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The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail Hardcover – May 1, 1997

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,909 ratings
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The bestselling classic on disruptive innovation, renowned author Clayton M. Christensen.

His work is cited by the world’s best-known thought leaders, from Steve Jobs to Malcolm Gladwell. In this classic bestseller, innovation expert Clayton Christensen shows how even the most outstanding companies can do everything right—yet still lose market leadership. Read this international bestseller to avoid a similar fate.

Clay Christensen—who authored the award-winning Harvard Business Review article “How Will You Measure Your Life?”—explains why most companies miss out on new waves of innovation. No matter the industry, he says a successful company with established products WILL get pushed aside unless managers know how and when to abandon traditional business practices. Offering both successes and failures from leading companies as a guide, The Innovator’s Dilemma gives you a set of rules for capitalizing on the phenomenon of disruptive innovation.

Sharp, cogent, provocative, and one of the most influential business books of all time—The Innovator’s Dilemma is the book no manager or entrepreneur should be without.

Published by Harvard Business Review Press.
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  1. Part of series
    The Innovator's Dilemma Series
  2. Print length
    256 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Harvard Business Review Press
  5. Publication date
    May 1, 1997
  6. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1 x 9.75 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0875845851
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0875845852
  9. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,909 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and informative. They appreciate the insightful and powerful thesis, well-researched examples, and clear explanations of challenges faced by companies. Many find the suggestions simple and easy to follow. However, some readers feel the book is repetitive and drags on for too long. Opinions differ on whether the content is dated or still useful.

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ReadabilityInsightEase of useDated contentRepetition
163 customers mention "Readability"148 positive15 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and informative. They describe it as a great, concise, and stimulating read. The writing is clear, the data is thorough, and the graphs are easy to understand. The book provides concepts and frameworks on how to develop disruptive innovations.

"...to tell you in the book and how he’s going to tell it, it becomes much easier to read, and enjoyable, as he gets into the meat of it...." Read more

"...supported with his evidence. In conclusion, the book is a great read for those looking to advance their knowledge in the business world and..." Read more

"...be hard, but if you continue to serve the same market, return on investment is predictable...." Read more

"OK, the book itself is great. But I was very shocked and disappointed that there is no whispersync between the Kindle book and Audible audiobook...." Read more

154 customers mention "Insight"145 positive9 negative

Customers find the book provides valuable insights into the challenges faced by companies. They appreciate the well-researched examples and discussion that add depth. The book introduces concepts of innovations, sustaining and disruptive, with thought-provoking arguments. Readers find it insightful and worth reading, providing a new perspective.

"...Stick with it. I found it interesting to read about the older (mostly late 20th century) industries and disruptive innovations he studied...." Read more

"...Christensen’s incredibly thorough research into industries like mechanical excavators, disk drives, and even retail is empirically supported..." Read more

"...The goal of the book is to educate people in the business world about how new technologies affect firms and to provide a new way of thinking about..." Read more

"...The writing is clear, the data gathered is thorough and fully documented with ample notes, the logic is concise, and the conclusions are entirely..." Read more

12 customers mention "Ease of use"9 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's suggestions simple and easy to follow. They appreciate the concise logic and clear path to assessing possible responses.

"...gathered is thorough and fully documented with ample notes, the logic is concise, and the conclusions are entirely logical...." Read more

"...You have done a great job in simplifying it. Well done" Read more

"...but this was still very difficult...." Read more

"The Innovator's Dilemma lays out a very clear path to assess possible responses to emerging technologies in view of present ones...." Read more

12 customers mention "Dated content"4 positive8 negative

Customers have different views on the book's dated content. Some find it a classic and useful, while others feel the research is slightly outdated.

"...It a bit dated in the industry studies..." Read more

"The best I've read and a great classic...." Read more

"This book used to be required reading, but it is woefully outdated and has lost relevance...." Read more

"Despite being slightly dated in research, the main thesis of the book and supporting arguments are really intriguing...." Read more

12 customers mention "Repetition"0 positive12 negative

Customers find the book repetitive and long. They mention it drags on with long, complex sentences that drag the book on forever. The sloppiness with bulleted lists is also mentioned.

