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Nathan Furr

Professor of Strategy

Biography

Nathan Furr is a Full Professor of Strategy at INSEAD, where he teaches innovation and technology strategy. Nathan earned his PhD from the Stanford Technology Ventures Program at Stanford University and holds BA, MA and MBA degrees from Brigham Young University. He has held permanent or visiting positions at INSEAD, ESSEC, and BYU.
Nathan Furr is directing Leading Digital Transformation and Innovation and Innovation in the Age of Disruption and Building Digital Partnerships and Ecosystems

Nathan’s research focuses on innovation and technology strategy, particularly how new and established firms adapt to technology change and enter new markets. Published papers include explorations of how to capture new opportunities, how to balance the need for execution and flexibility, how firms develop innovative business models, the determinants of success for firms changing industries, and the impact of learning on new market success. His research has been published in leading journals, such as Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal. He has received various awards, including the Best Dissertation Award from both the Technology & Innovation Management Division and the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management, as well as Best Paper Awards or finalist distinctions from the Business and Public Policy Division of the Academy of Management, the Kauffman Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, and other recognised academic institutions.

Nathan is also a recognised expert in innovation, entrepreneurship, and value creation, co-authoring Innovation Capital (Harvard Business Review Press, 2019), Leading Transformation, (Harvard Business School Press, 2018), The Innovator's Method (Harvard Business School Press, 2014) and Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation (NISI Institute, 2011). His articles appear in Harvard Business Review and Sloan Management Review. In addition, Nathan contributes to Forbes, Inc. and other magazines on issues of innovation, value creation, and technology strategy

Professionally, Nathan has acted as the founder or advisor to corporations and startups in healthcare, clean technology, professional services, the internet, retail and financial services industries. Nathan also sits on the investment board of the Kickstart Seed Fund, an innovative early-stage venture fund, and was the founder of the International Business Model Competition, which attracts thousands of innovative teams from around the world in an international competition. Nathan also worked as a consultant at Monitor Group, a premier international strategy consulting firm, working with senior executives on a range of strategic and market discovery initiatives.

Latest posts

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Leadership & Organisations

Strategies for Building and Boosting Psychological Safety

M. Mortensen, M. Guadalupe, N. Furr, H. Bresman

INSEAD research highlights practical approaches to integrate psychological safety into team dynamics.

Strategy

Recognising Possibility in Uncertainty

N. Furr, S. Furr

If we frame uncertainty in a different way, we might embrace the possibility it brings instead of fearing it.

Strategy

Intellectual Honesty Is Critical for Innovation

Nathan Furr

Here’s how to balance psychological safety and intellectual honesty for better team performance.

Strategy

Can We Get Better at Navigating Uncertainty?

Nathan Furr

What innovators have learnt that empowers them to face the uncertainty of new pursuits.

Strategy

The Power of Collective Intelligence

Nathan Furr

Lessons from an ant colony.
1 comment

Strategy

Simple Rules for the Post-Pandemic World

Nathan Furr

Learning and using rules of thumb makes a difference both during crises and when opportunity knocks.