The Innovator’s Dilemma - When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail

Mar 10, 2009 in Information Technology

Know in 10 minutes what it takes others hours, and keep up with the latest trends in your industry.
In this summary you will learn:

How disruptive innovations can make great companies fail
Why this happens even if they keep doing everything that made them great in the first place
Why it sometimes makes sense to do the wrong things

Why you should read The Innovator’s Dilemma
Professor Clayton M. Christensen’s excellent book is a classic of strategy literature. The innovator’s dilemma is that doing the right things can lead to failure. Sometimes it is wrong to listen to customers, invest in the highest return opportunities and do all of the things that made a successful company succeed. Clearly written, amply documented, provocative and challenging, this book is indispensable for anyone in business. If it has a shortcoming, it is that it focuses more on the dilemma than on resolving it and it does not offer specific remedial prescriptions. However, Christensen has authored or co-authored two other books that attempt to remedy that deficiency. getAbstract.com heartily recommends this book, which remains the leader of the three. It has the potential to change the way managers think about business - any business.

About the Author
Clayton M. Christensen is the Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration, with joint appointments in Technology, Operations Management and General Management, at Harvard Business School. He holds a doctorate in business administration.