Innovations in Olympic Speed Skating: When to Reveal a Novel Approach

"BRIAN KENNY: Welcome to Cold Call, the podcast where we dive deep into the groundbreaking ideas in Harvard Business School case studies. Today on Cold Call, we're looking at a sport where innovation doesn't come from flash or funding, but from rethinking first principles. The sport is speed skating and we're dropping this episode during the 2026 Winter Olympics. The US men's Speed Skating team is coming off years of disappointment, searching for a breakthrough in the team pursuit event. The innovation works."

"Times drop, records fall, medals could follow. So the question at the heart of this case, and the one we'll explore today is this: When winning depends on innovation, how do you decide whether your greatest advantage should be protected or shared? Today on Cold Call, we'll discuss the case, "A Winning Strategy: Innovation in Olympic Speed Skating" with Professor Rebecca Karp. I'm your host, Brian Kenny, and you're listening to Cold Call on the HBR Podcast Network."

"Rebecca Karp's research examines how companies formulate and execute strategies. In particular, she focuses on the role innovation and product development play and competitive advantage. That sounds absolutely appropriate for today. Welcome, Becky. REBECCA KARP: Thank you so much for having me. BRIAN KENNY: Great to have you on Cold Call. We're doing this very quickly to have it coincide with the 2026 Olympics. So thanks for being flexible."

The US men's speed skating team endured years of disappointment and targeted the team pursuit event for breakthrough improvement. Innovation came from rethinking first principles rather than relying on flashy funding, resulting in faster times, record-breaking performances, and potential Olympic medals. Coaches, athletes, and the national federation faced a strategic dilemma about whether to protect the innovation as a proprietary advantage or to share it with the broader community. The decision involved trade-offs among competitive advantage, diffusion of techniques, incentives for investment, and the cultural norms of collaboration in sport. Stakeholders weighed secrecy, open dissemination, and the long-term effects on the sport's competitiveness.

Read at Harvard Business Review