The innovator's dilemma : when new technologies cause great firms to fail / Clayton M. Christensen.

How can great firms fail? Insights from the hard disk drive industry --
Value networks and the impetus to innovate --
Disruptive technological change in the mechanical excavator industry --
What goes up, can't go down --
Give responsibility for disruptive technologies to organizations whose customers need them --
Match the size of the organization to the size of the market --
Discovering new and emerging markets --
Performance provided, market demand, and the product life cycle --
Managing disruptive technological change: a case study --
The dilemmas of innovation: a summary.

"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-now updated with a fresh new package-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. Add this newly released edition to your library. Published by Harvard Business Review Press"--

"In this revolutionary bestseller, innovation expert Clayton M. Christensen says outstanding companies can do everything right and still lose their market leadership--or worse, disappear altogether. And not only does he prove what he says, but he tells others how to avoid a similar fate. Focusing on "disruptive technology," Christensen shows why most companies miss out on new waves of innovation. Whether in electronics or retailing, a successful company with established products will get pushed aside unless managers know when to abandon traditional business practices. Using the lessons of successes and failures from leading companies, The Innovator's Dilemma presents a set of rules for capitalizing on the phenomenon of disruptive innovation. Find out: When it is right not to listen to customers. When to invest in developing lower-performance products that promise lower margins. When to pursue small markets at the expense of seemingly larger and more lucrative ones. Sharp, cogent, and provocative, The Innovator's Dilemma is one of the most talked-about books of our time--and one no savvy manager or entrepreneur should be without"--

Includes bibliographical references and index.