The Practical Leader

MARCH 13, 2024

As I wrote about the accountability mess , a good person in a bad system or process sets that them up for failure — and blame. About 85% of the time the fault is caused by the system, processes, structure, or practices of the organization. These core systems either boost or block performance.

System 52

System Organization Levitt Root Cause Analysis 52

The Practical Leader

MARCH 25, 2020

When Nobel Laureate, Michael Levitt, first analyzed Chinese infection rates, he tracked an increase of 30% per day in Hubei province. This will “flatten the curve ” and reduce the chances of overburdening our healthcare systems. At that rate, the entire world would be infected in 90 days.

Crisis 91

Crisis Levitt Peer Review Sharpe 91

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 26, 2014

A recent story in the New York Times highlighted a pair of high school students who had experienced considerable success as app developers. Unfortunately, app development came at the expense of schoolwork, resulting in a sharp decline in one developer’s grades as the pair headed into the college application season. Hear me out.

Development 9

Development Levitt Real Estate IPO 9

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 13, 2014

In 1960, marketing legend Ted Levitt provided perhaps his seminal contribution to the Harvard Business Review : “ Marketing Myopia.” To avoid that, Levitt exhorted leaders to ask themselves the seemingly obvious question – “What business are you really in?”

Levitt 12

Levitt Christensen Competitive Advantage Welch 12

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 18, 2016

In 1960, Harvard professor Theodore Levitt published a landmark paper in Harvard Business Review that urged executives to adapt by asking themselves, “What business are we really in?” It then built a phenomenal business around consulting services that helped design, build and maintain sophisticated systems for enterprises.

Company 8

Company Levitt Succession Agility 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 19, 2015

Edison’s breakthrough was guided by a fundamental insight: any given product is only as powerful as the system in which it is deployed. Solar panels without integrated storage are not much more valuable than lightbulbs without an electric grid; Tesla Energy, then, is an aggressive move toward creating the energy system of the future.

Strategy 8

Strategy Levitt Energy System 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 18, 2015

As Ted Levitt pointed out 55 years ago, companies develop significant myopia over time, only seeing things that are squarely in the mainstream of their market. Disruptive innovation theory holds that incumbents need to create substantial organizational space to commercialize ideas that don’t fit existing systems.

Disruptive Innovation 8

Disruptive Innovation Christensen Levitt Innovation 8