In The Innovator’s Solution Harvard professor, Clayton Christensen, begins by summarizing his previous book, The Innovator’s Dilemma. As the financial community keeps demanding higher returns, decision makers in established companies must confront a difficult choice: they may continue to improve their operations and boost shareholder returns in the short-term, or, they may decide to launch new businesses in low margin market niches to diversify revenue sources, yet failing…
How is digital transformation changing the way businesses are run throughout the value chain? To be a bit more specific, how is digital transformation improving relationships and processes between suppliers and incumbents? In what way is information flowing more freely? Plus, how can digital technologies be applied to verify whether a newly built store is mindful of the mother companies branding? And, what would…
Categories Book Review, Theories of innovation
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Book Review : The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
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Different kinds of innovation A top 6 business book in its class according to The Economist, The Innovator’s Dilemma is it profound analysis of why leading companies fail to innovate and ultimately go bankrupt in the wake of disruptive innovation. The Harvard innovation management professor begins by distinguishing two different types of technologies: sustaining technologies and disruptive technologies. Improving operations Well versed in top-notch execution incumbents excel at improving existing…
How to innovate in established companies? And why have incumbents lost the willingness to innovate? In the beginning of the 20th century leaders were looking to developing reliable products aimed at serving a pressing customer need. But the 1960s large corporations looked to maximize shareholder value: they cut cost and increased efficiency to improve returns while neglecting to develop new products and failing to address new markets. Today, each of the top 5 largest…
What’s no code? In what way is no code different from real code? Is there some kind of distinction to be drawn between note code and low code? And why is no code changing the way we work? In what way is it a revolution in our capital allocation and ownership decisions? How is no code enabling entrepreneurs to develop an MVP without having…
What’s the difference between digital transformation and digital innovation? And what are the implications in terms of funding? Why does it seem like startups excel at digital innovation while established companies focus on digital transformation? And what regions in the world seem most capable at succeeding at digital innovation? Which regions seem most proficient at digital transformation and why? I talk about all this…
How to run a successful startup? How to draft a product development plan, a minimal viable product and pivot to a successful business model? Plus, when have entrepreneurs reached product market fit and when should one scale? An experienced entrepreneur, Ash Maurya addresses these topics in his foundational book, Running Lean. Develop a startup plan and de-risk your business Startups are a “risky business” and entrepreneurs’ real job is to “systematically…
What is biomimicry? Why do products and services whose invention originated from the cautious and careful observation of nature stand a chance to reconcile our current way of life and continued economic development? In what way is biomimicry helping us manage the pandemic on a short-term basis? And, while biomimicry has a long history dating back from the European Renaissance, what are biomimicry’s most promising developments in the near future?…
What’s the South African innovation ecosystem like? Why does it appear to be one of the most promising tech geographies today? In what way are major trends such as population growth, social and economic progress, market consolidation, and technology assets playing a role in turning the African innovation ecosystem into the world’s next powerhouse? I discuss these matters (and more!) with 2 prominent innovators based in South Africa : Audrey…
How have different countries managed the unexpected Covid-19 global pandemic? And what could Western European countries and the United States learn from Asian countries that have proven especially successful in mitigating risks? I address this matter and more with Gérard de Bourbon, an expert in cultural change and digital transformation. Our conversation is available in full in the zoom interview below but, let me just highlight…