect potential
changes to faculty and course content for future program offerings. Please consider
applying to the related <a href="/disruptive-innovation/">in-person program</a>.
Summary
More than 20 years ago, late HBS professor Clayton Christensen introduced a revolutionary
concept that transformed the business world and is still widely applied today: disruptive
innovation. In this live online program, Christensen's hand-selected teaching team
will help strategic decision-makers understand how disruption works and determine
when and how to invest in core versus disruptive business models, as well as how to
mount an effective defense against disruption. As you gain insight into the ways that
evolving industries, technologies, and competitive forces can affect your business,
you will be better prepared to harness innovation, lead breakthrough change, and sustain
enterprise success.
More than 20 years ago, late HBS professor Clayton Christensen introduced a revolutionary
concept that transformed the business world and is still widely applied today: disruptive
innovation. In this live online program, Christensen's hand-selected teaching team
will help strategic decision-makers understand how disruption works and determine
when and how to invest in core versus disruptive business models, as well as how to
mount an effective defense against disruption. As you gain insight into the ways that
evolving industries, technologies, and competitive forces can affect your business,
you will be better prepared to harness innovation, lead breakthrough change, and sustain
enterprise success.
This program is eligible for the Certificate of Management Excellence. Learn More
Key Benefits
Examining disruption and strategic decision-making through the lens of Christensen's
transformative theory, you will gain a deeper understanding of the levers that drive
resource allocation and organizational growth. With the ability to spot potential
threats and opportunities sooner and make the right strategic moves faster, you will
be ready to drive innovation and position your organization for long-term success.
Examining disruption and strategic decision-making through the lens of Christensen's
transformative theory, you will gain a deeper understanding of the levers that drive
resource allocation and organizational growth. With the ability to spot potential
threats and opportunities sooner and make the right strategic moves faster, you will
be ready to drive innovation and position your organization for long-term success.
Details
Create and sustain a strong position in an evolving industry
Analyze how the structure of an industry may change
Avoid having your business disrupted by others
Achieve differentiation and better margins
Assess your company's capabilities
Sustain core businesses while enabling innovation
Avert common problems that lead companies into decline
Drive innovation
Align your organization around innovation initiatives
Rethink your product, market and strategy
Apply disruptive theories to complex problems and opportunities
Build the skills and vision critical to leading change
Make better decisions through strategic analysis and predictive frameworks
Adopt a strategic mindset and skillset
Apply theories of causality to understand why things happen the way they do
Accurately predict the impact of strategic actions
Better articulate your strategic questions and goals
Assess the risks and opportunities presented by actions such as:
Ignoring sunk costs and making decisions at the margin
Understanding when to implement a strategy of low-cost positioning—and when not to
Examining when to scale fast to take advantage of network effects
Learning how to outsource activities that are not your current core competence, which
can lead to commoditization as your industry evolves
Finding the right way to source new leaders from inside the firm, and when it is better
to look outside
Expand your personal and professional network
Extend your network by connecting and working with accomplished executives from various
backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights
into your business challenges and career decisions
Who Should Attend
The program is appropriate for senior executives, general managers, or business owners
who are responsible for setting strategic direction for their organizations.
Attendance by two or more individuals from your organization will foster teamwork
and help to lift the lessons of the course out of the classroom and into constructive
plans and actions.
The program is appropriate for senior executives, general managers, or business owners
who are responsible for setting strategic direction for their organizations.
Attendance by two or more individuals from your organization will foster teamwork
and help to lift the lessons of the course out of the classroom and into constructive
plans and actions.
When you participate in a virtual HBS Executive Education program, you benefit from
a powerful learning experience carefully designed with a virtual setting in mind.
Through live, synchronous program sessions you'll engage directly with our renowned
faculty to learn from their latest research, gain actionable takeaways, and facilitate
your growth. In addition, virtual discussion groups will connect you to a global group
of peers and build your network.
When you participate in a virtual HBS Executive Education program, you benefit from
a powerful learning experience carefully designed with a virtual setting in mind.
Through live, synchronous program sessions you'll engage directly with our renowned
faculty to learn from their latest research, gain actionable takeaways, and facilitate
your growth. In addition, virtual discussion groups will connect you to a global group
of peers and build your network.
Admissions Criteria and Process
We admit candidates to specific sessions on a rolling, space-available basis, and
encourage you to apply as early as possible. Although most programs have no formal
educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on your professional
achievement and organizational responsibilities.
Our Program Advising team can help you at any stage of the admissions process—starting
with identifying the program that best addresses your learning and development goals.
Contact a program advisor via email or call 1.800.427.5577 (outside the U.S., call +1.617.495.6555).
Application Submission
We recommend that you apply at least four weeks before the program start date. You
may use our online form or download an application. HBS maintains all application
information in strict confidentiality. We acknowledge receipt of applications via
email. In the unlikely event that you do not receive an acknowledgment, please email
us at exed_admissions@hbs.edu or call us at +1.617.495.6226.
