H. Irving Grousbeck

MBA Class of 1980 Consulting Professor of Management

Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

Phone: (650) 723-0709

Email: [email protected]

Academic Areas: Organizational Behavior

Irv Grousbeck is one of the directors of the Business School’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and coauthor of the textbook New Business Ventures and the Entrepreneur. His teaching centers on an objective means to develop a greater understanding of the issues faced by entrepreneurial companies and individuals. His course, Managing Growing Enterprises, places students in the role of CEO and challenges them to deal with difficult managerial situations by assessment, prescription, and execution, including frequent role-plays.  Mr. Grousbeck also teaches a course at the Stanford Medical School, Managing Difficult Conversations, for GSB and medical students who aspire to improve their ability to deal effectively with difficult interpersonal situations.

Bio

With a partner, Grousbeck founded Continental Cablevision (later Media One) in 1964. He was President of that company through 1980, and Chairman through 1985. He was a Visiting Lecturer and then Lecturer at Harvard Business School from 1981-85. He became a Visiting Lecturer at Stanford in 1985, a Lecturer in 1986, and a Consulting Professor in 1996.

Grousbeck has served on numerous for-profit and not-for-profit Boards over the past 37 years, including (currently) Alta Colleges, Asurion Corp., ResponseLink, and the Boston Celtics. He was a Trustee of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Vice Chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, Chairman and President of Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Chairman of the Board of Sponsors of New England Eye Bank, Overseer of Children's Hospital (Boston), and Chairman of Menlo School and College. He is the principal owner of the Boston Celtics.

He holds an MBA from Harvard University, and Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Humane Letters (Hon.) degrees from Amherst College.

Academic Degrees

MBA, Harvard Univ., 1960; AB, Amherst College, 1956.

Professional Experience

At Stanford since 1985.

Codirector, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Stanford Business School, 1996-; Lecturer, Harvard Business School, 1981-85; Instructor, Harvard Business School, 1962-64; Cofounder, Continental Cablevision, Inc., 1964, President, 1964-80, Chairman, 1980-85.

Selected Publications

  • New Business Ventures and the Entrepreneur, 5th edition: Irwin, 1999

Selected Cases

  • E101: Arrival Communications
  • E191: McQueeney's Publishing
  • E15: Donna Bookout-Coe
  • E110: Graham Weaver
  • E124: Peter Kelly and Med-Mart
  • E162: Search Funds - 2003: What Has Changed Since 2001?
  • E159: Silicon Valley Bank and Bladerunner Technologies
  • E2: Gordon Biersch
  • E179: Prospect Colleges
  • E170: Insight Data Systems
  • E175: A Note On Boards of Directors
  • E182A: JetBlue: Executing the Plan (A)
  • E182B: JetBlue: Executing the Plan (B)
  • E193: Wild Planet
  • E215: Search Funds - 2005: Selected Observations
  • E201: Three Common CEO Missteps (A Perspective From The Boardroom)
  • E235: Carteleras de Puerto Rico
  • E231: Green River Environmental
  • E429: John Stanton: Managing Successful Partnerships
  • E227: Tea Collection
  • E34: Grand Junction
  • E242: ESPA - Extended Service Plans of America
  • E253: The Private Bank
  • E282: Search Funds--2007: Selected Observations
  • E390: Penn Warranty
  • E7: Ironwood Golf Corporation
  • E233: Rick Corcoran
  • E275: John Stanton: Managing Through Adversity
  • E281: Satura Cakes
  • E333: Nixon, Inc.
  • E439: Huntington University
  • E386: Search Funds - 2009: Selected Observations
  • E417: Nuru International
  • E11: Spanos & Yecies
  • E75: Carillon Assisted Living
  • E71: Vicinity Corporation
  • E25: Downtown Daycare
  • E28: Ariel Capital Management
  • E30A: StorMedia , Inc. (A)
  • E67: Trellis
  • E58: Jetsort
  • E53: Valuation Techniques
  • E51: David Dodson II
  • E346: Vector Healthcare
  • E378: Compass Ventures
  • E322: Revolution Foods
  • E425: Starling Systems
  • E5: Precision Printing
  • E8: Fresh Choice
  • E10: ColeTek, Inc.
  • E12: Supercuts
  • E13: Florida Air, Inc.
  • E14: Discounter's Supply, Inc.
  • E21: Emergency Roadside Assistance
  • E33: David Dodson
  • E36: MSA Industries
  • E18: Elmer Stephens
  • E39: Tom Bird & Ken Saxon
  • E30B: StorMedia, Inc. (B)
  • E132: SpaWest, Inc.
  • E74: eBay
  • E137: Valley Fire Protection
  • E141: YourDesktop Corp.
  • E4: New England Monthly
  • E150: JetBlue
  • E158: PDQ Personnel Services
  • E121: Gordon Biersch Vignettes
  • E113: Susan Nimoy and Mark Borden
  • E81: RentWise
  • E76: BestOffer.com
  • E26: Phoenix Industries
  • E29: Tilia, Inc.
  • E31: Sierra Expressway
  • E63: Discovery Zone
  • E59: Dan Moss
  • E52: InterMarket
  • E50: Note on Angel Financing
  • E40: Eller Media
  • E103: Northwest Security Services
  • E120: Search Fund Study - 2001 : Selected Observations and Investor Return Analysis
  • E104: The Dolores Project

Awards and Honors

  • Doctor of Humane Letters (Hon.), 2000, Amherst College
  • Distinguished Teaching Award, MBA, 1987, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Courses Taught

Centers/Programs

Affiliations

  • Director: Alta Colleges
  • Director: Asurion, Inc.
  • Director: Carillon Assisted Living
  • Director: Pacific Pulmonary Services, Inc.
  • Former Vice Chairman: Massachusetts Board of Higher Education

In The Media