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Article | Journal of Management Studies | November 2018

Disruptive Innovation: An Intellectual History and Directions for Future Research

by Clayton M. Christensen, Rory McDonald, Elizabeth J. Altman and Jonathan E. Palmer

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Abstract

The concept of disruptive innovation has gained considerable currency among practitioners despite widespread misunderstanding of its core principles. Similarly, foundational research on disruption has elicited frequent citation and vibrant debate in academic circles, but subsequent empirical research has rarely engaged with its key theoretical arguments. This inconsistent reception warrants a thoughtful evaluation of research on disruptive innovation within management and strategy. We trace the theory’s intellectual history, noting how its core principles have been clarified by anomaly-seeking research. We also trace the theory’s evolution from a technology-change framework—essentially descriptive and relatively limited in scope—to a more broadly explanatory causal theory of innovation and competitive response. This assessment reveals that our understanding of the phenomenon of disruption has changed as the theory has developed. To reinvigorate academic interest in disruptive innovation, we propose several underexplored topics—response strategies, performance trajectories, and innovation metrics—to guide future research.

Keywords: disruptive innovation; innovation metrics; competitive strategy; systemic industries; technology trajectories; Disruptive Innovation; Theory; History; Competitive Strategy; Research;

Format: Print Find at Harvard

Citation:

Christensen, Clayton M., Rory McDonald, Elizabeth J. Altman, and Jonathan E. Palmer. "Disruptive Innovation: An Intellectual History and Directions for Future Research." Special Issue on Managing in the Age of Disruptions. Journal of Management Studies 55, no. 7 (November 2018): 1043–1078.

About the Authors

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Clayton M. Christensen
Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration
General Management
Technology and Operations Management

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Rory M. McDonald
Thai-Hi T. Lee (MBA 1985) Associate Professor of Business Administration
Technology and Operations Management

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More from these Authors

  • Article | Harvard Business Review | January–February 2019

    Cracking Frontier Markets

    Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon

    Executive Summary:
    With emerging-market giants such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China experiencing slowdowns, investors, entrepreneurs, and multinationals are looking elsewhere. They’ve been eyeing frontier economies such as Nigeria and Pakistan with great interest—and enormous trepidation. Can one find serious growth opportunities amid extreme poverty and a lack of infrastructure and institutions?
    The answer, the authors argue, is yes. The key lies in market-creating innovations: products and services that speak to unmet local needs, create local jobs, and scale up quickly. Examples include MicroEnsure, which has made insurance affordable for 56 million people in emerging economies, and Galanz, which has brought microwave ovens to millions of Chinese consumers previously considered too poor to buy such an appliance.
    What’s more, the essentials of development can be “pulled in” by market-creating innovators—and over time, governments and financial institutions tend to offer their support.

    Keywords: Emerging Markets; Market Entry and Exit; Growth and Development Strategy; Demand and Consumers; Innovation and Invention; Development Economics;

    Citation:

    Christensen, Clayton M., Efosa Ojomo, and Karen Dillon. "Cracking Frontier Markets." Harvard Business Review 97, no. 1 (January–February 2019): 90–101.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsFind at Harvard Register to Read Related
  • Supplement | HBS Case Collection | December 2018

    Amazon Acquires Whole Foods (B)

    Rory McDonald, Sarah Mehta and Shaye Roseman

    This short case, meant for pairing with HBS case 615-013 “AmazonFresh: Rekindling the Online Grocery Market,” explores Amazon’s rationale for acquiring Whole Foods.

    Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Industry; Food and Beverage Industry;

    Citation:

    McDonald, Rory, Sarah Mehta, and Shaye Roseman. "Amazon Acquires Whole Foods (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 619-029, December 2018.  View Details
    CiteView Details Related
  • Case | HBS Case Collection | September 1995 (Revised December 2018)

    Managing Innovation at Nypro, Inc. (A)

    Clayton M. Christensen and Rebecca Voorheis

    Nypro is the world's leading injection molder of precision plastic parts, operating a global network of 21 plants. Nypro's strategy is for each plant to offer identical capabilities, because its customers are global companies with worldwide sourcing needs. The case describes the way Nypro manages product and process innovation across the global plant network.

    Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Innovation and Management; Operations; Performance Consistency; Manufacturing Industry;

    Citation:

    Christensen, Clayton M., and Rebecca Voorheis. "Managing Innovation at Nypro, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 696-061, September 1995. (Revised December 2018.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase Related
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