Building innovation that lasts, from the inside — Stephan Klaschka — advisor, keynote speaker, and author of The OrgChanger.
The OrgChanger book is coming!
The OrgChanger is a practitioner’s account of building a financially self-sustaining innovation ecosystem inside one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies — for years without a formal mandate, and then for three years with one that produced a portfolio of 75+ projects and a 10x return across the portfolio (calculated conservatively). – Book release in January 2027.
It is the documented decade behind the HBR/Ivey Business School case study “Boehringer Ingelheim: Leading Innovation,” now taught at 40+ business schools across 20+ countries from Harvard, INSEAD, Wharton, Kellogg to the London Business School.
Where the case stops — at the 2012 decision point, asking “what do I do now?” — the book answers: what I actually chose, what it produced, and what it cost.
Join the conversation between the chapters in my field notes at OrgChanger.com.
The Ivey Business School case studydocumenting this work — “Boehringer Ingelheim: Leading Innovation” (Ivey Publishing, January 2015) — has been taught in over 42 business schools across at least 23 countries, including Harvard Business School, INSEAD, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Wharton, and the London Business School. The case study is also available at HBR.
A Teaching Case Study The Ivey case is a decision-point case: it presents Klaschka’s threefold mandate, his three self-identified challenges, and a menu of unpursued options — then stops before any choice is made. Students analyze what he should do; the book reveals what he did and the results (a 75+ project innovation portfolio returning 10x its investment — calculated conservatively — an institutionalized School for Intrapreneurs, and the ERG-to-BRG model that reached the C-suite). Assigning both lets students test their own recommendations against a documented ten-year outcome — rare in case teaching..
The OrgChanger book is the full account behind that case: the decisions that were not obvious at the time, the relationships that took years to build, the failures the case study format cannot accommodate, and the human cost that sits behind every set of documented results.
It is a practitioner’s account of building a financially self-sustaining innovation ecosystem inside one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies — for years without a formal mandate, and then for three years with one that produced a portfolio of 75+ projects and a 10x return across the portfolio (calculated conservatively).
It is the documented decade behind the Ivey Business School case study “Boehringer Ingelheim: Leading Innovation,” now taught at 40+ business schools across 20+ countries from Harvard, INSEAD, Wharton, Kellogg to LBS.
Read the first chapter for free and get notified when ‘The OrgChanger’ book becomes available! – No Spam, opt out at any time.
Thank you!
Thank you for your interest in ‘The OrgChanger’ book!
I will send you the first chapter, “The Blockbuster Trap,” via email as soon as it becomes available (January 2027). I will also let you know when the book is released for pre-order.
Stephan Klaschka is an award-winning strategy leader and a transformation catalyst with more than 25 years of global work experience.
He drives transformation, innovation, turnaround, and operational excellence in life-sciences companies of all sizes — from startups to Global 20 enterprises in converging industries including Pharma, Biotech, Diagnostics, and Medical Deviceswith passion, integrity, and hands-on leadership.
His international executive positions included CEO, COO, CIO, Chief Growth Officer, Chief of Staff, Chief Innovation Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, Principal, and Regulatory Compliance Officer with extensive experience in entrepreneurship, start-up, academia, government, global corporations, and startups in various industries and geographies including Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA), the Americas, and Asia-Pacific (APAC).
25+ years practitioner experience 75+ innovation projects built10× portfolio ROI
The practitioner’s guide to building bottom-up innovation that outlasts any mandate. Based on 75+ projects, a 10x portfolio ROI, and a case study taught at Harvard, INSEAD, Wharton, Kellogg, and the London Business School.
The Ivey Business School teaching case study — “Boehringer Ingelheim: Leading Innovation” (Ivey Publishing, January 2015) — documents my approach and has been taught in over 42 business schools across at least 23 countries, including Harvard Business School, INSEAD, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Wharton, and the London Business School. The case study is also available at HBR.
The OrgChanger book is the full account behind that case: the decisions that were not obvious at the time, the relationships that took years to build, the failures the case study format cannot accommodate, and the human cost that sits behind every set of documented results. – Sign up for an email notification when the book is available!
A Proven Track Record: Over 25 years of global experience driving digital evolution, clinical operations excellence, and organizational effectiveness.
The HBR Standard: Featured as a thought leader in the Harvard Business Review teaching case “Boehringer Ingelheim: Leading Innovation,” utilized by business schools worldwide.
Regulatory Precision: Expert in navigating GxP, 21 CFR Part 11, and emerging AI/ML ethical governance to ensure innovation never compromises compliance.
Global Versatility: Executive leadership experience spanning the Americas, Europe, APAC, and LATAM.
Stephan holds three Master’s degrees in Computer Science, Management/Project Management, and Business Administration (MBA), and advanced degrees in Strategic Innovation, Entrepreneurship, AI in Business, Technology, and Leadership from leading schools in Europe and the United States.
He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a Professional Scrum Master (PSM-I), and a graduate of the MIT Advanced Certificate for Executives (ACE), as well as a winner of the IMD/MIT Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP).
For 25 years, I built innovation inside one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies — not as a theorist, but as the person doing it. The work returned more than 10x its investment, became an Ivey Business School case study taught at 40+ schools worldwide, and is the subject of my book, The OrgChanger.
Now I help other organizations do the same: build innovation that lasts, turn stalled programs around, and equip the people trying to change their companies from the inside.
Most innovation efforts don’t fail for lack of ideas or talent. They fail for lack of pathways — the sponsors, structures, and conditions that let a good idea travel from where it starts to where it gets funded and built. That’s the work. – Here is how I can help you with it:
The best way to know if I can help is to tell me what you’re working on. Whether it’s a stalled innovation program, an ERG scaling toward real impact, an event that needs a voice, or your own fight to change a company from the inside — let’s talk.
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Work with Stephan Today!
Stephan is available for keynotes, conference sessions, panel discussions, masterclasses, and full-day workshops. He is based in the Greater New York City Area (White Plains, NY) and is available for domestic and international engagements.
Stop managing symptoms and start building a framework for sustainable growth. Let’s discuss how to align your technological roadmap with your clinical and commercial objectives.
Thank you for your message, I will contact you shortly!
Thank you for your message!
I will contact you shortly (typically within 24 hours) and look forward to talking to you very soon!
Best regards,
Stephan Klaschka
Principal, Klaschka&Co
OrgChanger@Klaschka.Co
