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Consumerization Article FOR CENTURIES, DISRUPTIVE innovations have determined how we work, communicate and

connect with one another. Revolutionary technology innovations have led to remarkable

opportunities and pushed businesses to stay acute to shifting market trends and consumer

behaviors. As innovation continues to gain momentum, organizations must introduce

disruptive innovations, or technologies that support the existing market with a necessary

value—or face the risk of going unnoticed.

Business author and Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen first coined

the term “disruptive technologies” in his 1995 article, which he co-wrote with Joseph

Bower, entitled “Disruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave”. He later went on to describe

the term in more detail in his best-selling book, “The Innovator’s Dilemma.” It’s since

evolved into “disruptive innovation”, and is essentially used to describe a technological

innovation that helps create a new market, disrupting and often replacing earlier

technology.

The debut of the Ford Model T in 1908 is perhaps one of the greatest examples of a

disruptive innovation. Early automobiles were expensive, luxury items that a very strict

number of people had access to, and horse-drawn vehicles remained the mainstream mode

of transportation. But when the For Model T emerged as a “mass-produced,” more

affordable option, the automobile because a disruptive innovation, responsible for changing

the future of the global transportation market. The mass produced Ford Model T had a

profound impact on the future of our world, even if those living in the early 20th century

could not fully comprehend its implications at the time.

While not every business produces a disruptive technology of the telephone, automobile, or

computer caliber, disruptive innovations of the 21st century continue to shape our future

and impact the way we live. According to Julie Bort in her September 24, 2012 article in

Business Insider, recent technological shifts—including faster mobile phone networks,

accessible cloud computing power, reliable Software-as-a-Service, cutting-edge social media

and the BYOD megatrend—leave businesses with an enormous opportunity to create tools

designed to disrupt and advance their market.

To Lean Forward or Lean Back

When it comes to evaluating new or disruptive innovations, organizations tend to take two

very disparate approaches. Some might “lean back,” or sit back to watch the hundreds of

technologies come and go, acting skeptical about whether a new technology is going to

catch on or quickly turn into a passing fad. On the other hand, organizations in the “lean

forward” group might jump on every new technological venture, only to be let done by the

number of dismal and short-lived innovations.

When dealing with knowledge and information management, it’s critical to have one foot

planted firmly in both camps. Understand that it’s impractical to adopt and implement

every new technology that comes your way and learn to choose the technologies that

profoundly affect the efficiency and effectiveness of your business. For example, in the push

for companies to jump on the social media bandwagon, a countless number of businesses

adopted every social channel simultaneously, only to find many of them were short-lived, or

impossible to align with overarching business goals.

But if you are not receptive and inquisitive about the newest and greatest technologies,

competitors who adopt better, faster and more cost-effectively might leave your business in

the dust. And when a true “disruptive innovation” does emerge, be sure your eyes and ears

are open to changing the way you do things. For example, organizations who were reluctant

to let employees use their own iPhones to access email when the concept of BYOD first

emerged made it more difficult to embrace the trend once the benefits of integrating

personal devices into the workplace were revealed. “Lean back” organizations are

eventually forced to catch-up and use the disruptive technologies despite of their original

dispositions. No matter what your organization prefers, be keen on looking for and

identifying key disruptive innovations, remaining open-minded about the future of

technology.

Identifying Disruptive Innovations

In retrospect, it’s easy to point to the mass-produced Ford Model T as a disruptive

technology as we’ve witnessed one hundred years of development and the production of

millions of automobiles. Yet it’s much more difficult to predict what the next major

disruptive innovation will be. Organizations should be on constant lookout for the next

breaking technology, understanding which trends are pushing the development of the latest

and greatest inventions to market.

First, be sure your organization recognizes and embraces both the “lean back” and “lean

forward” perspectives on disruptive innovations. Being inquisitive and accepting of new

technologies puts you on the forefront of adoption. CIO’s and business leaders who become

more agile and well-rounded can take a stronger approach to identifying disruptive

innovations and understand which segment of their business a new technology might

support.

Second, look for tools that incorporate the onset of big data, analytics, mobile, social and

cloud technologies into your processes and architecture. Newly introduced tools that align

with current trends and market needs are the most likely to change the ways in which we

work. Despite an always-changing business landscape, understanding the market trends

driving our need for tools and technologies puts you on the forefront of identifying which

innovations will be disruptive.

Third, apply the “disruptive innovation” versus “sustaining innovation” test to new

technologies. As you evaluate new tools, software and platform, ask yourself, “is this

technology simply an improvement over existing technology, or will it change the future of

my business?” Disruptive technologies are defined by whether or not they change human

behavior—so be on the lookout for innovations that impact your business in the most

profound way.

Consumerization and the Need for Disruptive Tech

The consumerization of IT and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) megatrends in the workplace

provide great potential for improved employee productivity, lowered costs, and an easier

integration of work with life. They also leave substantial room for disruptive technologies to

emerge. In the same way employees prefer to use their personal devices, we’re noting a

paradigm shift towards software and applications that enable employees to get their work

done more quickly and cost effectively.

What was previously only achievable by workers with deep technical backgrounds or

software coding knowledge, is now attainable by average business people, with the help of

platforms like TrackVia1. With do-it-yourself application builders for businesses, users have

the potential to displace legacy software and change how business people think about

buying and using business software altogether. Replicating common software, or

customizing it with exactly what you need to work more effectively, is influencing how we

perceive and use software. In the same way the mass-produced automobile made driving

accessible for the average consumer, disruptive do-it-yourself application builders make it

possible for the Average Joe business user to create an application or software based on

exactly what he or she needs to get the job done.

Typically employee driven, consumerization of IT has little to do with technology itself—and

has everything to do with the way employees work (Getting Beyond the Myths2).

Throughout time, the most disruptive technologies completely alter the way we work,

communicate and live. With consumerization of IT and BYOD preferences in the workplace,

the demand for more efficient and consumerized technologies are in high demand—and the

technologies that emerge to support these inclinations will be the most disruptive to the

current market.

1 https://www.trackvia.com/ 2 https://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/02/20/consumerization-of-it-getting-beyond-the-myths/2/#37e99c2c6b50

The Future of Disruptive Tech

As the old idiom “Hindsight’s 20-20” reflects, identifying disruptive technology is much

simpler in retrospect. For most innovations, it takes years to understand their profound

implications on the way we work, communicate and live. Often times the technology does

not emerge as completely disruptive until it’s available to the mass-market. The disk drive

was invented in 1954, but it wasn’t until 1976 that it really gained momentum. Likewise,

when the telephone was first introduced in 1877, people had to be convinced that it had a

purpose. It took nearly a century for the telephone to be recognized as a necessity and

labeled as disruptive.

Historically, we’ve considered technology based on past usage instead of its aptitude for

future potential. The outlook of disruptive technology is bright as entrepreneurs emerge

who introduce technologies based on current market trends and needs. As we head into

2013, we will continue to use as well as invent some of the most ground-breaking and

world-changing technologies available, technologies that will go down in history as

disruptive. Considering technology in light of its future potential leads to greater acceptance

and adoption of the tools, software, platforms and technologies responsible for profoundly

impacting the future of your business.

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i i https://www.wired.com/insights/2013/07/consumerization-of-it-paves-way-for-disruptive-technologies/