As a multisport athlete, I was always fascinated with competition and how to win. At HBS and later at the Harvard Department of Economics, I was drawn to the field of competition and strategy because it tackles perhaps the most basic question in both business management and industrial economics: What determines corporate performance? Michael Porter Read Quote
Companies understand that if their employees are sick, it’s really expensive. So despite the rhetoric I hear, thank God employers are still in the health-care system. Michael Porter Read Quote
Unfortunately, I’m an engineer. I’m always thinking about, what’s the task and how do I get it done? And some of my tasks are pretty broad, and pretty fuzzy, and pretty funky, but that’s the way I think. Michael Porter Read Quote
So companies have to be very schizophrenic. On one hand, they have to maintain continuity of strategy. But they also have to be good at continuously improving. Michael Porter Read Quote
Millennials are more aware of society’s many challenges than previous generations and less willing to accept maximizing shareholder value as a sufficient goal for their work. They are looking for a broader social purpose and want to work somewhere that has such a purpose. Michael Porter Read Quote
As minorities and other immigrant groups become more important to our economy, the inner city is a crucible that gives us an early look at phenomena that are going to be spreading more broadly in the economy over time. Michael Porter Read Quote
I teach in the medical school, the School of Public Health, the Kennedy School of Government, and the Business School. And it’s the best perch… because most of my work crosses boundaries. Michael Porter Read Quote
In America, the problems of poverty and low income, particularly for minorities, are disproportionately focused in the inner cities. Shining a spotlight on the businesses growing in these communities is proof that any community has the potential for entrepreneurship. Michael Porter Read Quote
The ability to change constantly and effectively is made easier by high-level continuity. Michael Porter Read Quote
Good leaders need a positive agenda, not just an agenda of dealing with crisis. Michael Porter Read Quote
