What is the main message of Jobs to Be Done?

Discovering and satisfying customers' needs and desires is crucial for successful innovation.

How long does it take to read Jobs to Be Done?

The reading time for Jobs to Be Done varies depending on the reader's speed. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.

Marketing & Sales

Jobs to Be Done Book Summary - Jobs to Be Done Book explained in key points

Listen to the Intro

00:00

Jobs to Be Done summary

Name: Jobs to Be Done
Rating: 4.1 (49 reviews)
Author: Stephen Wunker, Jessica Wattman & David Farber

Stephen Wunker Jessica Wattman David Farber

A Roadmap for Customer-Centered Innovation

4.1 (49 ratings)

15 mins

Brief summary

Jobs to Be Done by Stephen Wunker, Jessica Wattman, and David Farber is a business book that explores the theory of jobs to be done, providing valuable insights on how to create products and services that truly meet customers' needs and solve their problems.

Topics

Strategy Product Management Entrepreneurship Marketing Leadership Innovation

Table of Contents

Jobs to Be Done
Summary of 6 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 6

What’s in it for me? Learn how to make products and services that customers actually want.

The concepts we’re about to get into, which is sometimes referred to as the “Jobs to be Done methodology,” aren’t new ones. This framework was developed by the popular Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen. Christensen had a lot of experience serving on boards of directors of various companies, as well as being a CEO. His experience taught him a lot about the power of disruptive innovation, which is woven into the principles of Jobs to Be Done.

In the sections that follow, we’ll see how the “jobs'' in question pertain to the daily tasks that customers are trying to get done. By focusing on these jobs, companies can uncover innovative opportunities, and even avoid the pitfalls that many fall into. In short, we’ll look at the benefits of asking “Why?” and digging deeper into the realm of customer behavior to find exciting solutions and new possibilities for growth and disruption.

Helping customers do their jobs

Every company hopes to innovate, but the question always is, how? The Jobs-based approach aims to provide you with a roadmap full of actionable steps you can take to generate truly innovative ideas.

The jobs approach is a customer-centric approach. It’s all about taking a deeper look at customer behavior to identify the latent opportunities in the market. It’s asking, What jobs are customers trying to accomplish with the products they buy, and why are they doing these jobs? With this perspective, you can also identify the pain points related to current solutions and guide your businesses toward profitability.

While it helps to reach out to potential customers and ask questions, sometimes customers might not fully understand what they want or why they want it. Surprisingly, this knowledge gap can be a source of innovation and growth. So you need to ask the right questions. When you delve into the “why” behind people's actions, you can uncover the emotional, psychological, and practical factors that drive their choices.

Understanding the jobs that people are trying to get done is crucial to predicting which products or services they'll embrace. Breakthroughs come from reimagining problems, not just offering slightly improved solutions to existing challenges. Designing a product that simply adds a new feature to something that already exists is neither innovative nor a path to long-term growth.

It’s also important to look beyond the products that people are currently using to get their jobs done. When you focus on the job itself, you can begin to rethink the solution completely. Think of it this way: When someone goes to the hardware store, they don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill; they want to make a quarter-inch hole.

The more specific you get, the better. And when you carefully walk through every step of the job, you can uncover the emotional components of the job as well.

Take Beats Electronics, for example. Quality-wise, their headphones are inferior to other brands. So, if the only part of the job were sound quality, customers would look elsewhere. But when they were first released, Beats headphones also satisfied an emotional need. They were stylish; they gave customers a seat with the cool kids in the cafeteria. That was something other headphones weren’t doing.

Designing products that excel in functional jobs and appeal to emotional needs is a winning strategy. Once you develop an understanding of customer jobs, you’ll be on the path to gaining insights that will guide the development of products, services, and business models that truly meet people's needs. We’ll dig deeper into this process in the sections ahead.

What’s driving the job?

Once you know that the first step is to focus on customer jobs, you can start to dissect those jobs in order to understand what’s really driving them. The concept of "job drivers" is crucial as it can lead to all kinds of possibilities for growth and innovation.

Job drivers are the hidden contextual elements that influence the importance of specific jobs in a customer's life. Consider the successful gym franchise, Planet Fitness. They looked at job drivers and discovered that there was an underserved market for customers who wanted a non-intimidating gym environment that didn’t cost too much. Along with low, flexible membership rates, they offered food benefits like Pizza Mondays and Bagel Tuesdays. These considerations are driven by the job drivers of their customers, leading to successful targeting and customer satisfaction.

Processing the pain points

When you dig into customer jobs, you can uncover even more important factors, like the pain points they’re currently coping with, as well as additional stakeholders who can be easily overlooked. These insights expand the space for both incremental and breakthrough innovations.

Identifying key stakeholders beyond the product purchaser is vital. A good way of doing this is to create a process map from the customer's perspective. This breaks down the job from when they begin thinking about doing it right through to when it's satisfied. This will help uncover the key players – like partners, kids, roommates, or even beloved pets – and their influence on defining the jobs.

Measuring success and avoiding roadblocks

Is a win for your company really a win for the customer? Success in product development is often elusive and not easily predicted. However, companies that excel in understanding and satisfying the right jobs – and alleviating the right pain points – tend to have the greatest success. This means honing in on contexts that matter to customers and understanding their true motivations.

