Clayton M. Christensen, now a Harvard Business School professor, is the famous author of "The Innovator’s Dilemma." In this article, he speaks about four rules leading to success in innovation.
First, an introduction quote:
I believe that innovation isn’t random. Every undesired outcome has a cause. Those outcomes appear to be random when we don’t understand all the factors that affect successful innovation. If we could understand and manage these variables, innovation wouldn’t be nearly as risky as it appears.
And even if his four rules make sense, the most important is this one: "Disrupt Competitors, Not Customers."
If an innovation helps customers do things they are already trying to do more simply and conveniently, it has a higher probability of success. If it makes it easier for customers to do something they weren’t trying to do anyway, it will fail. Put differently, innovators should try to disrupt their competitors, never their customers.
If you have a brand new idea, read this story even before finfing money.
Source: Clayton M. Christensen, for MIT Technology Review, June 2002
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