Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation in Your Business

Luke Williams

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© 2011 by Luke Williams
Pearson Education, Inc.
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Printed in the United States of America

First Printing December 2010

ISBN-10: 0-13-702514-9

ISBN-13: 978-0-13-702514-5

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Williams, Luke
 Disrupt : think the unthinkable to spark transformation in your business / Luke Williams.
   p. cm.
 Includes bibliographical references and index.
 ISBN 978-0-13-702514-5 (hardback : alk. paper)
 1. Organizational change. 2. Creative ability in business. 3. Disruptive innovation. 4. Success
in business. I. Title.
 HD58.8.W544 2011
 658.4'063--dc22
                                2010033361

Dedication

For my parents

Praise for Disrupt

“Disrupt is a simple yet incredibly powerful thought process that can help turn your business upside-down in seconds. Are you prepared to DISRUPT your business?”

—Martin Lindstrom, best-selling author of Buyology

“Remember the old Apple tagline, urging us all to ‘Think Different’? In this book, Luke Williams shows us how to do precisely that. Disrupt helps you look at business—and the world around you—through a fresh lens, one that turns assumptions and convention upside down. Best of all, this is a practical book for the real world—Williams reveals not just how to come up with disruptive ideas, but how to nurture them, test them, pitch them, and ultimately make them real and profitable.”

—Warren Berger, author of Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Your Business, Your Life, and Maybe Even the World

“Luke Williams has a powerful message for companies today: Don’t wait for a couple guys in a garage to come up with an idea that will upend your business. With the tools he outlines in Disrupt, companies can light their own innovative sparks, ensuring that they will be their industry’s pacesetters, instead of the ones left in the dust.”

—Linda Tischler, Senior Editor, Fast Company

“If you need to drive disruptive innovation in your own organization—and you do—this is the guide you’ve been looking for. Luke Williams not only knows what it takes to create disruptive innovation. He knows how to explain it, in simple, clear, and practical concepts that anyone can use in their own organization. Buy this book if you want your work to make a difference.”

—David L. Rogers, executive director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership, and author of The Network Is Your Customer: Five Strategies to Thrive in a Digital Age

“With its examples of game-changing disruptions, Disrupt is an essential read. This very practical step-by-step guide will enable you to successfully implement the ‘think different’ imperative.”

—Stewart Emery, best-selling co-author of Success Built to Last and Do you Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company

“Luke teaches us that the ‘best’ in best practice is to approach a business with no fear and new eyes.”

—Scott Galloway, Professor of Marketing, NYU Stern; Founder, L2

“Luke Williams is the master at unleashing big thoughts. His book, Disrupt, shows us how to do what sometimes seems impossible—conceiving and executing bold ideas with massive potential. At the Nike Foundation, we’ve put Luke’s principles to work and had tremendous results.”

—Stuart Hogue, Director, Systems at Scale, Nike Foundation

“A truly timely book, Disrupt has the power to change the world for many of us by uncovering the act of innovative disruption necessary to keep evolving in the years to come.”

—Ric Peralta, CEO, ATTIK

“The game has changed; to thrive and not just survive, companies need to shake up the status quo and be disruptive.”

—Bill Wackermann, author of Flip the Script

“For those companies second-guessing their future paths, ponder no longer. Disrupt provides that path, and it may be your only real strategy in today’s climate.”

—Andy Stefanovich, Chief Curator and Provocateur, Prophet

“At some time, someone somewhere is going to disrupt your entire industry. Shouldn’t it be you? In this easy-to-follow step-by-step guide, Luke Williams reveals a way of thinking that has the power to transform your business. Read this book before your competitors do.”

—Cordell Ratzlaff, Director of User-Centered Design, Cisco

“I’ve observed Luke’s process of disruptive thinking generate remarkably innovative solutions. I hope that many more companies will disrupt their existing innovation processes to benefit as well. They’ll be glad they did!”

—Peter N. Golder, Professor of Marketing, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and co-author of Will and Vision: How Latecomers Grow to Dominate Markets

Acknowledgments

The initial spark for this book was generated when Michele Tepper put me in touch with Martha Cooley. The project was made possible by the vision, enthusiasm, and publishing support of Tim Moore, Amy Neidlinger, and Stewart Emery. Thank you all.

