You will be missed – Clayton Christensen

You will be missed – Clayton Christensen. It is slowly syncing in that Clayton Christensen is no more with us. He was 67.

His vast body of work on Innovation and Strategy has tremendously influenced the world of business and academia alike.

I, like many others, has read, re-read and applied most of his articles, books and interviews. Every time I have gone back to one his books/articles, a new meaning has emerged in the changing world. His thinking also kept pace with the fast-emerging world.

He featured routinely in Thinkers50 list of most profound Management Thinkers and topped the list in 2011 and 2013 and inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame in 2019.

He introduced us to the word “Disruptive Innovation” which has become part of common business vocabulary but terribly mis-understood and abused by most. So much so that he had to write an article in 2015 on why Tesla (even) does not qualify for disruptive innovation.

If I am forced to quote 3 of his most admired and influential work, they will be:

1.      His seminal work – “Innovator’s Dilemma” - published in 1997. This book has been quoted as the most influential book by many, including Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos. And it is not an overstatement by any measure. This book continues to shape thinking even today.

2.      His 2012 book on “How will you measure your life?”. He wrote this brilliant book in 2012 after he had survived cancer that he came to know off in 2009. Thank you @ShivakumarVenkateswaran for recommending this book.

3.      He followed up with another thought-provoking article in 2016 on “Jobs to be done” framework on the most intuitive question of all - For what job does the customer “hire” your product/services? – a perspective-changing article on the most elusive question on what customer wants done.

The list can go on.

The World in general, and the world of business and academia, is poorer today without Clayton.

We will miss you.