Big Bang Disruption summary

If you don’t want to get obliterated by the next big bang, then you should learn how to spot disruptors before the disruption begins. Luckily, this isn’t so hard to do, as all Big Bang Disruptors have three characteristics in common.

First, they use undisciplined strategy. Businesses of yore tended to limit themselves to a single “market discipline.” That is, they’d conduct a considerable amount of research and do a great deal of strategizing before bringing a product to market. If the analysis indicated that the potential product wasn’t superior to, or cheaper than, competing products, then it was a no-go.

We live in a cyclical world. The things that are today will, at some point, no longer be. And Big Bang Disruptors are no exception.

Each Big Bang Disruption goes through a four-stage life cycle.

If you sense that a company has entered the Singularity stage, your best defense against the impending market explosion is to simply play along and get ready to do some disrupting of your own. Doing this is a matter of following three rules.

First off, hunt down and talk to the inquisitive individuals who’ve taken the time to gain an expert-level understanding of your industry. These people – we’ll call them truth-tellers – will be able to help you forecast how emerging technologies and cutting-edge strategies may affect the industry’s future landscape.

Boom. The Big Bang hits – and everything is changing, fast. Old markets are abandoned as customers are drawn to the new one like iron filings to an all-powerful magnet.

You’ve survived the Singularity, and, luckily, you’re part of this new market. That means it’s time to start following the next three rules.

During the Big Bang, market disruptors will generate a great deal of value and profit. As one of them, you’ll be feeling pretty optimistic. But remember, even during this exciting ascent you should prepare for decline. The next stage in the disruption life cycle is never far off.

When the Big Crunch begins, the disrupted market will reach saturation point, and all your inventory and capacity could become useless.

So you made it through the Big Crunch. But now you’ve got to survive the final stage in the Big Bang Disruption life cycle: Entropy. There are three rules that’ll help you do this.

The first – rule number ten – is to avoid black holes. After being disrupted, a market can soon turn into a black hole, as customers leave and take their business to the new market created by the big bang.