Disruptive innovation: A historical review and recent developments

Nizar M. Benazzouz

Published : 2019-05-06

Vol. 9 No. 29 (2018)

Disruptive innovation: A historical review and recent developments

Nizar M. Benazzouz

Section: Articles Varia

Abstract

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to summarize and discuss key findings in the literature around the concept of disruption or disruptive innovation and how the ad hoc academic knowledge evolved in the recent couple of decades.

THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The research method is based on historical and critical literature review. Hence, this paper discusses other scholars’ research and findings around the topic of disruption innovation.

THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: This paper starts with a summary of Christensen’s disruption theory (1997) followed by some important clarifications of ad hoc definitions. Then it inspects some of this theory weaknesses highlighted in the literature before investigating the main recent developments in the last couple of decades and the related research venues.

RESEARCH RESULTS: Despite the positive efforts made by many scholars to reconcile Christensen’s disruption theory (1997) with the reality of the market and empirical data and to clarify the concept of disruption and its numerous implications and frameworks, some fuzziness and many gaps are still persisting in the extant literature. Namely, a normalized and exhaustive disruption framework seems to be missing hitherto.

CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: This paper provides a refined picture of the academic discussion around disruption innovation, and is hence a useful starting point for researchers interested in topics related to “innovation management” who would like to investigate further avenues of research directly or indirectly linked to disruption.

Keywords

disruption innovation ; technology ; business model ; ambidexterity ; incumbents ; entrants

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