Whenever we discuss using questions to foster disruptive innovation strategy, it prompts objections.
The objections center on the idea that questions do not create disruptive innovation. The point these individuals (who are usually innovation experts that comment on other companies' content without ever generating any innovation strategy content of their own) make is that a whole variety of factors contribute to disruptive innovation. They counter suggesting strategic thinking questions as a starting point over-promises and ignores all the other dynamics involved.
Our response? We never claim that questions alone will create disruptive innovation.
Yet, we have seen many successful companies that cannot even imagine deliberately undermining the basket where they have placed all their eggs. For these types of established players, you have to disrupt their status quo thinking so they realize that brands not even in their consideration sets are aiming to render them pointless in the marketplace.
Examples? See Kodak, Border's Books, unionized trucking companies, and every department store you ever visited, among others.
ANYTHING that gets leaders in these situations to imagine where they are vulnerable and how to disrupt themselves before someone else does is a HUGE HELP.
13 Exercises for Disruptive Innovation Strategy: Disrupting Thinking eBook
That's why we're releasing the innovation strategy eBook, Disrupting Thinking - 13 Exercises to Imagine Disrupting Your Own Brand Before Someone Else Disrupts You!
This FREE eBook, inspired by a popular Brainzooming post on how emerging competitors look nothing like your company, features question-based exercises to foster strategic conversations on disrupting your:
- Brand benefits and value proposition
- Marketing strategies
- Organizational structure and processes
- Risk-taking behavior
- Industry and market dynamics
- New business initiatives
We do agree with our critics: imagining disruptive innovation scenarios is one step that must be coupled with develop the ideas and doing something about them. And as hard as imagining disruptive innovation is for established brands, acting can be even more of a challenge.
If you need to start the difficult strategic conversations on disruptive innovation strategy, Disrupting Thinking is for you!
