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Teaching Note for HBS Nos. 817-126 and 817-127.

The Deutsche Bank cases (A and B) are designed to engage students in an Entrepreneurship or Management Information Systems course.

In this Essential Reading, the authors explain what breakthrough innovation is; why it's important for large, established companies to excel at this type of innovation; and what challenges such organizations may expect to face as they seek to drive breakthrough innovation. The authors describe the nature of breakthrough innovation, including how mature industries can be disrupted and what stages breakthrough innovations progress through, providing examples from several different industries. Drawing on IBM and the Horizons of Growth Innovation Lifecycle Model as an example, the authors also identify the internal capabilities and leadership approaches that incumbents must master to guide promising ideas through the innovation lifecycle (which includes mature businesses, high-growth businesses, and emerging business opportunities). The authors then offer suggestions for how incumbents can collaborate with external parties to further drive breakthrough innovation, exploring four collaboration models: strategic partnerships, strategic investments, strategic acquisitions, and crowd-based collaborations.

In September 2005, Duff & Phelps closed on a deal to acquire a much larger firm that quadrupled its size to 500 employees. Almost immediately, the company faced challenging integration issues. Gottdiener and Silverman realize that they must now turn away from the thrill of deal-making to grapple with issues of organizational structure and management.

Having teamed up to launch their own financial services business, Noah Gottdiener and Jacob Silverman soon discover a venerable brand and viable business in an established bank subsidiary. They then work for many months to acquire the business as a platform for launching their venture. Overnight, they add 100 employees in three U.S. offices. Just months later, late in 2004, they see the chance to buy another firm that is four times the size of their growing venture and that offers them the opportunity to expand into a new product category. The two entrepreneurs are considering the issues and opportunities this new acquisition may create for their small but rapidly-growing venture.

This Reading explores how entrepreneurial leaders develop strategies, build capabilities, design their organizations, and address leadership and governance issues as they transition to growth and pursue increased scale and scope. It covers 3 ventures in detail, 2 of which achieved economies of scale as they grew their existing businesses, and economies of scope as they expanded into new products and markets. It also examines a business that demonstrates the challenges many entrepreneurial leaders face as they pursue increased scope. Traditionally, many assumed that entrepreneurial leaders who launch a startup are unable to adjust their approach to meet longer-term needs of a growing businesses. Others, including the author, claim that the skills required for growth can be learned. Regardless, entrepreneurs who wish to stay with their business must acquire new skills and capabilities and bring on the resources their growing company needs.

Dhamani started as a loose gemstone dealer in 1969 in Jaipur, India. By the 2000s, it was headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and had expanded into diamonds and retail. The family business was now in its second generation of leadership and aimed to become a top global jewelry brand within the next 10 years. The family had been successful throughout its various inflection points in the past-had it positioned itself well to soon begin competing with the global, high-end jewelry houses such as Cartier and Bulgari?

The leadership team of Atlantis Paradise Island, under new ownership, decided that better alignment of the core values with the vision and mission statement would create a more compelling and consistent organizational narrative that would redouble employee commitment to Atlantis' ultimate success. They hoped that rethinking the core values would help them unleash the full transformative potential of their vision and mission.

Walid Hajj (HBS '95), CEO of Dubai-based restaurant franchising company Cravia considers how best to expand his business in the fast-growing Gulf region. Should he add more American brands, expand to nearby countries, or open more of his current lineup of restaurants?

This case describes the design and implementation of an IT-multi-sourcing strategy at a large global sportswear company, the adidas Group, which is headquartered in Germany. To help increase the benefits and reduce the risks of its sourcing arrangements, adidas carefully selected two tier-2 vendors to work with its primary tier-1 vendor, a large Indian outsourcing firm that it had worked with closely for over a decade. The management of the multi-sourcing arrangement is posing a number of challenges. The Chief Information Officer is considering a number of options to ensure the continued success of the multi-sourcing strategy, including restructuring the IT group, developing the skills of its staff, and starting a captive center.