The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation and the Fung Group are pleased to announce a five-year collaboration to explore how global market shifts and rapidly advancing technology are disrupting industries and paving the way for supply chains of the future. Made possible by a generous grant from the Victor and William Fung Foundation, the collaboration will draw on the Christensen Institute’s seminal work on Disruption Theory, together with the Fung Group’s extensive knowledge on supply chains and emerging economies, to derive insights on future challenges and opportunities amidst rapid market change.

“In an increasingly digital world, the theory of Disruptive Innovation can be invaluable in understanding businesses and social institutions alike,” said Institute President Ann Christensen. “Disruption across the supply chain carries an incredible opportunity to open up emerging markets, spur growth in developing nations, and provide essential goods to a greater portion of the world’s population.”

The Fung Group sits at the nexus of these changes with Li & Fung as the leader in consumer product supply chains working to meet new demands of speed, innovation and digitalization. A better understanding of industry shifts and disruption derived from this collaboration will enable the Fung Group and its industry partners to leverage their transition to a digital world in a way that benefits citizens, consumers and communities worldwide.

The partnership will support Li &Fung executive Jon George in residence full-time at the Institute as a visiting research fellow. George will work closely with Institute researchers as well as Professor Clayton Christensen to merge leading theoretical frameworks with the insights of industry executives and practitioners with deep field experience.

“Consumer industries are undergoing a seismic shift from a fundamentally analog approach to embracing fully the digital economy,” said Li & Fung CEO Spencer Fung. “At the same time, global markets are reshaping due to changes in demographics and new trading frameworks such as the Belt and Road initiative, which covers more than 60 countries and half the world’s population. In this unprecedented era of change, we are delighted to work with the Christensen Institute to create insights that will drive our businesses and create scalable, sustainable impact in the communities where we live and work.” Research produced as a result of the partnership will be made available to the public at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation.

The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to improving the world through disruptive innovation.

Tags: Clayton Christensen , FA Corporate , Fung Group , Innovation and Experimentation