Sunday, November 6, 2011

Assignment #6: Disruptive Innovation

The assignment for class this week was to watch a short clip and read a small snippet of Harvard professor Clayton Christensen's Disruptive Innovation theory. Having a background in business administration I have studied this theory before as it deals with how consumers always move to the next best thing, and businesses go on a roller coaster for making costumers happy. 


The word innovate means (definition provided by google)
  1. Make changes in something established, esp. by introducing new methods, ideas, or products.
  2. Introduce something new, esp. a product.
In our market, costumers want something that is newer, cheaper, smaller (or bigger) and/or more useful. 
If we look at recent event, we can breakdown innovation theory using Blockbuster for example. Back in the day people could only purchases VHS tapes in order to view them at home for their own entertainment. Then a company came along and had the "innovative idea" of housing hundred of different movies and people would only have to rent the movie (at a cheaper price) then having to buy and store all the movies they wanted to see. Blockbuster was a HIT! I bet you can remember a time in your childhood when you had friends coming over, and you were able to rent a movie for that evening. 
But then again, we know how this story is going to play out. The phrase "all good things must come to an end" support disruptive innovation. For blockbuster, the company Netflix came to take all the glory. Please were "over" going to a physical store like Blockbuster to get a movie, they wanted to be lazy and have the movie sent To them. This new innovation of having a company do all the work for you disrupted Blockbusters successes. It is hard to compete when you can play ONE flat rate for an endless amount of movies AND those movies had due dates or late fees PLUS they are delivered to you! People didn't mind waiting a few hours if someone else did all the work. This left Blockbuster to fall behind and file for bankruptcy multiple times. NOW we also know that Netflix is also now being "outdone" with different companies such as RedBox since Netflix has increased their prices. 

Disruptive Innovation is the cycle that no matter what goes on, there will always be something new around the corner. Usually the "underdogs" or companies that create a new product are most likely going to succeed over big corporations that are introducing a new product. Although this theory seems only tied to marketing and businesses, the theory also can be found in education. In simple terms you can see the transition from chalkboards, to whiteboards, and now touch screen interactive "Smart" boards. These tools have been used for the teachers instruction to the students, but now the disruption is, less about the teachers and more about tools for students! This is where class sets of computers, laptops, iTouch, and now even iPads are being introduced into the classroom. Although Smartboards and iPads are the top of the pack, there will soon be new products and tools that will change the face of education and technology again. I'm interested to see where it goes. 

Just thought you'd like to know!
~Ms. Davis

4 comments:

  1. I like your connection to the transition from chalk boards to white boards then to smart boards. That is something that I haven't even thought of in these terms. Just something that "happened", but now I can actually see the process of why that happened. Thanks!

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  2. Great pictures. It's crazy to think that we have gone from chalkboards to whiteboards to promethean boards. And great minds think alike!

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  3. I love that cartoon!! It reminds me of when my niece saw a Cinderella VHS I have and said, where's the DVD??? And.. she was 4!!!

    I'm actually really bummed that in my practicums that I've worked at, or even the schools that I've tutored at, I have yet to use a smartboard and promethean board!!

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