Disruptive innovation

Someone in India recently asked me what I thought about an innovation strategy featuring a heavy dose of “imitation.” My response was, “Innovation isn’t Olympic diving.” What did I mean? An individual diver’s scores for an event are a factor of two things: how well they execute their dive, and the “degree of difficulty” of […]

Back in 2007, my colleague Scott Anthony argued that Nintendo’s Wii would be a disruptive innovation that could catch Sony and Microsoft off-guard. The core of the argument was that Nintendo’s strategy of “competing against non-consumption” would allow it to fly under the radar of Microsoft and Sony, which were engaging in an arms race […]

A recent edition of Fortune describes innovations in computer gaming that are likely to be as disruptive to incumbent players like Electronic Arts and Activision as the move toward cloud computing is to providers of shrink-wrapped software. While the incumbents have been engaged in the innovation equivalent of an arms race – ever more powerful […]

Data on who's investing the most, the explosive growth of headsets, and the most popular uses of AR.

The disruptive economics of unmanned vehicles are taking hold. Here’s how to think about the drone economy and your place in it.

When disruptive technology brings chaotic change, assets can become liabilities overnight.

Examples from ING Direct and Southern New Hampshire University.

"Changing yourself in the job, especially if you're doing well, is one of the hardest things to do."

Disclosure: The author is a shareholder in AOL. It’s been funny watching the financial press and the tech community eviscerate AOL’s Patch.com since last week’s disappointing earnings call. The irony is that Patch is AOL’s last, best chance to build a growth engine. Investors shouldn’t be calling for AOL to back off the business. They […]

Evidence is inconclusive.

A fascinating short piece in Business Week reported that netbook computers are increasingly popular, and suggested that they may be undercutting or cannibalizing sales of personal computers – particularly the popular laptops whose increased popularity has hurt Dell so much, and which are highly profitable for computer manufacturers. My fellow Harvard Business blogger Scott Anthony […]

Research shows that companies that are investing heavily in digital technologies to harness the power of human-machine collaboration are dramatically...

It’s not surprising that some of the long-standing problems facing U.S. K-12 education took a backseat given the unprecedented turbulence of 2008. But the darkening budgetary picture may ironically provide an opportunity for the most promising disruptive innovations in education in 2008 to break through the din in 2009. The most promising reforms hold the […]

A conversation with Guido Jouret, the chief digital officer of the industrial giant ABB.

I’ve always believed that the first step in any successful venture is to establish a clear definition of what it means to succeed. And there’s something about business that convinces most executives that being successful means doing more: generating more revenue, hiring more people, launching products with more features. If you want to win big, […]

"How do I find innovative people for my organization? And how can I become more innovative myself?" These are questions that stump most senior executives,...

This post is part of the HBR Insight Center Growing the Top Line. Laird Hamilton is my hero. He's not only one of the world's best big-wave surfers but...

Lack of diversification hurts both entrepreneur and investor.

Information technology is revolutionizing products, from appliances to cars to mining equipment. Products once composed solely of mechanical and electrical...

So far, 2012 has been another banner year for the 'tyranny of success' as once great companies slide ever closer to the abyss. Kodak's bankruptcy, Nokia's...

Reed Hastings founded Netflix to provide a home movie service that would do a better job satisfying customers than the traditional retail rental model....

In April 2018, after it became known that Google was collaborating with the US Department of Defense on Project Maven, over 3,000 employees signed an...

A new classic, recommended by leaders and media around the world. In this bestselling book, authors Jeff Dyer ("Innovation Capital" and "The Innovator's...

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the automotive industry was facing the most profound transformation in its history. Two primary factors were propelling...

By mid-2016, five years of aggressive growth had transformed Fetchr from a small logistics startup to a 1,000-employee, full-fledged last-mile delivery...

As the ninth largest bank holding company in the United States in 2000, FleetBoston Financial Corp. provided a myriad of financial services, including...

In late September 1999, representatives from Telstri, Japan Telecom, and Teleglobe met to discuss the structure of the Australia-Japan Cable (AJC) project,...

In May 2017, Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins announced the launch of Hulu Live TV, a new offering that would "change the way people experience TV." The new service...

i-mode is a wireless Internet service offered in Japan by NTT DoCoMo. In just three years, the service has won over 30 million subscribers and achieved...

In 2004, Mark Lundstrom must decide on a funding method and strategic approach for BioScale, a biotechnology company that he founded. BioScale has developed...

In early 2010, e-readers like Amazon's Kindle, and Apple's impending iPad, threatened to disrupt the book publishing industry. The case provides an overview...

The electric-vehicle market in India had never grown to its expected potential. Environmental uncertainties, structural challenges, lack of consumer awareness,...

Linear Air is an air taxi start-up established to take advantage of the emergence of Very Light Jets, which incorporate new technology that cuts jet operating...

The case describes how Bossard Group, a Swiss family company, originally active in reselling of fastening products, achieved an effective digital transformation...

In 2019, World Bank analyst Abebi Eke had a difficult assignment: decide whether to recommend that the World Bank, in line with its commitment to expanding...

The case discusses attempts by Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) to transform its core media business, which was battered by digital disruption. Revenues...

In the year 2000, only 2% of women in India used menstrual hygiene products. Almost a quarter-billion relied on cloth rags and many rural women were banished...

In 2008 Joe Justice saw the announcement for the Progressive Insurance X Prize-a $10 million prize aimed at the (im)possibility to build a 100 miles per...

This case is set in 2018 in China and follows Daimler's efforts to compete in the Chinese automotive market amidst fast paced changes which are underpinned...

The case documents the evolution of Dress Your Home (DYH) into a profitable line of business for Colcerámica. This was a great achievement since, outside...

Someone in India recently asked me what I thought about an innovation strategy featuring a heavy dose of “imitation.” My response was, “Innovation isn’t Olympic diving.” What did I mean? An individual diver’s scores for an event are a factor of two things: how well they execute their dive, and the “degree of difficulty” of […]

Reed Hastings founded Netflix to provide a home movie service that would do a better job satisfying customers than the traditional retail rental model....

Back in 2007, my colleague Scott Anthony argued that Nintendo’s Wii would be a disruptive innovation that could catch Sony and Microsoft off-guard. The core of the argument was that Nintendo’s strategy of “competing against non-consumption” would allow it to fly under the radar of Microsoft and Sony, which were engaging in an arms race […]

A recent edition of Fortune describes innovations in computer gaming that are likely to be as disruptive to incumbent players like Electronic Arts and Activision as the move toward cloud computing is to providers of shrink-wrapped software. While the incumbents have been engaged in the innovation equivalent of an arms race – ever more powerful […]

Data on who's investing the most, the explosive growth of headsets, and the most popular uses of AR.

The disruptive economics of unmanned vehicles are taking hold. Here’s how to think about the drone economy and your place in it.

When disruptive technology brings chaotic change, assets can become liabilities overnight.

A perennial challenge for executives in established firms is deciding how and when to respond to emerging technologies. This article demonstrates that...

In April 2018, after it became known that Google was collaborating with the US Department of Defense on Project Maven, over 3,000 employees signed an...

Examples from ING Direct and Southern New Hampshire University.