Book Review - Innovator's Guide to Growth: Putting Disruptive Innovation to Work
Category Book Review Innovator's Guide to Growth: Putting Disruptive Innovation to Work Scott D. Anthony Mark W. Johnson Joseph V. Sinfield Elizabeth J. Altman
I've read a number of books on innovation, both on a personal and business level. Always looking to find that "edge"... In the book The Innovator's Guide to Growth: Putting Disruptive Innovation to Work by Scott D. Anthony, Mark W. Johnson, Joseph V. Sinfield, and Elizabeth J. Altman, the authors present a methodology for making disruptive innovation part of your company's culture. Along the way, I had my thoughts twisted a bit as to how best to disrupt the standard playing field, while not going head-to-head with the giants right from the beginning...
Contents:
Introduction: Your Guide to Growth; Precursors to Innovation
Part 1 - Identify Opportunities: Identifying Nonconsumers; Identifying Overshot Customers; Identifying Jobs to Be Done
Part 2 - Formulate and Shape Ideas: Developing Disruptive Ideas; Assessing a Strategy's Fit with a Pattern
Part 3 - Build the Business: Mastering Emergent Strategies; Assembling and Managing Project Teams
Part 4 - Build Capabilities: Organizing to Innovate; Innovation Metrics
Conclusion
Appendix - Frequently Asked Questions; Notes; Index; About the Authors
As you can tell from the list of chapters, the authors cover everything from identifying ideas and potential products that would be disruptive clear through to the end where you have a formal organization that can grow and repeat successes in that area. Given their experience in the field, you avoid making mistakes that are all too common and sound correct, but end up being wrong. For instance, companies have a tendency to throw massive amounts of resources and capital behind a new idea or product that will "revolutionize the industry". The problem is that everyone becomes committed to the initial design and plan, and no thought is given to learning and prototyping along the way. The end result is often a product that completely misses the mark in terms of what people want. But by then, so many millions have been sunk into the design that you can't easily go back. The book instead advocates for quick trials and cheap prototypes without large amounts of funding. That forces creativity and smaller experiments, and permits course changes along the way. Only after you get actual feedback do you commit larger resources to it. But by then, you should know the outcome or have a solid idea as to market acceptance.
For me, I was most interested in the first part of the book. The concept of "overshot customers" was one I hadn't heard of in quite those terms. These are the people who don't need or can't use all the high-end performance built into the product(s) being offered, and are actually looking for something far less. To them, "less" becomes "perfect". Why pay for 100% of a product when all you really need is 10% of it? The other 90% is of no use to you. This is also linked to the concept of "nonconsumers". These are the people who don't use your product (or any product being offered) due to constraints of skill, wealth, access, or time. If you can identify these consumers and serve them, you have an entry into the market that can disrupt the incumbents. Finally, I was also intrigued by the concept of "jobs to be done". It's the adage of "people don't buy drills, they buy holes". If you rethink your product as a service that people are hiring you to do, then you can think beyond the boundaries. An example would be the lowly mop. Not much to do differently there. But if you think that people are hiring you (the mop maker) to clean the house, then you look at the product differently. In this case, it led to the Swiffer line of dust mop accessories. Less effort, easier cleanup, and the job is done more quickly. Hence, people "hire" your product as the superior choice. Interesting concepts...
This is a book that deserves to be sitting on the shelf of management in all companies. Actually, it shouldn't be on the shelf. It should be in the briefcases and backpacks being read...
I've read a number of books on innovation, both on a personal and business level. Always looking to find that "edge"... In the book The Innovator's Guide to Growth: Putting Disruptive Innovation to Work by Scott D. Anthony, Mark W. Johnson, Joseph V. Sinfield, and Elizabeth J. Altman, the authors present a methodology for making disruptive innovation part of your company's culture. Along the way, I had my thoughts twisted a bit as to how best to disrupt the standard playing field, while not going head-to-head with the giants right from the beginning...
Contents:
Introduction: Your Guide to Growth; Precursors to Innovation
Part 1 - Identify Opportunities: Identifying Nonconsumers; Identifying Overshot Customers; Identifying Jobs to Be Done
Part 2 - Formulate and Shape Ideas: Developing Disruptive Ideas; Assessing a Strategy's Fit with a Pattern
Part 3 - Build the Business: Mastering Emergent Strategies; Assembling and Managing Project Teams
Part 4 - Build Capabilities: Organizing to Innovate; Innovation Metrics
Conclusion
Appendix - Frequently Asked Questions; Notes; Index; About the Authors
As you can tell from the list of chapters, the authors cover everything from identifying ideas and potential products that would be disruptive clear through to the end where you have a formal organization that can grow and repeat successes in that area. Given their experience in the field, you avoid making mistakes that are all too common and sound correct, but end up being wrong. For instance, companies have a tendency to throw massive amounts of resources and capital behind a new idea or product that will "revolutionize the industry". The problem is that everyone becomes committed to the initial design and plan, and no thought is given to learning and prototyping along the way. The end result is often a product that completely misses the mark in terms of what people want. But by then, so many millions have been sunk into the design that you can't easily go back. The book instead advocates for quick trials and cheap prototypes without large amounts of funding. That forces creativity and smaller experiments, and permits course changes along the way. Only after you get actual feedback do you commit larger resources to it. But by then, you should know the outcome or have a solid idea as to market acceptance.
For me, I was most interested in the first part of the book. The concept of "overshot customers" was one I hadn't heard of in quite those terms. These are the people who don't need or can't use all the high-end performance built into the product(s) being offered, and are actually looking for something far less. To them, "less" becomes "perfect". Why pay for 100% of a product when all you really need is 10% of it? The other 90% is of no use to you. This is also linked to the concept of "nonconsumers". These are the people who don't use your product (or any product being offered) due to constraints of skill, wealth, access, or time. If you can identify these consumers and serve them, you have an entry into the market that can disrupt the incumbents. Finally, I was also intrigued by the concept of "jobs to be done". It's the adage of "people don't buy drills, they buy holes". If you rethink your product as a service that people are hiring you to do, then you can think beyond the boundaries. An example would be the lowly mop. Not much to do differently there. But if you think that people are hiring you (the mop maker) to clean the house, then you look at the product differently. In this case, it led to the Swiffer line of dust mop accessories. Less effort, easier cleanup, and the job is done more quickly. Hence, people "hire" your product as the superior choice. Interesting concepts...
This is a book that deserves to be sitting on the shelf of management in all companies. Actually, it shouldn't be on the shelf. It should be in the briefcases and backpacks being read...