The creative community at frog design has provided an incredible home for the development of the thinking in this book. Special thanks to Sabah Ashraf, Valerie Casey, Ravi Chhatpar, Robert Curtis, Hartmut Esslinger, Robert Fabricant, Mark Gauger, Mikal Greaves, Chris Green, J Grossen, Jon Guerra, Cyrus Ipaktchi, Mike Lavigne, Tim Leberecht, Willy Loor, Doreen Lorenzo, Kristina Loring, Sara Munday, Howard Nuk, Mark Olson, Samir Patel, Mark Prommel, Adam Richardson, Patricia Roller, Mark Rolston, Christian Schluender, Jason Severs, Shady Shahid, Kate Swann, Michael Voege, and Carsten Wierwille. Prior to frog design, I worked with an inspiring cast of people in Australia who encouraged my interest in disruptive innovation: Don Barbour, Greg Barclay, Julian Ditchburn, James Duncan, Bernard Heaphy, Roslyn Herbert, Murray Hine, Liz Hutchinson, Susan MacDonald, Jacqueline Moth, Sam Pearson, Greg Ridder, Peter Robinson, John Scholten, Patrick Shing, and David Teller.

The opportunity to create and shape a graduate-level course at the Stern School of Business at NYU was made possible by the entrepreneurial spirit of Stuart Hogue, Doreen Lorenzo, and Scott Galloway, and the generous support of Sam Craig and Russell Winer. For two years, I had the privilege of teaching this course with Peter Golder, who had a tremendous impact on the course curriculum and content. Thanks also to Anne-Laure Sellier, an early supporter of the disruptive thinking process in her consumer behavior classes. To my students in the “Innovation & Design” course, a big thank you for helping refine the framework, clarify the steps, and showing me how to talk about innovation without the consulting jargon.

The team at Pearson Education has been a pleasure to work with: Pamela Boland, Gina Kanouse, Julie Phifer, Laura Czaja, Megan Colvin, Kristy Hart, Sheri Cain, Joy Lee, and Dan Uhrig. Thanks to Russ Hall for working his magic on the early drafts, and Lori Lyons for her astonishing patience and attention to detail on the final drafts. Special thanks to my superb editor, Jeanne Glasser, for shepherding the manuscript through the writing process and shaping the book’s final form.

A huge thank you to my literary agent, Jim Levine, for helping navigate the process—from proposal to print. Jim, your guidance and advice have been invaluable. Thanks also to the wonderful team at the Levine Greenberg Agency for their support, particularly Elizabeth Fisher and Kerry Sparks.

I’m indebted to my closest collaborator on this project, Armin Brott, who shaped and massaged the tone, language, and structure of this book, with patience, insight, and unwavering commitment. Thank you Armin.

Thanks also to my friend and former frog design colleague, Jonah Staw, for graciously sharing the story of Little Miss Matched and providing valuable insights on the development and positioning of this book.

To the superb writers, critical thinkers, and leaders who endorsed this book. You are a constant source of inspiration: Warren Berger, Jamyn Edis, Stewart Emery, Scott Galloway, Seth Godin, Peter Golder, Stuart Hogue, Martin Lindstrom, Ric Peralta, Cordell Ratzlaff, David Rogers, Andy Stefanovich, Linda Tischler, and Bill Wackermann. This book exists because of the intellectual foundation laid by Edward de Bono, Gary Hamel, and Tom Peters.

And finally, a heartfelt thank-you to my family and friends for your patient support: Tim Bilham, Paul Bryan, Simon Chard, Rod Cobain, Katarina Cobain, Ben Eddie, Anya Emerson, Felicity Forrester, Jason Humphris, Pete Jones, Jackie Laws, Toby MacKelden, Kirsten MacKelden, Ingrid Mallia, Matt Rainsford, Tamzine Walshe, and Angie Zorotheos. Thanks to Anthony Dorment for providing some much needed space to write in the early stages; Richard Troy for expert feedback on book jacket concepts; Damian Kernahan for insights on the manuscript; and Ainslie Baker for accommodating me during writing spurts in London. Special thanks to Ben Baker for generously providing the author photo and Freddy Anzures for the outstanding cover design. I’m deeply grateful for the wonderful support and encouragement of my grandfather, Laurie (the original disruptive thinker), my parents, Jenny and Keith, and my sister, Bri.

I hope you enjoy the book.