Jobs to be Done

Jobs to be Done (or Jobs Theory) is more than just a research method; it's a way to understand human needs for business growth.

Developed by Clayton Christensen and Taddy Hall, Jobs to be Done refers to the idea that customers don’t just buy products or services; they choose them to help achieve their goals.

Brand growth isn’t just about targeting big markets; it’s about identifying where customers struggle and have unmet needs in their lives. At Lippincott, we use Jobs to be Done to help companies uncover overlooked opportunities by understanding the motives of their target audience . This perspective reveals new possibilities for growth by showing how different categories and competitors can be.

Essentially, Jobs to be Done offers a clear theory for growth, moving away from unreliable models. By integrating Jobs to be Done into your strategies for growth, innovation, and marketing, you can gain a significant edge over competitors who are still playing games of chance.

Understanding our approach

Jobs to be Done is a growth theory that explains how people's behavior is influenced by the progress they want to achieve. By understanding what customers want in specific situations, marketers can create successful products and experiences.

This approach can be seen as "lean innovation," as it helps eliminate waste, risk, and mistakes in the innovation process. Jobs to be Done serves as both a mindset and a set of tools for discovering growth opportunities.
Jobs to be Done was pioneered by the late Clayton Christensen, a renowned professor at Harvard Business School, along with contributions from Taddy Hall, a senior partner at Lippincott.
Jobs to be Done is a model for growth that contains a research toolset designed for unlocking innovation and growth opportunities, so it is considerably more comprehensive than a research methodology. The Jobs to be Done framework also produces blueprints for product development, service design, brand activation, and experience design in addition to providing a toolkit for deep human insight.
Any business leader who wants to understand the customer value code for choice – how and why they make the choices they do – should know their customer’s Jobs to be Done.
Lippincott leverages Jobs to be Done across a range of applications, including brand positioning and activation, experience design, product and service innovation, value proposition development, and more.