Competing against luck. The story of innovation and customer choice

The foremost authority on innovation and growth presents a transformative guide for companies to shift from chance-driven innovation to creating products and services that customers are eager to buy at premium prices. How can businesses ensure growth and develop desirable products? Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, known for his theory of disruptive innovation, provides answers through years of research. He challenges the long-held belief that understanding customers is key to innovation, asserting instead that customers "hire" products to fulfill specific jobs. Success in innovation stems from comprehending these customer jobs rather than merely understanding the customers themselves. This "Jobs to Be Done" approach is exemplified by leading companies and startups like Amazon, Intuit, Uber, Airbnb, and Chobani yogurt. However, the focus of this work is not on celebrating these successes but on predicting future ones. By grasping what drives customers to "hire" a product or service, businesses can enhance their innovation outcomes, crafting offerings that customers are willing to pay a premium for. This book outlines Christensen’s framework, detailing the theory's predictive nature, its real-world applications, and how to effectively leverage the insights it provides for sustainable growth.