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The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail
The Innovator's Dilemma When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail Author:Harvard Business School Press The Innovator's Dilemma takes the radical position that great companies can fail precisely because they excel at the commonly accepted practices of good management. It demonstrates why outstanding companies like Xerox, IBM, Sears, and DEC that had their competitive antennae up, listened astutely to customers, and invested aggressively in new tec... more »hnologies still lost their positions of market dominance. And it shows companies today how they can avoid a similar fate. Drawing on patterns of innovation in a variety of industries, the author argues that good business practices-such as focusing investments and technology on the most profitable products that are currently in high demand by the best customers-ultimately can weaken a great firm. He shows how truly important, breakthrough innovations, or disruptive technologies, are initially rejected by customers who cannot currently use them. This rejection can lead firms with strong customer focus to allow their most important innovations to languish. The fatal disability in these firms is their failure to create new markets and find new customers for these products of the future. As they unwittingly bypass opportunities, they open the door for more nimble, entrepreurial companies to catch the next great wave of industry growth. Many companies now face the innovator's dilemma. Keeping close to customers is critical for current success. But long-term growth and profit depend upon a very different managerial formula. This book will help managers see the changes that may be coming their way and show them how to respond for success.« less