Clayton Christensen
American economist (1952-2020)
Clayton Magleby Christensen (April 6, 1952 – January 23, 2020) was an American academic and business consultant who developed the theory of "disruptive innovation", which has been called the most influential business idea of the early 21st century. Christensen introduced "disruption" in his 1997 book The Innovator's Dilemma, and it led The Economist to term him "the most influential management thinker of his time." He was the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School (HBS).
He was one of the founders of the Jobs to Be Done development methodology.. Christensen was also a co-founder of Rose Park Advisors, a venture capital firm, and Innosight, a management consulting and investment firm specializing in innovation.
He was also a leader and writer in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Early life
Clayton Christensen was born on April 6, 1952, in Salt Lake City, Utah, the second of eight children born to Robert M. Christensen (1926–1976) and his wife, Verda Mae Christensen (née Fuller; 1922–2004). He grew up in the Rose Park neighborhood of Salt Lake City and attended West High School, where he was student body president. At 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) tall, he was also an avid basketball player. Christensen and his siblings were raised as members of the LDS Church.
Education
Brigham Young University
After graduating from high school in 1970, Christensen was accepted to Harvard University, Yale University, and Brigham Young University (BYU).
The public source identifies “Clayton Christensen” as american economist (1952-2020). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Clayton, Christensen and American.
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Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5130292. VIAF identifies the subject as 79483392. The Library of Congress control number is n96018283. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1952, 2020, 1997 and 1926.
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This entry incorporates text from “Clayton Christensen” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.