{"id":389,"date":"2015-12-15T12:00:25","date_gmt":"2015-12-15T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-ca\/industry\/blog\/industry\/2015\/12\/15\/3-ways-innovators-change-minds-and-markets-2\/"},"modified":"2018-09-20T20:04:03","modified_gmt":"2018-09-20T20:04:03","slug":"3-ways-innovators-change-minds-and-markets-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-ca\/industry\/blog\/financial-services\/2015\/12\/15\/3-ways-innovators-change-minds-and-markets-2\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways innovators change minds and markets"},"content":{"rendered":"
A disruptive technology\u2019s inherent magic is in the way it maneuvers through the market to emerge mainstream. Initially entering on scene, it first forms in a niche: a lower segment of the market that\u2019s too expensive or sophisticated for the masses. From this alcove of inaccessibility, it is refined. In time (and at just<\/em> the right time<\/em>) it becomes impossible for consumers to resist\u2014standing out as more affordable, more efficient, and generally more worthwhile. And an industry is forever changed.<\/p>\n Today, Microsoft is launching Dare to Disrupt, a disruption self-assessment tool<\/a>, that helps today\u2019s leaders determine their organization\u2019s readiness to embrace disruptive technologies, based on McKinsey Global Institute\u2019s Disruptive Technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The beauty of the disruption is that humanity has everything to gain. Simply put, disruptive technologies put the consumer first in order to serve the under-served. They\u2019re for<\/em> the people.<\/p>\n So how did computer programmers and entrepreneurs become brilliant innovators? They dared to disrupt.<\/p>\n 1. Start small, and iterate.<\/strong><\/p>\n Disruptive innovators take small steps to make a big impact. When investor Paul Graham told Airbnb co-founders to \u00a0\u201cdo things that don\u2019t scale,\u201d<\/a> they ran with it. It meant focusing on creating a hospitality experience in a controlled setting, perfecting it, then building up from there\u2014and that\u2019s just what they did. They remained lean for as long as they could and personalized service to get pointed feedback. Seven years later, Airbnb<\/a> is a multi-billion\u2013dollar business that spans more than 190 countries.<\/p>\n 2. Dare to disrupt.<\/strong><\/p>\n The disruptor frames problems in ways that no one has before. For a solution to the world\u2019s energy problem,<\/a>\u00a0Elon Musk and his cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive are making solar panels accessible and adoption possible for the masses. SolarCity<\/a> is proving mastery over its market, thanks to the inherent power of the sun.<\/p>\n 3. Defend the integrity of your idea.<\/strong><\/p>\n All disruptors have critics, and so many buckle in the face of scrutiny. But not 31-year old Theranos<\/a> founder Elizabeth Holmes. With just a prick of the finger, Holmes\u2019 diagnostic lab test could disrupt the $75 billion lab test industry<\/a> and transform preventive medicine\u2014bringing cheaper blood tests and quicker results for all. Although the disruption hasn\u2019t yet materialized, media criticism is questioning the accuracy of the technology. A scathing WSJ article published in October raises highly technical questions on the integrity of the company, putting its long-term viability into question. What is Holmes\u2019 response<\/a>? Pointed rebuttals, detailed clarifications, and in-person interviews. On October 15, Theranos issued a press release that stated: \u201cStories like this come along when you threaten to change things\u2026. [N]othing will deter us from\u2026continuing to fight for transformative change in health care.\u201d<\/p>\n Who will be our next great disruptors?<\/strong><\/p>\n From business to art to how we live, innovative thinkers dare to take their passion projects to the doubters and the critics, leaving a bold, lasting mark on the masses. Will you be a disruptor or the disrupted?<\/p>\n