Strategic thinking about disruptive technologies

Abstract

Purpose

A company's strategy work is not complete without a consideration of the ongoing emergence of disruptive technologies from laboratories around the globe. This paper aims to offerone such methodology – the opportunity‐discovery process – to systematically look at a full range of emerging technologies, see the commercialization possibilities, and lay the foundation for understanding what to do.

Design/methodology/approach

All of the steps in the opportunity‐discovery process are demonstrated in a project done for the US government. The challenge was to identify the most important civilian technologies disruptive to the US interests up to 2025.

Findings

In this paper, biogerontechnology is used to show the product of the analysis methodology. For biogerontechnology, the disruptive potential comes in the form of new treatment modalities and shifts in the cost, allocation, and use of health‐care resources.

Research limitations/implications

More research needs to be done to examine the commercial opportunities of biogerontechnology.

Practical implications

The task of analyzing disruptive technologies is also critically important because making the uncertainties about the future explicit is the key to understanding the possibilities and making good choices about where and when to invest the company's precious time and resources.

Originality/value

This is the first case study of the SRI‐BC opportunity analysis, and it highlights the scenario approach to understanding disruptive technology.

Citation

Evans, N., Ralston, B. and Broderick, A. (2009), "Strategic thinking about disruptive technologies", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 37 No. 1, pp. 23-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/10878570910926034