A review of

The Innovator’s Dilemma

When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail

Clayton M. Christensen • Harvard Business Review Press • 1997

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The review below was first published in the getAbstract Journal on 6 de jul. de 2005.
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An Enduring Dilemma

by David Meyer

Everything will eventually be disrupted, says business guru Clayton Christensen. Why does his seminal book show no signs of aging?

The enduring context of Clayton Christensen’s The Innovator’s Dilemma is, in essence, its endurance. Appearing on May 1, 1997, as an outgrowth of Christensen’s teaching at Harvard Business School and his seminal 1995 article Disruptive Technologies, it remains canonical business literature and a must-read for students, executives, entrepreneurs and would-be innovators in any field.

Christensen wielded broad influence. For example, Steve Jobs told his biographer that Christensen profoundly shaped his thinking – high praise, since Jobs seldom credited others, especially regarding his philosophies. In his bestseller Zero to One, another tech leader, Peter Thiel, explores one of Christensen’s primary theories: that innovation works differently for disruptive versus sustaining technology. This may sound trivial, but it has huge implications for established companies.

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T. B. getAbstract 2 years ago

Really very good insights.
A. S. 4 years ago

well done
R. T. 5 years ago

Yes - definitely one of the very top business books of the last 20 years. And it stands the test of time - being as relevant today as it was when it was first published.

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