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Disruptive Innovation
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Disruptive Innovation
1. What is the definition of disruptive innovation according to Clayton M. Christensen?
Disruptive innovation, as per Christensen, is the mechanism whereby a smaller firm, generally
with fewer assets, may confront an established corporation, sometimes known as an
"incumbent," by emerging at the lower end of the market and moving up-market.
2. How is it the same/different from the disruptive innovation we talked about in class?
It is just like the disruptive innovation we talked about in class. With disruptive innovation, a
business model first establishes itself at the foundation of a marketplace by being less priced and
more widely available. It then fiercely makes its way to the top, ultimately replacing existing
rivals. In the corporate world, it's among the most often misinterpreted and misused words.
Disruptive Innovations aren't technological breakthroughs that improve existing goods;
alternatively, they are breakthroughs that render products and services more attainable and
inexpensive, allowing them to reach a broader audience.
3. Why is it important to categorize disruptive innovation as Clayton M. Christensen did?
Businesses must keep evolving to keep up with shifting consumer preferences, competitiveness
from other similar businesses, and rapid technology breakthroughs. A company's past
accomplishments with product introductions aren't enough anymore. Organizations should build
a culture of failure tolerance when creating and releasing new products to customers.
Low-end disruption and new-market disruption are the two forms of disruption. Clayton
Christensen cautions that assessing if an innovator's strategic planning will thrive takes patience.
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As an illustration, he points to Netflix, a firm whose DVD-by-mail option initially failed to
please consumers. Watch out for startup businesses that might undermine your industry.
When businesses know what "disruption" is and how it's used, they will see potential threats and
take action to prevent them. Disruption can help businesses create goods and services that people
will demand.
4. Find and suggest a disruptive innovation example (excluding digital cameras, cloud
storage, electric cars, streaming services, disk drives).
Zoom. Zoom has surfaced as a substantial disruptive innovation from the epidemic of hundreds
of teleconferencing services for its contemporary, video-first systems integration with easy and
dependable functionality.
5. Explain why the example fits Clayton M. Christensen's definition of disruptive
innovation.
With more than 300 million daily users, Zoom has established itself as a leading example of
substantial disruptive innovation. It has been used by businesses, educational institutions, and
entertainment businesses.
As a low-end disruptor, Zoom fits this description. Many startups and individuals seeking a costeffective alternative were drawn to its simplicity of use and good performance from the start. By
eliminating the delay and providing high-quality visuals, also the connections smaller companies
want, this cutting-edge innovation has done more than fix the latency issue.
As a result of the epidemic, many firms have adopted the practice of teleworking and online
conferences as the standard. A significant number of additional audiovisual consumers
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throughout the globe will be available to Zoom thanks to this move. Because it offers both free
and premium virtual meetings, Zoom can support distance learning, improve growth, and
enhance cooperation.
6. What types of innovation have occurred in your example using Doblin's ten types of
innovations?
Zoom is a well-known organization that has leveraged ten different kinds of innovations.
This is a kind of technology that emphasizes the value of a company's product. It considers the
wide range of attributes and high standard of the product. Contrary to this, the enabling systems
developed by a company around its primary product are referred to as "product systems."
Improving the quality of its products is an evident but challenging aspect of progress, and such
breakthroughs could only give a short competitive edge unless they are underpinned by a firmly
established business culture of technical innovation.
One of the grounds Doblin recommends firms focus on merging several sorts of innovations is
that it provides a much more vibrant economy.
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References
Christensen, C.M., Raynor, M. & McDonald, R. 2015. What is disruptive innovation? Harvard
Business Review, 93(12): 44-53.