The Innovator's Dilemma [Review]

Jan 02, 2012

The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail by Clayton M. Christensen is a body of research that explains how disruptive technology can cause some of the biggest and best well run companies to fail. Focusing one three different industries, Christensen gives a broad historical overview of the key changes and evolutions in those industries and how sustaining and disruptive technologies effected the performance of some of the key players.

The Innovator’s Dilemma acknowledges that, generally, the managers of these great firms took the right decisions when presented with the information of the time. This included, investing in the right technologies, listening to customers and correct resource allocation, yet disruptive technologies still ended up destroying their industry position.

Christensen provides a framework for managing disruptive technology and provides in-depth research and analysis to present his findings. The last chapter of the book is an excellent in depth case study of the rise of electric vehicles as a modern example of a disruptive technology affecting a large industry. Christensen breaks down the problem and provides a workable model for tackling the disruptive technology that is already entering our lives.

The Innovator’s Dilemma is one of the classic business books that any Entrepreneur, engineer or technology driven business manager should read. Christensen lays the groundwork for attacking industries that are ripe for disruption and shows what steps should be taken to ensure large companies accept disruptive change, I highly recommend it.

Buy on Amazon (Affiliate link).