Top Down Innovation

This Brief focuses on strategies for innovation. Top-Down Innovation discusses the barriers to successful organizational and product innovation, distills the leading theories about how to foster innovation, and presents six case studies of well-known brands that have succeeded (and in one case failed) in meeting innovation challenges. Synthesizing the lessons learned from companies that have mastered innovation over time, it provides a new perspective on the role of market-leading companies and top management in driving innovation. Since the publication of Clayton Christensen's pioneering Innovator's Dilemma in 1997, the rules of innovation have themselves been transformed. Today, innovation frequently starts at the CEO level with a vision that percolates throughout the organization. In contrast to traditional theories of technology disruption, new market entrants, and business model innovation, this study concludes that vision and leadership at the top is a decisive factor in successful innovation initiatives.

Mary J. Cronin, Ph.D. is a Professor of Information Systems at the Carroll School of Management, Boston College. Her research and publications analyze the impact of technology and innovation on business strategy and social change. Previous books have focused on innovations (e-commerce, mobile applications and smart products) that triggered transformation in user behavior, created new global markets and disrupted entire industry sectors. Dr. Cronin received her doctorate at Brown University, where she currently serves on the Advisory Committee for Computing and Information Technology. She is a member of the editorial board of Electronic Markets and has more than 25 years experience in managing and advising technology-intensive organizations as a consultant and board member.