Revisiting "Jobs to Be Done" Clay Christensen | HBR IdeaCast

This HBR IdeaCast episode features a 2016 interview with the late Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, renowned for his theory of disruptive innovation and the "Jobs to Be Done" framework. Christensen, interviewed by HBR editor Amy Bernstein, elucidates the "Jobs to Be Done" theory using the example of McDonald's milkshakes, explaining how understanding the customer's underlying need—such as needing something to alleviate boredom during a commute—can lead to innovative product improvements and market expansion. He further illustrates how companies like the New York Times can be disrupted by failing to focus on specific jobs, and he emphasizes that successful innovation involves creating experiences that address the functional, emotional, and social dimensions of a job. Christensen also touches on the AT&T Time Warner merger as an example of misguided integration and uses Kodak's downfall to highlight the importance of correctly identifying the job customers are trying to fulfill.