We
live in disruptive times. Both the financial crisis and the imminent
threats from global warming, severe resource problems and ecosystem
break-down call for measures from governments, companies and
individuals that are not just incrementally better, but totally
different.
And change is not optional. Those who fail to change quickly enough will not survive.
The obvious question that arises is, “Who’s got it and who hasn’t?”.
I mean, what governments and organisations will be able to respond in a
sufficently proactive way to build new competitive advantage in a
future society where a lot has changed. Is it a matter of size? Will
only the small survive, or the big?
Size is definitely one important parameter. When you look at the
automotive industry for instance, it is quite obvious that the market
is now bubbling with new technologies, but that they mostly come from
new companies. The incumbent seem to be laggards and they are already
suffering badly from this.
But in previous technology shifts, some of the incumbent giants have
typically kept in the game by using their strong balance sheet and
buying a lot of the innovative new companies.
We’ll see what happens this time.
