Let’s start with the good news: Advances in digitization, biotechnology and smart materials — each representing the convergence of multiple discrete technologies —are increasing opportunities in a wide variety of industries. Major discontinuities in the competitive landscape — deregulation, ubiquitous connectivity and globalization — are further accelerating this trend. As the competitive environment rapidly transforms, the potential for innovation is greater than ever.
And now the bad news: Managers are under overwhelming pressure to create value. Competition is intense, and profit margins are shrinking. Traditional prescriptions such as cost reduction, reengineering and outsourcing, while critically important, cannot solve the problems of margin pressure. The need to innovate is greater than ever.
In this new world, value creation through profitable growth can come only from innovation. But the convergence of industries and the active role of consumers in an increasingly networked society have called into question our basic conception of value and the processes that lead to its creation, including the alchemy of innovation. Managers are discovering that neither value nor innovation can any longer be successfully and sustainably generated through a company-centric, product-and-service-focused prism. A new point of view is required, one that allows individual customers to actively co-construct their own consumption experiences through personalized interaction, thereby co-creating unique value for themselves. There are no best practices to illustrate this perspective because, indeed, no single company can yet be held up as an exemplar of it. Rather we seek to explore next practices, to pick up the early, weak signals of a fundamentally changing paradigm and amplify them into a clearer picture. (See “About the Research.”)
The Emerging Competitive Landscape
Converging technologies are causing industry boundaries to shift and blur, changing the very nature of products and services. Consider the emerging competitive landscape fostered by digitalization. Traditionally, the education, communication, leisure and entertainment markets all were served by distinctly different industries and businesses: the consumer electronics industry (including television and audio/video products); the computer business (including desktops, laptops and video consoles); the communication devices industry (including phones and pagers); the software business; the music industry and the movie industry. Just 20 years ago, each of these industries had its respective established competitors and unique competitive dynamics. It was a world of certainty in which features and functionality were embedded in the product. A still camera was different from a video camera. A television was different from a computer. Competitors, channels and customers accepted those distinctions,
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Hello!
I am a graduate student pursuing my Masters in Business Administration at the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape town, South Africa.
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Kind Regards.