ABSTRACT
This chapter profiles Harvard Business School Professor Jan Rivkin, a leading expert on business strategy and case method teaching. The chapter opens by summarizing his teaching, research, and leadership accomplishments. An in-depth interview reveals why he became a teacher, as well as his role models, his thoughts about using technology in the classroom, his preparation for class, the interactive nature of his teaching, and the relationship between his teaching and research. The chapter then takes you into his classroom, where he teaches the required course on strategy. The course includes a framework for analyzing whether markets are attractive in the external environment in which a company operates, insights into how companies can achieve competitive advantage, and strategic decision making that considers suppliers, customers, and rivals. The course framework enables students to make decisions regarding recommended activities on several different fronts, including firm infrastructure, human resources, technology development, and procurement. Professor Rivkin’s case method teaching skills include active listening and the ability to ask questions that encourage students to think deeply about the rationales for their responses. Beyond the classroom, he leads the US Competitiveness Project, which is designed to help leaders recognize weaknesses in the economic system that represent a tragedy of the commons.
