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

In Technology and Cooperation Help Fight the Pandemic Chelsea writes, “The threat from COVID-19 should be taken seriously, but there are reasons for rational optimism even during a pandemic.” When Nobel Laureate, Michael Levitt, first analyzed Chinese infection rates, he tracked an increase of 30% per day in Hubei province.

Crisis 91

Crisis Levitt Peer Review Sharpe 91

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?” There has been probably no company that’s transcended as many technology cycles as IBM. Jennifer Maravillas for HBR.

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

MAY 5, 2016

Grove’s 1980 question remains as ruthlessly relevant to C-suites as Ted Levitt’s 1960 classic, “What business are you in?” Are our user experience designs and delivery systems appropriately aligned with use cases? The company will also eliminate a key chipset in the difficult tablet and smartphone market.

Levitt 8

Levitt Disaggregation Kaizen Call Center 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 14, 2017

Another solution provider, Proteus Digital Health, is engaging with health systems to provide insights into actual medication use and resulting health patterns. The late economist and marketing professor Theodore Levitt famously said “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill, they want a quarter-inch hole.”

Health Care 9

Health Care Levitt Competitive Advantage Pharmaceuticals 9

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 18, 2015

Bower “ Disruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave ” introduced the idea of disruption to the mainstream market. 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 8

Disruptive Innovation Christensen Levitt Innovation 8