Research & Publications - The Disruptive Innovation Initiative

Books

Journal Articles

Lenox, Michael & Michael Toffel. 2022. “Diffusing Environmental Management Practices within the Firm: The Role of Information Provision.” Sustainability. 14(10): 5911.

Gao, Cheng and Rory McDonald. 2022. “Shaping Nascent Industries: Innovation Strategy and Regulatory Uncertainty in Personal Genomics.” Administrative Science Quarterly 67(4): 915-967 (Lead article).

Chao, Raul & Michael Lenox. 2018. “Toward a Unified Model of Innovation and Technological Change.” Journal of Enterprise Transformation. DOI: 10.1080/19488289.2018.1424060. p1-16.

Christensen, Clayton M., Rory McDonald, Elizabeth J. Altman, and Jonathan E. Palmer. 2018. “Disruptive Innovation: An Intellectual History and Directions for Future Research.” Special Issue on Managing the Age of Disruptions. Journal of Management Studies 55(7): 1043-1078

York, Jeff & Michael Lenox. 2014. “Exploring the Socio-Cultural Drivers of De Novo versus De Alio Entry in Emerging Industries.” Strategic Management Journal. 35(13): 1930-1951.

Resources for Practice and Policymakers

Duff, Rebecca and Michael Lenox. 2025. “Policy Playbook for Catalyzing Innovation in the Commonwealth of Virginia.” Deliverable from the 2025 Jefferson Innovation Summit. Charlottesville, VA.

Duff, Rebecca and Michael Lenox. 2023. “Policy Playbook for Decarbonization.” Deliverable from the 2023 Jefferson Innovation Summit. Charlottesville, VA.

Bingham, Chris and Rory McDonald. 2022. “Mastering Innovation’s Toughest Trade-Offs.” MIT Sloan Management Review Volume 63, Issue 4 (Summer 2022): 66-72.

McDonald, Rory and Kathleen Eisenhardt. 2020. “The New Market Conundrum.” Harvard Business Review 98, no. 3 (May-June 2020): 75-83.

Christensen, Clayton, Michael E. Raynor, and Rory McDonald. 2015. “What is Disruptive Innovation?” Harvard Business Review 93, no. 12 (December 2015): 44-53.

Working Papers

McDonald, Rory. “Category Kings or Commoners? Market-Shaping and its Consequences in Nascent Categories.”

Chen, John, Michael Leiblein, Michael Lenox, and Hart Posen. 2025. “Technology Transitions in the Presence of Uncertain Learning Curves”. Abstract. 

Allen, Ryan, Mana Hasmati, Michael Lenox, Rory McDonald, and Maelle Perez. 2025. “AI, Disruption, and Strategic Decision Making.”   

Cheong, So-Min, Michael Lenox, and Sid Vedula. “Geographic Locus of Cleantech Innovation.”