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Summary: A road map for success and longevity, not market ownership
Review: Christensen articulates why good management and/or success can lead to failure. Similar to our discussions in class on business ecology, the stage of "becoming and institution" with no re-engineering or innovation can lead to death for an organization. This is the notion that Innovator's Dilemma captures and examines. It takes several companies and industries and looks at their history, their framework, their business decisions, and their management to identify what went wrong or what led to their decline. By finding a common thread related to a lack of innovation or, more specifically, an inability to focus on emerging technologies or opportunities based on a current focus on profit and current customer needs and product/service, organizations prevent themselves from or avoid looking to the future. It also becomes challenging to look at the futures because the immediate profit margin may not rational from a business standpoint and there is not enough data on new markets to determine long-term ROI (return on investment). Thus the I never happens, let alone the R.This book made a nice companion to our reading and discussions in the Pepperdine doctoral program in educational technology. As we look at future thinking, business ecology, leadership, effective management strategies, and technologies as part of the larger educational leadership and technology picture, this book gave some key insight into tangible examples of business practices that are vital for success. It also became evident that there are consistencies in business through the years, but that real challenges come with progress and change. The ability for "thinking in the future tense" (another recommended book in the program) and to be adaptive may be the new foundation for business ecology. It may shift from waiting until the need arises to re-engineer and simply infuse this into business acumen as a constant. Going beyond trying to improve products, or coming up with a new marketing approach, organizations need to be aware of entirely new markets and products. This gets tricky, but this book lays out some principals to aid an organization or leader in shifting their approach. It also helps widen perspectives and an organization's view. I found it interesting reading and insightful (while also easy to read and follow), but not a comprehensive guide to market ownership. There are many key factors in staying competitive and ahead--this book offers one and does it with analytical and tangible examples.
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Summary: Eyes wide open
Review: Christensen not only shapes the thinking of the business community, but by default, may shape the thinking of the educational and service arenas as well. He shares that it is precisely the attributes that make a firm successful in an incrementally advancing marketplace, that make it difficult for it to appreciate oblique new markets. Ultimately, at times, the new market consumes the existing mainstream or core market of the firm. This principle may work in the educational arena as well, where non-traditional universities or corporate universities are beginning to shoulder a portion of the corporate professional development workload. Fortunately, for members of the status quo in contemporary business firms, the author also provides mitigating strategies. However, this reveiwer appreciates the difference between a firm knowing the answer and successfully implementing the answer. Other sections of society should take notice of this phenomenon. Health care, utilities, universities and the like, should be aware that newcomers are, at first, often seen in "bad odor, ridiculed, scorned, condemned as 'illegitimate,' as observed by Professor Malcolm McNair at Harvard (Christensen, pg. 94, note 1). It is no longer enough to know your business or industry, but you must also be able to detect "disruptive technologies" in all aspects of organizational life. Other reviewers have shared the mechanics of Christensen's research, but, more importantly, it is critical to know that this book will widen your view, increase your perception, and, perhaps, create a touch of anxiety. Read this book.
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Summary: Easy to read, interesting book.
Review: I read this book for my e-commerce (MBA) class at San Jose State University (Silicon Valley). I was primarily attracted by its title at first, which is nothing surprising as it was chosen from a given list. The fact that it was obviously dealing with innovations made this attractive, as I work in the Silicon Valley, where innovations and new technology is rampant and is the main source of success of a company. This book looks at a variety of companies in industries from the disk drive to the Mechanical excavator in the past couple of decades, and why they have become leaders or failures. The author explains the reasoning behind the failures and how one can reduce this problem. Some of the key approaches are the fact that every company, product, market , time should be dealt in a situational manner. It is not wise to simply apply textbook information to a business, this is a sure guide to failure. A strong attribute to success, according to the author, is by focusing on disruptive technologies as opposed to sustaining technologies. Disruptive technology, being radical new products where no customers expressed needs for. Meanwhile sustaining technologies consist of improvements on existing products, that originate primarily from what customers have expressed they would like to see. It is more common to find small companies creating disruptive technologies, as unlike big companies they are in search of any kind of market even a small one, and are more risk taking. This book, one will find, is easy to read, and straight forward. I would say that it is a good guide for aspiring, or existing managers who need to see the light!
