Watch Rebecca in Action
About Rebecca Henderson
Rebecca Henderson makes the business case that sustainability is a growth strategy, not a cost. She sees leading energy, pharmaceutical, IT, materials and consumer packaged goods firms already profiting from purpose-driven practices. Drawing on companies such as Walmart, King Arthur Flour and Unilever, she identifies four areas where sustainability earns a competitive edge: brand awareness, supply chain resilience, efficiency and employee loyalty.
Her book, Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire, distills decades of research on organizational change, innovation and disruption into an argument for a more balanced form of capitalism. "Capitalism is one of the great inventions of the human race and over the last hundred years it has generated enormous wealth and freedom," she says. "But in its current incarnation, it has become radically unbalanced. We need to take a good hard look at the rules that control capitalism and recalibrate." Noting that 1,000 firms control 70 percent of GDP, she argues that even a small set of trailblazers choosing carbon-based pricing or refusing corrupt partners would pull others into the current.
Rebecca's Keynote Topics
Throughout her career, Rebecca Henderson has been fascinated by the difficulties that large, well-established companies encounter as they attempt to leverage technological innovation to reinvent themselves. In many industries, incumbents have seen new entrants come in, either entrepreneurial firms or established players from other industries, and yet they cannot respond effectively to these disruptors. Professor Henderson digs deep to uncover why it is so hard, examining the strategic, organizational and behavioral shifts that can help managers create the right conditions for discontinuous change to occur.
The emergence of capitalism as the primary system for organizing economies and generating prosperity has taken root across the globe. But can it be a force for tackling the biggest challenges our burgeoning population faces, namely the threats posed by global climate change and finite resources on the planet? Rebecca Henderson believes that not only does capitalism have a role to play, but it is uniquely qualified to harness the enormous intellectual, technological, financial and motivational resources that humankind can bring to bear on these challenges. However, the framework of private enterprise, along with enlightened state and intergovernmental factors, require a fundamental re-imagination. Professor Henderson illuminates how this important debate is unfolding and its impact on the future of sustainable business.
Driving innovation for organic growth is always challenging for companies, says Rebecca Henderson. But it is especially hard when new markets often look less profitable than existing ones and all organizations become increasingly comfortable with the status quo. Yet, leading companies are finding that the immense challenges posed by climate change and the need to use resources more efficiently provide the essential stimulus to focus and act in new ways. Professor Henderson explains how business’ commitment to solving “big problems” can unlock not only tremendous enthusiasm amongst employees, but also exactly the kind of creative thinking and commitment to work across organizational boundaries that is at the root of most significant innovation. She shares stories of companies such as Unilever that are getting it right—often using a big overarching game plan, like becoming a leader in creating sustainable solutions—to catapult the company into a new direction.
Books by Rebecca Henderson
Articles by Rebecca Henderson
Rebecca in the Media
After Neoliberalism: From Left to Right – Day Two
Can Capitalism Help the Climate?
HBR’s Picks on Managing Social and Political Issues at Work
Collective Action Needed to Reimagine Capitalism, but Indigenous Communities Challenge Sustainability
Harvard Economist Warns US May Lag in Green Tech Transition
Worth the Buzz? Rebecca Henderson Reimagines Capitalism Beyond Short-Termism
COP27: What Can Business Leaders Do to Fight Climate Change Now?
Rebecca Henderson: Can Capitalism Address Climate Change
Lemley Lecture Discusses Reimagining Role of Private Firms in Capitalist Economies
Bridging The Gap Between Business And Humanity
Sustainable Leadership: Creating a Climate for Change with Rebecca Henderson and Spencer Glendon
Business Can't Take Democracy for Granted
In engaging and refreshingly candid writing, Henderson sets out her vision of equitable and sustainable capitalism and enumerates the changes needed to get us there….Her blueprint may sound impossible, yet Henderson’s optimism is founded on deep expertise as a scholar who has worked closely with corporate leaders.
Mark KramerStanford Social Innovation Review
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