article thumbnail

Why Innovators Should Study the Rise and Fall of the Venetian Empire

Harvard Business Review

From 697 to 1797 AD, Venice’s technological acumen, geographic position, and unconventionality were interlocking advantages that allowed the Most Serene Republic to flourish. Moreover, its Arsenal was no longer at the cutting edge of naval technology. This age of exploration triggered the beginning of Venice’s decline.

article thumbnail

The Risks and Benefits of Using AI to Detect Crime

Harvard Business Review

While today’s basic technology is not necessarily revolutionary, the algorithms it uses and the results they can produce are. But determining whether AI crime-fighting solutions are a good strategic fit for a company depends on whether the benefits outweigh the risks that accompany them. Adopting AI. Sponsored by SAS.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

How Merck Is Trying to Keep Disrupters at Bay

Harvard Business Review

Pharmaceutical companies, buffeted by regulatory changes, new drug technologies that alter entry barriers and competition, price pressures, and an estimated 300,000 job cuts since 2000, seem to fit the popular narrative of large organizations unable to deal with disruptive forces.

article thumbnail

You Can’t Engage Employees by Copying How Other Companies Do It

Harvard Business Review

Becton Dickinson , a global medical technology company, has made its purpose helping all people live healthier lives. Managers are trained, developed and evaluated to lead people in accordance with the human values top management espouses. It must be deeper than only making money for shareholders and managers.

article thumbnail

Deciding to Fix or Kill a Problem Product

Harvard Business Review

Situation One: It’s a Technology in Search of a Need. Instead of selling the concept of the “connected home,” Nest focused on specific problems their customers wanted to solve in addition to good technology. Situation Three: It Does Not Have Good Strategic Fit. billion in 2014. Fix or kill? Fix or kill?