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Summary: Good book, somewhat limited focus
Review: Comment: This review is part of an assignment for the E-commerce MBA class at San Jose State University. The Innovators Dilemma is an interesting book about the problems that larger organizations have trying to compete with start-ups in new markets. The book discusses how larger companies rarely are successful in developing products for emerging or non-existent markets. The book provides some very relevant examples how larger companies--primarily in the technology sector, but not limited to them--often find themselves stuck trying to satisfy their current, and large, customers. This often precludes them from devoting resources to new technologies for emerging markets, due to the fact that those markets do not yet exist, and will not provide adequate revenues to maintain a required level of growth. The Innovators Dilemma is generally well written, but at times a bit verbose. I found that some sections were difficult to follow, due to the grammar that is used. I found the book interesting, although there are a lot of examples revolving around the disk drive industry, which personally I do not have a lot of interest in. This book is likely to be helpful for managers of companies that have or use some sort of technology that sets them apart from their competitors. In particular, this will be helpful for managers at the larger companies that need to have large revenue growth year over year. It could also be helpful for managers of smaller companies, especially those who are designing products that do not have a market yet, so they are able to understand what the competitive advantage that they will have over the large companies providing the existing technology. This book does intend to give managers ideas how to avoid the "dilemma," however it is my impression that it would be very difficult for one, or even a group of, individual manager to change the companies' focus to the point necessary to avoid the trap. There are many changes that one must incur to avoid the problem of trying to satisfy current customers who are providing your revenue stream, including garnering support from upper management and other stakeholders, as well as altering the processes and values of the organization. Overall, I would recommend this book to mangers who have decision making authority or influence in companies that produce or use technology products. It provides an interesting viewpoint, although I feel that it is a bit too limited to be of use to a wider audience.
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Summary: Absolutely fascinating
Review: The Innovator's Dilemma shows how well established, successful businesses can fail, even when they do everything right (or at least, everything logical). Christensen's discussion focusses on the disk drive industry, but includes examples from other industries as well (such as the American steel industry). The core of his argument is that established companies will choose to invest their resources in "sustaining technologies" that are basically improvements on their existing products. These companies will often be some of the first to experiment with disruptive technologies, but their customers don't demand these technologies and the company doesn't see a good enough opportunity to invest in them. The book provides a good amount of detail - enough to get you to buy into his argument without becoming difficult to read. Overall, a fascinating topic presented in a quick, easy read. Highly recommended.
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Summary: mr santa monica
Review: This book is what happens when someone is in academia too long.....Full of simple customers preferences framed as vast technological survival of the fittest darwinian evolutions...the reason people want smalled disk drives is not capacity, its that smaller disks are easier to handle...the reason small rigid disks overcame floppies is that they are more durible...these product innovations are interations between the mass os consumer individuals and the product.....the reason japanese cars rock is that they get on from a to be and dont break....oowowwowowowo=wow!!!!!!! this is not darwin....the mental mastrubation and feeling wow im so smart i made a chart in this book are annoying.....the business school hierarchy is the ony reason guys like clayton have a job.........also businesses are greedy...compaq computers will never make a supercheap line of pc-s as one can get from a smaller outfit because they want large salws numbers and know other big corps need to buy in volume and have the pockets and size to not want to depend on the small guys for suport/returns/small corp out of biz.......so overpriced lines of pc-s are sols by the gross,....also some psychological/economic analysis cuts to the chase here also.....businesses are caught because they want to maximuize sales while science and mass production always lower prices and production costs as processes improve and the good reaches non-rare status.........computers are perfect business because programs get bigger so computers need to get bigger....if computers got smaller and programs faster ont eh same size RAM/Processor....then companies put themselves out of biz....as with phone compainies...you pay more tahn ever....and it is disguised behind extra "essentail" features like call waiting that "add value"....until housing is cloned so that all have it control with be the dollar...christiansen etc. are just hand wavers making a killing off the system...so deal..real politique rules the world still...viva feudalism....it will alst forever.........gws santa monica ca 4-4-01
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Summary: You are the market leader. Watchout for that new kid on bloc
Review: Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M Christensen presents a compelling argument why outstanding companies that do everything right from all perspectives still fail when confronted with disruptive changes in technologies. The dilemma; the logical, competent decisions of management that are critical to the success of their companies are also the cause of company's losing the leadership position and possible demise. This is a must read for anyone who works for or belongs to the management team of a technology company. The innovator's Dilemma, deals with changes in technologies that cause disruptions in existing technology growth trends. Management is aware of the customer requirements. Customer is the source of all revenue. These customers have their requirements which are based on sustaining technology. Market share of the disruptive technology is not large enough for the company to meet its growth requirements based on the projected stock prices. This new disruptive technology has a much lower margin and therefore not feasible for the company to go to that market. What is the motivation for the company to commit its resources? Especially, when there is not guarentee that this technology will ever be viable. Managers in every organization must resolve "the innovator's dilemma." Dr. Christensen's book provides examples from different market segments when time and again company have fallen pray to disruptive technologies. Even those companies, who once used a disruptive technology to attain its market leadership. The author argues that even the most successful companies fall victim the Innovator's Dilemma, because it is a natural law of business, satisfy the customers' requirement. A must read for anyone within large or small firms.
