After the first time I used Uber instead of a calling or hailing a cab, I knew that this unproblematic app and these friendly drivers who were looking to make a footling extra money on the side would disrupt an industry that had not inverse in decades. The cab industry has forever been Ubered. While the cab companies may fight back with legal action and bureaucracy, information technology'due south a lost cause unless they cull to Uber themselves and fundamentally shift the manner people book, pay for and engage with taxi drivers.

Blockbuster was disrupted past Netflix and Redbox. Starbucks disrupted the unabridged coffee industry. Apple disrupted the mobile phone, music and ... well, you go the thought.

Today, if you're not disrupting your industry, you're in danger of being disrupted. The "status quo" just doesn't cut it when new ideas and innovative thinking are all around the states. Sound intimidating? Overwhelming? Far as well artistic for your left-brained, analytical, operational, bottom-lined mind?

Fear not. You do not accept to exist born with innate creative abilities in order to disrupt. In fact, disruption doesn't happen with creativity and innovative thinking lone. Disruption only happens when groovy ideas can be put into action.

It turns out that Innovation tin, in fact, be taught.

In their new book, The Innovator's Method, Jeff Dyer and Nathan Furr outline the procedure innovators go through and the skills needed for companies to disrupt their industry. It starts with insight, or more than specifically, "The ability to connect seemingly unrelated ideas and put them together in new ways".

In the case of Uber, the thought that you could employ the proximity or GeoLocation services of your mobile device to more than efficently get a ride was the insight. Theodore Levitt once said, "People don't want to buy a quarter inch drill, they want to brand a quarter inch hole". In the case ofUber, people didn't want a cab-ride experience, they needed a fast and economical way to get around ... without a car or waiting for public transportation.

Having an insight, withal is non enough. Y'all need to conspicuously ascertain the problem: "What chore needs to be done?" Earlier Uber, in that location were several attempts at making the taxi experience better. Apps such as "Taxi Magic" tried to reduce the hassle of knowing which cab company to phone call and ordering a cab. But that was the incorrect prolem to solve if y'all want to disrupt the taxi manufacture. Apps like "Taxi Magic" were skillful, merely they merely slightly improved the existing procedure. Uber framed the problem meliorate--"How practise we reduce or eliminate the wait time AND substantially reduce the cost of transportion?"

With the right framing of a problem, you can look for solutions and others who have solved similar problems outside your item industry. This leads to building the right business models and calibration of the confusing business organisation.

Jeff Dyer and Nathan Furr'due south signal is that this methologoy and associated "ah ha" moment isn't reserved for correct-brain thinkers and creative types. You tin learn how to gain these insights and associations through diciplined questioning, ascertainment and networking outside of your peer groups for breakthrough ideas.

Jeff Dyer recently gave a talk at the Harvard Business Review Blog Network and gave specific company examples. While I'm not a large fan of slideware webinar presentations, the examples used were insightful and supported the premise and methodology outlined in their book. My favorite quote from Jeff Dyer during this webinar was, "Novel and useful ideas are not valuable until they are successfully implemented in your company."

That's actually the point. Disruption is not almost having the best idea or even thinking differently about a problem. It's nigh successfully implementing ideas inside your visitor that lead to new, scalable business models. Having a slap-up idea is only i part of the equation. It's the act of delivering on a great idea that is truly confusing. So don't merely innovate ... deliver on your vision and build a successful business model to ensure long-term viability.

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