"...It did drag the book on forever. It provide history and too much detail about the companies...." Read more

"...Like many business books it is a bit repetitive at the end...." Read more

"...Less annoying, but also noticeable, is sloppiness with bulletized lists that are so easy to read in a real book...." Read more

"...The only downside to the book is there is a lot or repetition...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • DG
    5.0 out of 5 stars View technology and business through a new lens
    Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    As some other reviewers stated:
    - A bit text book-like and academic in its format
    - It a bit dated in the industry studies

    However, after getting through the first chapter or two where he over-explains what he’s going to tell you in the book and how he’s going to tell it, it becomes much easier to read, and enjoyable, as he gets into the meat of it. Stick with it.

    I found it interesting to read about the older (mostly late 20th century) industries and disruptive innovations he studied. It was informative in a historical way as well as economic and business. Outside of the excavator industry, the author’s research was on relatively recent and modern technologies (disk drives, printers, computers, discount retail stores, etc). And I found the excavator research to be very illuminating due to the simplicity of the technology.

    While reading the book, I began viewing technology and projects at my work, in my industry, and in other industries with a new lens. I began thinking about what have been disruptive innovations over the past 20 years, and why they were disruptive and who were the companies led the way, and profited. And why they succeeded and others failed. What are the current and upcoming disruptive technologies? A new way for you to look at things, not just for management purposes but also for investment.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Truth Seeker
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must-Read
    Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Clayton Christensen’s The Innovator’s Dilemma, while admittedly a bit dry, remains one of the most important business leadership books on the market. Christensen’s incredibly thorough research into industries like mechanical excavators, disk drives, and even retail is empirically supported throughout and provides abundant examples of the phenomenon of disruptive innovation and the context in which it can take industry leaders by surprise. Since the book was first written in the late 1990s, the environment has changed and the pace of technological innovation has increased drastically. These environmental factors, or contextual changes, may require adjustments to the recommendations in this book; however, the foundational principles remain the same—when companies are doing everything right, they can still lose their position of leadership in the market. Companies are incentivized to act in accordance with what their customers want, and if they are not careful, that mentality can preclude them from taking advantage of disruptive opportunities that their current customers are not yet interested in. Christensen’s warnings should be heeded by leaders and managers at all levels of the organization. As the pace of technological innovation continues to increase, leaders will be required to anticipate disruptive innovation to survive, and I look forward to reading about how the Innovator’s Dilemma can be addressed in this age of near-constant innovation and rapid technological advancement.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars despite having good managers, because they fail to find the new ...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    The Innovator’s Dilemma is an interesting work written by Clayton M. Christensen in 1997. The book seeks to explain why certain businesses are successful in their ventures and why other firms fail in response to new technologies. Christensen tries to explain throughout the book why some firms, when new technologies enter the market, fail either because they adapt the new technology or not. The author initially believes that new technologies are constantly emerging and all businesses must continually adapt to stay relevant. However, this proves to be false as in his studies not all firms that ignored the new technology failed while not all firms that adapted the new technology succeeded. This is the fundamental dilemma in the book, and Christensen’s main purpose is to figure out a recipe for managers to follow to stay successful when disruptive technologies enter the market. Most of the book revolves around the study of the disk drive market since they were first developed in the 1950’s. The disk drive industry was important because technology was rapidly advancing and smaller drives were being released within a few years of each other. Many of the established firms often chose not to invest in the next smaller disk drive because they did not have enough memory to meet their standards. However, emerging firms would find new markets for the use of smaller drives and also find ways to make them more powerful, eventually drive the existing firms out of business. Christensen eventually concludes that successful businesses often collapse, despite having good managers, because they fail to find the new markets for disruptive technologies while instead supplying current customers with what they currently need.
