Big Bang Disruption: Strategy in the Age of Devastating Innovation

By: Larry Downes

Published January 7th 2014 by Portfolio

Category: Business

Pages: 272 pages

ISBN: 9781591846901

Description:
It used to take years or even decades forÊdisruptive innovations to dethrone dominantÊproducts and services. But now any businessÊcan be devastated virtually overnightÊby something better and cheaper. How canÊexecutives protect themselves and harnessÊthe power of Big Bang Disruption?

Just a few years ago, drivers happily spent more thanÊ$200 for a GPS unit. But as smartphones exploded inÊpopularity, free navigation apps exceeded the performanceÊof stand-alone devices. Eighteen months afterÊthe debut of the navigation apps, leading GPS manufacturersÊhad lost 85 percent of their market value.
Consumer electronics and computer makersÊhave long struggled in a world of exponential technologyÊimprovements and short product life spans.ÊBut until recently, hotels, taxi services, doctors, andÊenergy companies had little to fear from the informationÊrevolution.
Those days are gone forever. Software-basedÊproducts are replacing physical goods. And everyÊservice provider must compete with cloud-basedÊtools that offer customers a better way to interact.
Today, start-ups with minimal experience andÊno capital can unravel your strategy before you evenÊbegin to grasp whatÕs happening. Never mind theÊÒinnovatorÕs dilemmaÓÑthis is the innovatorÕs disaster.ÊAnd itÕs happening in nearly every industry.
Worse, Big Bang Disruptors may not even seeÊyou as competition. They donÕt share your approachÊto customer service, and theyÕre not sizing up yourÊproduct line to offer better prices. You may simplyÊbe collateral damage in their efforts to win completelyÊdifferent markets.
The good news is that any business can masterÊthe strategy of the start-ups. Larry Downes andÊPaul Nunes analyze the origins, economics, andÊanatomy of Big Bang Disruption. They identifyÊfour key stages of the new innovation life cycle,Êhelping you spot potential disruptors in time. AndÊthey offer twelve rules for defending your markets,Êlaunching disruptors of your own, and getting outÊwhile thereÕs still time.
Based on extensive research by the AccentureÊInstitute for High Performance and in-depth interviewsÊwith entrepreneurs, investors, and executivesÊfrom more than thirty industries, Big Bang DisruptionÊwill arm you with strategies and insights to thrive inÊthis brave new world.