R&D

They cost almost nothing.

Climate change is a pressing concern for Bill Gates, who has just published a new book on the subject. He spoke with HBR's editor-in-chief about the need...

Author’s note: Alistair Hanna, Michael Reopel, and Stuart Flack, all of McKinsey & Company, contributed to this article. The U.S. defense industry is struggling to reorganize itself for growth, if not for survival. The disappearance of the communist threat and the desperate need to revive the U.S. economy have taken the defense industry for a […]

It's about discovery, incubation, and acceleration.

From December 2000 to February 2008, the top 15 companies in the pharmaceutical industry lost roughly $850 billion in shareholder value. Although a number...

The study: Henrich Greve and Marc-David Seidel studied the role of first-mover advantage in determining which technologies get adopted and which do not. They tracked the sales history of two wide-body jets: the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar. The researchers concluded that the DC-10’s one-year head start contributed to its greater success […]

Columbia Business School professor Rita Gunther McGrath studies strategy in highly uncertain, volatile environments. She spoke recently with HBR executive editor Sarah Cliffe about how to recognize an oncoming crisis—and seize opportunities to get ahead of competitors. Listen to the interview this piece is based on.Download this podcast HBR: Why is there so much interest […]

For even the toughest of R&D problems, there are often people out there with innovative solutions already on their shelves or in their back pockets. The trick for corporate executives is finding and gaining access to those individuals. Our research with a company that broadcasts technological problems into the ether—and gets back solid results—has given […]

Stagecraft can help you test customer behavior.

Companies can design better products by looking at the jobs that customers are struggling to do. Learn how in this video slide deck.

In fact, we’re already seeing signs of a new era dawning.

It’s not enough to create new products. You need to build the prototype of the continuously innovating company.

Innovative technologies become commercial products in two ways: reduction to practice of scientific knowledge and incremental improvement governed by...

Procter & Gamble’s radical strategy of open innovation now produces more than 35% of the company’s innovations and billions of dollars in revenue.

And how to overcome them, according to a new study.

Tactics for empathizing with users.

Without a vaccine, testing to identify who has the virus is crucial to containing it.

A standardized international process could reduce cancer deaths by 10-20%, saving millions of lives.

Especially at smaller companies.

One company's transparent approach to employee creativity.