Application Review
To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, our Admissions
Committee makes selections that balance each participant's experience, scope of current
responsibilities, and type of organization. HBS seeks candidates who reflect a broad
range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds. We review applications
monthly and will contact you via email with the Admissions Committee's decision.
Fee, Payment, and Cancellations
The program fee covers tuition, e-books, and online case materials. No payment is necessary
until you have been accepted. Payment is required prior to the program start date.
If you need to cancel participation, you must submit your request in writing more
than 14 days before the program start date to receive a full refund. Cancellations
received 7 to 14 days before the program start date are subject to a payment of 50
percent of the program fee. Requests received within 7 days of the program start date
are subject to full payment of the program fee.
We admit candidates to specific sessions on a rolling, space-available basis, and
encourage you to apply as early as possible. Although most programs have no formal
educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on your professional
achievement and organizational responsibilities.
Answering Your Questions
Our Program Advising team can help you at any stage of the admissions process—starting
with identifying the program that best addresses your learning and development goals.
Contact a program advisor via email or call 1.800.427.5577 (outside the U.S., call +1.617.495.6555).
Application Submission
We recommend that you apply at least four weeks before the program start date. You
may use our online form or download an application. HBS maintains all application
information in strict confidentiality. We acknowledge receipt of applications via
email. In the unlikely event that you do not receive an acknowledgment, please email
us at exed_admissions@hbs.edu or call us at +1.617.495.6226.
Application Review
To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, our Admissions
Committee makes selections that balance each participant's experience, scope of current
responsibilities, and type of organization. HBS seeks candidates who reflect a broad
range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds. We review applications
monthly and will contact you via email with the Admissions Committee's decision.
Fee, Payment, and Cancellations
The program fee covers tuition, e-books, and online case materials. No payment is necessary
until you have been accepted. Payment is required prior to the program start date.
If you need to cancel participation, you must submit your request in writing more
than 14 days before the program start date to receive a full refund. Cancellations
received 7 to 14 days before the program start date are subject to a payment of 50
percent of the program fee. Requests received within 7 days of the program start date
are subject to full payment of the program fee.
Program content, dates, schedule, fees, technology platforms, and faculty are subject
to change. In accordance with Harvard University policy, Harvard Business School
does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex or sexual
orientation, gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political
beliefs, veteran status, or disability in admission to, access to, treatment in, or
employment in its programs and activities.
What You Will Learn
Created by Clayton Christensen and led by his teaching team, this virtual program
offers the opportunity to engage in a dynamic learning experience through presentations,
carefully chosen case studies, and small-group discussions. In this program you will
examine the strategies of both disruptors and the disrupted. You'll discover why some
strategies succeeded while others failed, and learn how to apply these insights to
your own strategic decisions.
Created by Clayton Christensen and led by his teaching team, this virtual program
offers the opportunity to engage in a dynamic learning experience through presentations,
carefully chosen case studies, and small-group discussions. In this program you will
examine the strategies of both disruptors and the disrupted. You'll discover why some
strategies succeeded while others failed, and learn how to apply these insights to
your own strategic decisions.
Program Format
The program takes place over two weeks, with live online classes and discussion groups
each day. Class sessions will take place via the Zoom platform. In addition, participants
can expect to spend 3 hours per day with self-paced work. You will also have ample
opportunity for interaction with faculty and peers inside and outside the class sessions.
Collaborative learning is an integral part of the experience. To maximize the benefit
for everyone, you are expected to attend every session, complete all assignments,
and contribute effectively in the class and in small groups.
The program takes place over two weeks, with live online classes and discussion groups
each day. Class sessions will take place via the Zoom platform. In addition, participants
can expect to spend 3 hours per day with self-paced work. You will also have ample
opportunity for interaction with faculty and peers inside and outside the class sessions.
Collaborative learning is an integral part of the experience. To maximize the benefit
for everyone, you are expected to attend every session, complete all assignments,
and contribute effectively in the class and in small groups.
What does disruption really mean—and how does it work?
How can you tell when a potential disruptor is going to be successful?
What is the signal that an industry is about to commoditize? How do you position to
take advantage of that shift?
How do you set strategy in a world that is changing so rapidly? What do you do when
what you know is vastly outweighed by what you don't know?
Controlling your destiny: market, resources, and capabilities
Whose investment capital will help you succeed, and whose money might poison your
chances?
Who is your ideal target customer, and how can selecting the wrong customers kill
your brand?
What is the hidden danger of core competence theory? How should you decide which activities
to keep in-house and which to outsource?
Should you make acquisitions as a means of building capability? If so, should you
integrate them or keep them separate?
The HBS Advantage
Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely
recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors.
Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address
the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.
Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely
recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors.
Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address
the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.
H a r v a r d | B u s i n e s s | S c h o o lExecutive Education