    The goal of the book is to educate people in the business world about how new technologies affect firms and to provide a new way of thinking about disruptive technologies. The end of the piece brings the conclusion that leading firms almost always have set technologies that work well for their current customers, choosing not to invest in new technologies because what they are currently doing is working, current customers do not want change. That is, until new technologies grow to be superior than their predecessors. Christensen does a fantastic job in making his point clear as he provides a plethora of studies across different markets to support his claims. The first half of the book is essentially a detailed history of the disk drive industry that has multiple examples of different firms both choosing to invest in smaller drives and continuing to use their already established, larger drives. He uses this information to create hypothesis’ about why these firms made their decisions and whether it lead them to success or not. Essentially, the author’s process in writing the book is to look at different industries that had disruptive technologies and discover what trends lead to success and what trends lead to failure. He spends a lot of time focusing on a single industry, the disk drive. However, he does bring up several other markets including the mechanical excavator, steel, computer, and discount retailer industries. This variety of different scopes enhances his argument, especially since he sees similar trends across all of these different markets. Many of his examples include established firms choosing not to adopt new technologies because it does not fit their current business motives, but then later being replaced by firms that dared to find new markets for the new technology. His claims are definitely unbiased as all of his conclusions are drawn from the hard evidence that he compiles and delivers to the reader throughout the book about the different firms in those industries. It is almost impossible to disagree with his conclusion since all of his evidence accurately backs up his claims.
    Personally, I enjoyed reading the book but mostly because it appeals to my interests. As a young business major, the book is intended for me to read and may directly pertain to my own future. However, this book would be challenging to read for the average person that is not interested in business. The book is confusing at some times and is clearly designed for educated readers with a basic understanding of the business world. I would say that the book is a must-read for managers of a company that may be facing disruptive technologies in their industry as it does provide direct advice for people of that demographic. It is a book that I would certainly recommend to my peers within my major.
    Christensen does a decent job in making the book engaging. Some of the chapters where he is providing data are dry and confusing, but he does always provide a summary at the end of chapters to keep the reader focused. A lot of the book is also repetitive in regards to the disk drive industry and the author reiterating his claims about disruptive technologies. Nonetheless, the book is overall definitely a success for its purpose. There is plenty of evidence throughout the book that prove his claims in real-world situations. His main ideas about why firms choose to serve current customers with current technology rather than try to force new technologies on customers also makes logical sense, given the customer-centric market that is present in today’s society. His complex conclusion that disruptive technologies succeed only when they find a market that does not currently exist is confusing, but is definitely supported with his evidence.
    In conclusion, the book is a great read for those looking to advance their knowledge in the business world and think about topics that are not usually discussed. The author’s conclusions are creative and complex, but are backed up with hard evidence throughout the piece. The insights and advice brought up by Christensen are useful knowledge to any person studying business and the impact of emerging technologies. This is a book that I will definitely keep in mind in the future and I will recommend to others.
    70 people found this helpful
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  • SSC
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Important read for those considering in investing in artificial intelligence applications.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • ReviewRobert
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on May 26, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Great book worth the read
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  • Maulik
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great insights on managing disruptive technology!
    Reviewed in India on January 19, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The book is a crisp data supported guide on how a leader can look to identify and handle disruptive technology.

    The perspectives offered by the author are logical and easy to understand.

    Makes for a great read!
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  • Alberto Rodriguez
    5.0 out of 5 stars MUST READ!
    Reviewed in Germany on July 15, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Must read book
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  • Monica
    5.0 out of 5 stars Consegna puntualissima, condizione ottime
    Reviewed in Italy on August 5, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Acquistato questo libro come regalo per un mio carissimo amico. Arrivato puntuale e in ottime condizioni, la copertina non è rigida ma dentro il pacco non ha subìto alcuna imperfezione.

    Consigliato! E molto apprezzato
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  • Anonymous
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the revolutionary business books of all time!
    Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Clayton Christensen compiles a revolutionary business idea into practical steps that can help businesses stay relevant in times of change. He uses concrete evidence to support his views and provide an unbiased analysis to help readers understand the concepts. Worth the read for anyone trying to change the world!
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