Disrupting my notions

Disruptive Technologies was fascinating today. Professor Utterback traced back over the history of light bulbs and made many salient points along the way.

A student had asked about "first mover advantage" in the previous class. He promised to address it later and did so at the beginning of class today. There are a couple of papers he spoke about (I don't have the references on hand) that covered the issue in some detail. The net result after looking at the "first mover advantage" for more than 10 years is that if anything, first mover advantage ends up being a slight disadvantage in aggregate. I look forward to reading the papers.

Another point Utterback made concerns the fact that large companies have consistently shown to create significant advances in technology when challenged by a competitor, but can only improve 3-5% when not challenged. What does that say about what people are doing at large companies that aren't facing direct technological competition? It furthers my suspicion that large companies are filled with inefficient workers that add little to the bottom line. I estimate that in companies with tens of thousands of employees that you could cut 10% easy and potentially more of the workforce with little impact to the bottom line or the long-term results of the company. I don't have empirical data, it is just a guestimate based on all the inefficiencies I've seen in big companies. But I digress…

Lastly, Utterback pointed out that companies tend to focus on improving only their own technologies as opposed to trying new technologies and improving them. For example, when Edison was making advances with electric-based lighting, the gas companies were scrambling to figure out how to make lighting efficient with gas. Companies would rather eek out performance in a long-standing technology than get ahead of the performance curve by adopting a new, promising technology.

Interesting stuff.

15.840 - Innovation in the Marketplace

Here is the course description for my Innovation in the Marketplace class:

The relationship between manufacturers and the customers they serve is changing very rapidly. Firms are increasingly outsourcing their product development. At the same time customers – both industrial buyers and end consumers – are rapidly becoming much more active as innovators. We examine this “Internet Age” change and explore its implications for the business models of both new and traditional manufacturers.
von Hippel

15.365J - Disruptive Technologies: Predator or Prey?

Here is the course description for my Disruptive Technologies class:

Focuses on the management of product and process innovation and on economic, management, and technological influences on innovation. Both sustaining and disruptive innovations in products and manufacturing processes covered in lectures and cases presented by the leaders of change in different industries. Emphasis on emerging and disruptive technologies as seen from the points of view of entering firms (predators) and incumbent firms (prey) are covered in a class exercise, and project (preferably done in small groups).
J. M. Utterback

15.905 - Technology Strategy

Here is the course description for my Technology Strategy class:

Provides a series of strategic frameworks for managing high-technology businesses. Emphasis on the development and application of conceptual models which clarify the interactions between competition, patterns of technological and market change, and the structure and development of internal firm capabilities.

Final semester

My final semester at MIT has started and I'm taking just a few classes remotely from NC. I also have a thesis to finish (which I've yet to start!) I plan to graduate in June assuming all goes well.

Since I'm not on campus this term and not in the thick of things, I don't expect to post much to this blog. I will post occasionally as interesting things come up. After I graduate in June, I'll officially retire this blog to the blogosphere graveyard.