article thumbnail

The Businesses That Platforms Are Actually Disrupting

Harvard Business Review

Uber’s global assault on the taxi industry is well known. It has mainly disrupted the hotel chains, which are not platforms, but it may well disrupt online booking sites, which are. They used new technology to hammer ad-supported media. Platforms are all the rage these days. Airbnb is the one exception.

article thumbnail

The 5 Requirements of a Truly Innovative Company

Harvard Business Review

It takes a systematic approach to build a systemic capability—whether that is Amazon’s logistics prowess or the near-flawless service you receive as a guest at a Four Seasons hotel. In our experience, it can take several months for a company to hammer out its defini­tion of innovation. So it is with innovation.