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Summary: Great Book
Review: Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma is an incredible book about the dangers of focusing on current high margin activities at the cost of future opportunities. I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Did you ever wish you could keep a book a secret?
Review: This book is so good you wish your competitors could be kept from reading it! Christensen does more the think "out of the box" he shows you how he developed and substantiated the themes in the book. The disk drive industry is broken down to exemplify an area that has rapid "disruptive" technology changes at regular intervals... and how companies adapt and fail... I tell you this book can cost you lost sleep as you contemplate what could shake up your industry and how you will react. This book will be a clasic for 100 years (or more). A must have in anyones collection (no I am not related to the author).
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Summary: Leaping Over the Barriers You Create Against Innovation
Review: This book clearly deserves more than five stars. It has positively influenced more technology executives than any other book. The book does a wonderful job of explaining how traditions, bureaucracy, disbelief about the potential of new technologies, and misconceptions about the market hurt companies. Professor Christensen is a Boston Consulting Group alum, as am I, and that firm has been very interested in the question of why dominant firms lose out to new entrants featuring innovative technologies. Professor Christensen has written the best work on this subject that it has been my pleasure to read. Unlike most academics, he is rigorous without being dull or irrelevant to those who must operate businesses. I particularly found his exploration of the differences between a sustaining and a disruptive technology to be very useful. His insights into how accounting and financial concerns can "stall" organizational progress were also valuable. His cases (especially the hard disk ones) accurately capture many of the classic "stalls" that delay organizational progress. For example, tradition says that everyone focuses on serving the current customers. That's where the bread and butter are. Also, the overhead structure is established to serve those current needs. Both perspectives no longer serve when a disruptive technology is involved, and he persuasively argues that being first with disruptive technologies is usually very important. Bureaucracy comes into play because the authorization process requires a lot of confidence by those who will bet their careers that the market and financial projections will be achieved. The bureaucracy also increases the likelihood that an error will be made, or an unnecessary delay will occur. Disbelief comes from the tendency to misdefine who the customers will be and to underestimate the long-term potential of the technology. Professor Christensen puts in some nice technology development/time charts in to show how to better anticipate a new technology expanding from a lower need-defined market into the mainstream market. Misconception comes in because people misunderstand the danger of the disruptive technology, and how to manage it. THE INNOVATOR'S DILEMMA is very hepful here because it provides a model of best practices to cure the misconception stall here. Three other stalls are often important: Procrastination (delaying when delay is costly); Ugly Ducklings (avoiding what is unattractive, physically or financially); and Communications (not getting the message or not understanding the message). I suspect all 3 play a big role in the cases here, but I could not tell from the way the cases were written. I hope in his future work, Professor Christensen will also tie his thinking into the idea of innovation itself. I personally favor an 8 step process for improving innovation. One, measure everything you can in an area to understand how the measurements can help you improve. Two, apply the same approach to your most important activities. Be sure to consider how and why noncustomers do not find your offerings appealing. Three, seek out the best practices in other industries in these important activities, and estimate where these best practices will be in five years. Four, assemble a new combination of best practices from these cases that goes beyond what any one company will be doing in five years. Five, imagine the best that anyone will ever be able to do, ever, as the ideal best practice. In the case of disruptive technologies this would involve spotting them well in advance and being able to pursue them without pain to the rest of the organization, and pursuing very rapid adoption that leads to dominating the new marketplace. Six, find ways to approach the ideal best practice. Seventh, put the best people, resources, and incentives together to create great success in exceeding the future best practice and approaching the ideal best practice. Eight, repeat steps one through seven. Do buy, read, and apply the lessons of THE INNOVATOR'S DILEMMA. This is pure gold. Also, send Professor Christensen a friendly note to encourage him to do more studies like this one on innovation. He deserves our support. I also suggest that you set up some skunk works to advance potentially disruptive technologies, as a way to develop more experience in improving your innovative potential. You may also wish to study Cisco's attempt to be technology agnostics, to see what you can learn from their experience as well. Let innovation reign supreme!
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