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  • October 2020
  • Technical Note
  • HBS Case Collection

Organizational Reinvention

By: Ryan Raffaelli
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:18
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Abstract

This note is designed to introduce students to the fundamental concepts of leading innovation in established organizations. Reinvention is a process whereby organizations respond to changes in the environment that threaten their core business model, technologies, cultural values, and/or operational norms. Reinvention represents a managerial paradox for organizations that have experienced several years of success: leaders must preserve some elements of the business that once made it successful and simultaneously change other elements that, if left unattended, could render the organization obsolete. The Note outlines four elements associated with organizational reinvention: 1) Understanding technology lifecycles and s-curves: What are technology lifecycles and s-curves?; 2) Reinvention by extending existing capabilities: How do leaders extend existing organizational capabilities in response to new technologies?; 3) Reinvention by adopting new capabilities: How do leaders adopt new capabilities in response to new technologies?; 4) Readying your organization for reinvention: How do leaders develop the right mindset and the right team to engage in a reinvention effort? Finally, the Note includes several diagnostic tools that students and executives can use to analyze an organization’s readiness for reinvention.

Keywords

Innovation And Strategy; Leadership And Change Management; Organizational Ambidexterity; Exploration And Exploitation; Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Leading Change; Technology Adoption; Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation

Citation

Raffaelli, Ryan. "Organizational Reinvention." Harvard Business School Technical Note 421-041, October 2020.
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About The Author

Ryan L. Raffaelli

Organizational Behavior
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    Moleskine: Daniela Riccardi Turns the Page

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    Kwame Spearman at Tattered Cover: Reinventing Brick-and-Mortar Retail

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    How to Write an Action-Planning Memo

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More from the Author
  • Moleskine: Daniela Riccardi Turns the Page By: Ryan Raffaelli and Sarah Gulick
  • Kwame Spearman at Tattered Cover: Reinventing Brick-and-Mortar Retail By: Ryan Raffaelli and Kerry Herman
  • How to Write an Action-Planning Memo By: Ryan Raffaelli and Akshaya Varghese
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