Christensen Institute

The Christensen Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that applies Clayton Christensen’s theories to challenges in education, health care, global prosperity, and other emerging areas. Founded in 2007 by Christensen, Michael B. Horn, and Jason Hwang, it was originally called Innosight Institute. It is distinct from the consulting firm Innosight, although the two organizations have collaborated on research.

For leaders exploring customer-centered innovation, the institute is a source of explanations and applications of Jobs to Be Done theory. That lens asks what progress people seek in a particular circumstance, rather than treating a product category or customer demographic as a complete account of demand. The institute has applied it to health care, including in a report produced with Innosight that connects understanding a patient’s job to designing an experience and aligning the processes needed to deliver it. These publications offer a way to frame strategic questions; their examples should not be mistaken for independent proof that adopting the theory improves an organization’s results.