Better Input from Consumers Needed for Disruptive Innovation

Disruptive Innovation more about Empowerment than Entitlement
Rick Mueller, Student (University), United States
Hi Luisa, I believe we might all agree that consumption will be constrained by resources and priorities, but might I suggest a minor but meaningful change to the axiom to make it more specific to what I perceive to be the Christensen’s doctrine on Disruptive Innovation?

I'd like to propose that Disruptive Innovation might be most effectively characterized as the development and deployment of products and services which allow consumers to ACCOMPLISH more rather than simply CONSUME more.

Clearly for commercial success that accomplishment must be something that many would have been kept from, perhaps not even considered possible before the introduction of a Disruptive Innovation.

It is precisely (I believe) the sense of empowerment rather than entitlement that sets Disruptive Innovation apart from the great bulk of other innovation.

Thoughts?

Disruption is Neutral on Consumption
Think Disruptive, Business Consultant, United States
Disruption often enables lower levels of consumption, while simultaneously opening the market for wider participation by those who currently can't afford or lack access to a solution.
As Rick says, disruptive innovation is not about consuming more. In some cases that might be the result, but if innovators are truly satisfying important "jobs to be done" that consumers want/need done, then over time a natural consequence of disruptive innovations will be that we all use less, and that we will solve inefficient use and waste of resources.

Disruptive innovations are generally better tuned to real consumer needs, as well as enabling more people at different economic strata and levels of expertise to participate -- it's a side-effect of what makes them disruptive.