Comment on Haydn Shaughnessy’s post – “Disruptive Innovation and the Retail Experience”
Often, when we think of the term innovation, we will automatically associate the concept with something along the line of technological advancement. However, is this always the case? In his post, Haydn Shaughnessy used the example in the retail industry to address the “distortion” of the concept.
Disruptive innovation may not always involve more sophistication than the existing strategies sustained by incumbent firms. In fact, I agree with Shaughnessy that the high popularity and demand for innovation and creativity in the business world today is becoming “distracting.” Many mix the idea of something better with something that is only more complicated. In reality, however, a good innovation could just mean deleting out the factors that don’t work in existing operational strategies or improving the structure of commonly used models. Essentially, what makes such an innovation revolutionary or disruptive is how it presents a new and more effective way of performing the same task (which in result may harm those who are not prepared to adapt).
On the other hand, it is also true that technology is important in driving industries forward and forcing businesses to transform. For instance, when I visited my grandparents over the past two Summers, I noticed that a lot of bookstores and CD stores are shutting down in Beijing. Just like how the HMV in downtown Vancouver closed its doors a few years ago, entertainment retailers were heavily impacted by the increasing availability and accessibility of digital file downloads. iTunes, in this sense, was certainly a successful disruptive innovator that pressured and drove its competitors to conform.
Nonetheless, what ultimately makes a new idea or method successful is how well it can simplify or solve a problem in the most direct and effective way, so that all stakeholders can benefit in a more convenient manner.
Work Cited
Shaughnessy, Haydn. “Disruptive Innovation and the Retail Experience.” Disruptive Innovation and the Retail Experience. HYPE Innovation Blog, 9 July 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
Image (url):
http://blog.vistage.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/disruptive-innovation.jpg