OIM4520 Leading Innovation: At Gorillas, Chimps and Monkeys
(Formerly Innovation Dynamics & Disruption)
2 Advanced Management Credits
IBM was the largest firm (a Gorilla) in the mainframe computer industry. However, a startup (a Monkey) called Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) came and displaced IBM in the next generation of products called mini-computers. Then, another Monkey called Apple created an entirely new personal computer industry. IBM, the Gorilla, was fast becoming obsolete. Yet, IBM avoided disruption by also entering the PC industry in 1981 and then dominating it. However, by the early 1990s, many more Monkeys and Gorillas - Compaq, Dell, HP, and others - entered the PC industry with lower prices and more profitable business models. In 1993, IBM posted the then-biggest loss in history of corporate America - $8 billion. The game between Gorillas, Chimps and Monkeys is never ending and the dynamics of competition and innovation between them changes the world that we live in. This course goes deep into: (1) How Monkeys can beat Gorillas. (2) How Gorillas will fight back. (3) How Chimps can succeed in the middle. (4) How entrepreneurial leaders navigate uncertainty and lead change. (5) How innovation can change the dynamics of competition.
Prerequisites: None