For the first time the book "The Dilemma of the Innovator" waspublished twenty years ago, in 1997. The very rare case where time does not matter. The book is still relevant, and the principles set forth by the author are still working.
He is looking for the answer to the question of why strong, best companies lose their leading position in the market. Describes in detail the essence of "disruptive" innovations and explains how they affect business.
A little about the author
Профессор делового администрирования, педагог, business consultant - with this baggage, Christensen is free to write books about business, management and efficiency. However, his education and business experience inspire confidence that this author can be trusted.
Clayton graduated from Brigham Young University, wherestudied philosophy, after which for two years he was a missionary in the Republic of Korea. He studied economics at Oxford University and in 1979 received an MBA degree with a high degree of distinction from the Harvard Business School.
Christensen worked as a consultant and managerprojects at the Boston Consulting Group. He continued his career in the White House, as an assistant to the Minister of Transport. One of the founders of CPS Technologies, he served as president and CEO. He left the company to get a doctorate.
Christensen returned to Harvard, where in 1992 he defended his doctoral dissertation, and six years later, he set a kind of “record”, receiving the title of professor.
Now Christensen has eight honorary doctoral degrees and the honorary title of professor at the National Tsinghua University. The author of ten books, he is one of the best-selling authors of business books.
Why is the book worth reading?
In The Innovator's Dilemma, Clayton Christensenreveals the fine line between "disruptive" and supportive technologies. Explains the problems behind innovation in an accessible and detailed way. Using the example of recent market leaders, it tells about the reasons for the failures of the latter when entering a new market or trying to apply new technologies.
The author analyzes the causes of ruin and failures.companies. He talks about the correct, correct handling of disruptive technologies that will lead to success and development. This is another value of the book "The Dilemma of the Innovator." Clayton Christensen, having extensive experience in business administration, shares it with readers and explains the failures of various companies in the field of management organization.
Proper dilemma
In order to give depth to the concepts presented, to reveal their usefulness for application, Christensen divided the Innovator Dilemma into two parts. Anticipating the general conclusions, he begins the book with in-depth analysis.
The first part of the book describes the general scheme.failure, which explains why the right decisions of the most talented managers can still lead to the collapse of the company. Christensen reveals in detail the problem of innovation.
Первые две главы восстанавливают в деталях hard drive industry history. This industry is an ideal testing ground for studying failures, since much is known about it, and it has a “fast history”. Entire market sectors arose and developed in just a few years, but they also quickly faded.
The third and fourth chapters explain in detailwhy, over and over again, leading companies were losing their primacy in hard drive production. The author talks about the factors contributing to this fall. And by the end of the first part a clear scheme of their failure is built.
The principles of "subversive" technology
In the second part of the book "The Dilemma of the Innovator" - withfifth to tenth chapter - the author tries to justify the five laws of "subversive" technology. These principles are so strong that managers who ignore them or, on the contrary, try to deal with them, will not be able to confidently lead the company through the storm caused by “disruptive” technologies.
Здесь же автор объясняет, какого успеха они will achieve, if they understand and begin to use these principles. Christensen writes that it is very important to understand the essence of the problem, and not to look for its recipe. The book will help find the best solution in the circumstances. But it is very important to understand how they came together, what they depend on and whether these decisions will turn out to be correct.
At the end of the second part, all these laws are cited and how the managers can apply them in their situation or adapt to it.
Readers' comments
When reading the book “The Dilemma of the Innovator” by heartinvoluntarily come examples of “disruptive” innovations from life. In general, it shows that there is nothing eternal - everything is changing rapidly, especially in the field of digital technologies, and it is very difficult to foresee the demand in the consumer market. Namely, it ensures the prosperous existence of the company and its development.
In the end, it all depends on the consumer.And what will be his preferences tomorrow, nobody knows, in fact, this is the “Dilemma of the Innovator”. Feedback from readers confirms that the principles presented in the book are applicable in almost any industry. Here you can find answers to questions about why business collapses and what to do to be among the winners.
With the advent of the Internet, new “disruptive” technologies have emerged in various fields, so the book described is now more relevant than ever.
