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Innovation in the 21st Century: Architectural Change, Purpose, and the Challenges of Our Time

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  • Rebecca Henderson

    (Departments of General Management and Strategy, Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts 02163)

Abstract

Understanding the process of innovation has been a central concern of management researchers, but despite this progress, there remains much that we do not understand. Deepening our knowledge is critically important given the enormous environmental and social challenges we face as a society. Pursing incremental innovation will continue to be hugely important, but this paper argues that building a richer understanding of architectural or systemic innovation will also be crucial. This paper suggests that the study of organizational purpose may provide a particularly fruitful avenue for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Rebecca Henderson, 2021. "Innovation in the 21st Century: Architectural Change, Purpose, and the Challenges of Our Time," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(9), pages 5479-5488, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:67:y:2021:i:9:p:5479-5488
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2020.3746
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    1. Francesca Collevecchio & Gianluca Gionfriddo, 2023. "Adopting a social purpose in for-profit firms: the role of the board of directors," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 1467-1499, September.
    2. Diego Arias & Xabier Barriola & Cristian R. Loza Adaui, 2024. "Corporate purpose and early disaster response: Providing evidence of dynamic materiality?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(5), pages 4598-4612, July.

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