Clayton Christensen
Born 1952 · Age 73
American academic and consultant who developed the theory of disruptive innovation; longtime Harvard Business School professor, author, entrepreneur, and LDS Church leader.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah
Clayton Magleby Christensen was born in Salt Lake City, the second of eight children to Robert M. and Verda Mae Christensen.
Graduated West High School; student body president
Graduated from West High School in Salt Lake City; served as student body president and was an avid basketball player (6'8").
Accepted to BYU, Harvard, and Yale; chose BYU
Offered admission to Harvard, Yale, and BYU; after prayer and receiving a full scholarship, chose to attend Brigham Young University.
Began LDS mission in South Korea
Took a two-year leave from BYU to serve as a full-time missionary in the Republic of Korea; became fluent in Korean.
Completed LDS mission and returned to BYU
Returned from Korea and resumed undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University.
Graduated BYU summa cum laude, BA in Economics
Completed a bachelor's degree in economics, graduating summa cum laude with honors; classmates included Mitt Romney and Kim B. Clark.
Awarded Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford
Selected as a Rhodes Scholar to study at Oxford University's Queen's College.
Oxford: Won British University Sports Federation championship (basketball)
Starting center on Oxford men's basketball team; won back-to-back British University Sports Federation championships (first of two).
Oxford: Retained BUCS championship; married Christine Quinn
Won second consecutive British University Sports Federation championship and married Christine (née Quinn) in 1976.
Completed MPhil in Applied Econometrics at Oxford
Received an M.Phil. from Queen's College, Oxford in applied econometrics; won the English Basketball Association national championship for non-league teams.
Birth of eldest son, Matthew
Eldest son Matthew was born (later a member of Duke University's 2001 basketball championship team).
MBA from Harvard Business School (High Distinction)
Received an MBA with high distinction; graduated as a George F. Baker Scholar.
Joined Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Began career as consultant and project manager at BCG after completing his MBA.
Named White House Fellow; served at US Dept. of Transportation
Took a one-year leave from BCG to serve as assistant to U.S. Transportation Secretaries Drew Lewis and Elizabeth Dole.
Co-founded Ceramics Process Systems Corporation (CPS Technologies)
Co-founded an advanced ceramics company with MIT professors and served as president and CEO through the late 1980s.
Left CPS Technologies to pursue doctoral study
Stepped down as president/CEO in the late 1980s to return to Harvard for Doctor of Business Administration studies.
Moved family to Belmont, Massachusetts
Relocated family to Belmont in the early 1990s to continue education and career at Harvard Business School.
Awarded DBA from Harvard Business School
Completed doctoral study in business administration (DBA).
Joined Harvard Business School faculty
Became a faculty member at HBS; later set a record by achieving full professor rank in six years.
Elected to Belmont Town Council (served eight years)
Served on the Belmont Town Council for eight years and engaged in local education initiatives, including internet learning for Belmont High School.
McKinsey Award(s) for HBR articles (multiple)
Over his career Christensen won the McKinsey Award (top two HBR articles each year) multiple times (five total across career; specific years vary).
Published HBR article 'Disruptive technologies: catching the wave'
Article in Harvard Business Review introducing and developing ideas that would lead to 'disruption' theory.
Won Global Business Book Award for The Innovator's Dilemma
The Innovator's Dilemma received the Global Business Book Award for best business book of the year.
Published The Innovator's Dilemma
Released seminal book 'The Innovator's Dilemma' (1997), which introduced the term 'disruptive innovation' to a wide audience.
Awarded full professorship with tenure at HBS
Achieved full professorship at Harvard Business School and held international honorary positions later.
Co-founded Innosight (innovation consulting firm)
Founded Innosight LLC to help companies apply disruptive innovation concepts to growth and strategy.
Son Matthew part of Duke's 2001 NCAA championship team
Eldest son Matthew was a member of Duke University's 2001 National Championship basketball team.
Called as LDS area seventy (served 2002–2009)
Served in leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an area seventy between 2002 and 2009.
Published The Innovator's Solution and Innovation and the General Manager
Released two books expanding on disruptive innovation and managerial practice.
Published Seeing What's Next
Co-authored 'Seeing What's Next' to predict industry change using theories of innovation.
Launched Innosight Ventures
Co-launched Innosight Ventures, a venture firm investing in South, Southeast, and East Asia focused on disruptive opportunities.
Co-founded Innosight Institute (Clayton Christensen Institute)
Established the non-profit Innosight Institute (later Clayton Christensen Institute) with Michael B. Horn and Jason Hwang to apply disruptive innovation to education and healthcare.
Co-founded Rose Park Advisors
Co-founded Rose Park Advisors LLC, an investment firm applying Christensen's research-based investment strategies (named after his Rose Park neighborhood).
Became director/advisor to corporations and nonprofits
Served on boards including Tata Consultancy Services, Franklin Covey, and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and on the Deseret News editorial board (years not precisely specified).
Published Disrupting Class
Co-authored 'Disrupting Class' (2008) on applying disruptive innovation to K–12 education and its root causes.
Published The Innovator's Prescription
Co-authored 'The Innovator's Prescription' applying disruptive innovation theory to healthcare reform.
Received James A. Hamilton Award for The Innovator's Prescription
The Innovator's Prescription was awarded the 2010 James A. Hamilton Award by the College of Healthcare Executives.
Received Lifetime Achievement Award (Tribeca Films Festival)
Received a Lifetime Achievement Award for disruptive innovation (listed in multiple biographies as 2010 recognition).
Diagnosed with follicular lymphoma
Publicly disclosed a diagnosis of follicular lymphoma in February 2010.
Suffered ischemic stroke; underwent speech therapy
Sustained an ischemic stroke in July 2010 that damaged his speech and required therapy.
Featured on Forbes cover; named among most influential business theorists
Recognized by Forbes in a cover story as one of the most influential business theorists of the prior 50 years.
Ranked #1 in Thinkers50
Ranked the world's most influential management thinker by the Thinkers50 list (2011).
Published The Innovative University and The Innovator's DNA
Co-authored 'The Innovative University' and 'The Innovator's DNA' in 2011 (books on higher education and innovation skills).
Published How Will You Measure Your Life?
Co-authored 'How Will You Measure Your Life?' focusing on applying business thinking to personal life metrics.
Ranked #1 again in Thinkers50
Again ranked the world's most influential management thinker by Thinkers50 in 2013.
Published The Power of Everyday Missionaries
Authored 'The Power of Everyday Missionaries', a leading LDS Church work on sharing the gospel.
Received Herbert Simon Award
Awarded the Herbert Simon Award for excellence in business and management studies.
Received Edison Achievement Award and BYU Distinguished Service Award
Honored with an Edison Achievement Award for commitment to innovation and BYU's Distinguished Service Award for service.
Published Competing Against Luck
Released 'Competing Against Luck' (October 2016) on Jobs To Be Done theory and customer choice.
Published HBR piece 'Know Your Customers' Jobs to Be Done'
Published a widely-read Harvard Business Review article sharpening the Jobs To Be Done framework in September 2016.
Projected higher education disruption publicly
Predicted that 50% of U.S. colleges and universities could be bankrupt in 10–15 years (public comments in 2017).
Ranked #3 in Thinkers50
Ranked number 3 in the Thinkers50 list in 2017.
Published The Prosperity Paradox
Co-authored 'The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations out of Poverty' (January 2019).
Died from complications of leukemia
Passed away in Boston, Massachusetts on January 23, 2020.
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