An Innovation Will Get Traction Only If

Another Thing I've Observed Is How Critical The Role Of The Ceo Is When A Technology Truly Is Disruptive. In Looking Back On Companies That Have Successfully Launched Independent Disruptive Business Units, The Ceo Always Had A Foot In Both Camps. Never Have They Succeeded When They Spin Something Off In Order To Get It Off The Ceo's Agenda. The Ceos That Did This Had Extraordinary Personal Self-confidence, And Almost Always They Were The Founders Of The Companies.

The Best Strategy Is A Balance Between Having A Deliberate One, And A Flexible, Or Emergent Strategy.

If The Technology Is Disruptive, On The Other Hand, The Odds Are That At The End Of The Transition, The Leaders Will Have Been Toppled And New Companies Will Be On Top.

The Reason Why It Is So Difficult For Existing Firms To Capitalize On Disruptive Innovations Is That Their Processes And Their Business Model That Make Them Good At The Existing Business Actually Make Them Bad At Competing For The Disruption. Companies In Fact Are Specifically Organized To Under-invest In Disruptive Innovations! This Is One Reason Why We Often Suggest That Companies Set Up Separate Teams Or Groups To Commercialize Disruptive Innovations. When Disruptive Innovations Have To Fight With Other Innovations For Resources, They Tend To Lose Out.

Most Companies Think Of Disruption As A Threat. But Disruptive Innovations Have Tremendous Growth Potential. If Incumbent Companies Can Learn How To Harness The Forces Of Disruption, They Too Can Improve Their Ability To Create New-growth Businesses.