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Summary: Value Network Tool for forward thinking Market Leaders
Review: The Innovator's Dilemma is one book in a series of many which needs to be taken in its intentional perspective to present one aspect of a delicate balancing act to effectively utilize resources and achieve a "reasonable" consistency between change and tradition. I SEE THIS BOOK AS ONE APPROACH OF SEVERAL TO COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES FOR MARKET OWNERSHIP.The Innovator's Dilemma is founded on the premise that a Market Leader has developed preferred/reliable technology for a predefined market place, has taken a "customer-first" attitude, is using and implementing good, or better, management practices, and has a plan to facilitate growth of resources, technology and processes. The competitive nature of most leaders is to disrupt the control of complacent elements to improve their own position. When the Market Leader narrowly focuses financial return to microscopic time windows the value of investing in disruptive technologies is lost, and market dominance begins to deteriorate. Typical corporate managers want to move up not down, and in the market cycle this leaves a vacuum for disruptive technologies. However, leaders are in many places, and it is all about balancing resource with opprtunity. The problem occurs when Market Leaders misread the size of the opportunity and fail to adjust the necessary resources. Christensen has a wonderful way of presenting a "survival" package; but, real leaders do not seem to perceive disruptive technologies as survival. They see them as what they are, rare moments of great opportunity to gain advantages to obtain control from those who failed to calculate the true size of the opportunity. Like looking for a lost treasure, the arrival of a true leader on the scene of opportunity spells disaster for complacency and tradition. The HUNGRY are looking for the fat man's lunch. As I understand the elements presented in this book, I can see clearly several disruptive technologies: e-business disrupting the distribution channel of goods and services; wireless communications disrupting the market of electronic packaging (I.e., backplanes, hardwired networks, fiber optics, etc.); network independent protocols (I.e, IEEE 1451) disrupting automation and communication network-based markets; build-to-order integrated enterprise systems disrupting mass produced, full valued generic products; and more. Missing from this book, in my opinion, was a discussion on high volume niche markets to materialize competitive technologies that can be expanded by sustainable technologies into the general market place and displace the Market Leader. .
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling
Review: The author certainly creates a compelling reason to establish an autonomous team in every corporation to research, develop, market products derived from disruptive technologies. What most impressed me was the author's argument that the better the firm the more likely they would fall victim to this problem. So, the bottom line is that companies can chose to ignore the author's conclusion, but even the best won't avoid the perils to the long-term potentials. And your competition, existing today or not, are waiting for your decision!
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Summary: Readable, compelling, good examples and recommendations
Review: There are plenty of other reviews here that hit the mark. What I can add to what's been said so far is this: the product lifecycle of the disk drive industry as well as the attrition rate of high tech companies is so fast, that Christensen has excellent data to formulate and defend his position. He also takes the brave step of venturing into the social science aspect of managing innovation in a high tech environment - that is, he addresses the hurdles faced by innovators when they lock horns with their managers. This is a fast read. You will not waste your time on it. Many articles in Fortune Magazine now reference Christensen's work when they cover bricks-and-mortar going to e-commerce. You can easily skip the technology details and the product timeline charts and still fully understand Christensen's argument. And even if you hate it or disagree, you have not spent that much time or money on it.
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Summary: Brilliant and very innovative
Review: This book ranks at the top of my list along with the Wheelwright and Clark books on product development. Clayton is a brilliant man and very innovative in his analysis resulting in one of the best management books of the decade. If you are managing innovation, you need to read this book.
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Summary: Clear and powerful
Review: Along with Crossing the Chasm, this book will be a classic on managing innovation. Crossing the Chasm looks at innovation from the perspective of the upstart. The Innovator's Dilemma looks at it from the current market leader. If these two books don't get your entrepreneurial juices flowing, do something else.
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Summary: Recommended to those who want to survive in today's markets.
Review: The increasingly shorter life time of technologies make this excellent book a 'must read' for all those who try to steer their companies in todays troubled waters of innovation. The book shows how 'good managers' can follow their customers' needs and still fail. This is an invaluable book for those who try to succeed in today's ever changing market. The author analyzes past cases and recommends solutions to the problem of disruptive innovations. Great book!
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Summary: Good book....little dry
Review: Interesting premise. I liked the theory presented and learned much from the book. I think it got a little too hung up on the disk industry and lost focus and my interest.
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Summary: Special -- a rarity among business books
Review: Professor Christensen has managed to write an insightful and readable book that is changing the way that executives approach technology. A must read for anyone wishing to success in today's business world.
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Summary: I changed my mind. FANTASTIC !
Review: Professor Christensen showed the real business world, and how hard is change things and minds. IBM, DIGITAL, SEARS and SEAGATE faced with new technologies and they didn't know how to deal with it. And your company, they will know?
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Summary: An insightful look at business history, economics & biology
Review: Christensen looks at the business trajectories of the disk drive and steel industries from a biological perspective and discovers a kind of universal punctuated equilibrium he calls "disruptive technological change." He convincingly demonstrates how great companies that do everything "right" will stumble if they don't recognize and address the forces of disruptive technological change. While his thesis (that the best business practices will lead to failure) is initially counter-intuitive, Christensen provides a simple frame for explaining how the forces of innovation fundamentally direct the course of industry success and failure.
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