Beyond just satisfying jobs, it's crucial to comprehend how customers want to satisfy those jobs. It's not always about more; it's about understanding what customers want more of, what they want less of, and where they seek balance.

Pricing and value

In this section we’re going to talk about value. This is about translating the insights you’ve gained through customer research and turning them into value for the customer and revenue for your business.

To start with, let’s consider the Hershey brand. In the early 1980s, Hershey was losing a lot of ground to its competitors. But when it started taking a closer look at its customers, it had the revelation that adults, not children, were the primary consumers of candy. With this knowledge, Hershey began to design confections that addressed the emotional needs of this demographic. This strategic shift allowed Hershey to regain its position as a confection leader and expand the candy market.

Better brainstorming

Let’s say that you’ve conducted a broad range of customer research and drawn up your process maps to identify all the stakeholders and pain points. You might be ready to put your heads together and come up with some great ideas. So let’s look at some of the dos and don’ts of brainstorming.

Right off the bat, it’s important to know that boss-led brainstorming is often fruitless. Team members tend to be intimidated, and so they’ll propose safe and uninspired ideas, fearing that bold concepts won't be appreciated. This early influx of uninspired ideas tends to dominate discussions.

Want to see all full key ideas from Jobs to Be Done?

Key ideas in Jobs to Be Done

More knowledge in less time

Read or listen

Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.

Find your next read

Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.

Shortcasts ^New

We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

What is Jobs to Be Done about?

Jobs to Be Done (2016) offers an up-to-date look at one of the most respected strategies for creating sought-after, innovative products. This methodology is laser-focused on customer research and understanding what they need in order to get jobs done.

Jobs to Be Done Review

Jobs to Be Done (2016) explores a revolutionary framework for understanding customer needs and designing successful products. Here's why this book is worth reading:

It offers a practical toolkit for uncovering customers' true motivations, helping businesses create products that customers truly want.
The book provides real-world case studies that demonstrate the power of the Jobs-to-Be-Done approach in driving innovation and achieving business success.
With its fresh perspective on customer research and problem-solving, it challenges traditional thinking and inspires new ways of approaching product development.

Who should read Jobs to Be Done?

CEOs looking for new ideas
Marketing and design fanatics
Research and development teams

About the Author

Stephen Wunker is an accomplished author known for his expertise in customer-centered innovation and jobs-to-be-done theory. With a background in consulting and strategy, he has shared his insights through books and articles, helping businesses prioritize customer needs in their innovation processes.

Jessica Wattman has a PhD in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As the director of social innovation at New Markets Advisors, she has extensive experience in researching unstable environments around the world and finding innovative solutions.

David Farber is a manager at New Markets Advisors and a specialist at using Jobs-based research in helping companies around the globe find new opportunities for growth and innovation.

Categories with Jobs to Be Done

Marketing & Sales Management & Leadership Entrepreneurship Productivity

Book summaries like Jobs to Be Done

Getting Naked

Patrick Lencioni

A Business Fable About Shedding The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty

9 min

4.4

Competing Against Luck

Clayton M. Christensen

The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice

18 min

4.2

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People

Susan M. Weinschenk

The essential guide for every designer from a behavioral psychologist

16 min

4.3

Attitude Is Everything

Jeff Keller

Change Your Attitude... Change Your Life!

20 min

4.2

13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do

Amy Morin

Take Back Your Power, Embrace Change, Face Your Fears and Train Your Brain for Happiness and Success

40 min

4.6

Workstyle

Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst

A revolution for wellbeing, productivity and society

21 min

3.8

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

Intuition or deliberation? Where you can (and can't) trust your brain

28 min

4.4

The Upside of Your Dark Side

Todd Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Diener

Why Being Your Whole Self – Not Just Your “Good” Self – Drives Success and Fulfillment

Uncover the Hidden Forces Shaping Public Perception

Scaling Startups from 10 to 10,000 People

16 min

Purple Cow

Seth Godin

Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

The Scientific Approach to Getting Healthier as You Get Older

20 min

4.1

The Art of Influencing Anyone

Niall Cassidy

The classic must-read for anyone who wants to learn how to sound more convincing and persuasive

17 min

4.0

Hacking Growth

Sean Ellis & Morgan Brown

How Today's Fastest-Growing Companies Drive Breakout Success

How to Use Empathy to Create Products People Love

How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs

An Amazing Way to Deal With Change in Your Work and in Your Life

11 min

4.4

The Ideal Team Player

Patrick Lencioni

How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues. A Leadership Fable

14 min

4.4

Value Proposition Design

Alexander Osterwalder

How to Create Products and Services Customers Want

Secrets for Commanding Attention and Getting Results

How to Pivot Toward What Matters

17 min

4.5

Why Nations Fail

Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson

The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

29 min

4.6

Crucial Conversations

Kerry Patterson

Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High

20 min

4.1

ReWork

Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Unorthodox advice for growing companies

The Psychology of Persuasion

How We Built a Workplace People Love

14 min

3.7

80/20 Sales and Marketing

Perry Marshall

The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More

Fortune Favors the Brave

18 min

4.3

Sun Tzu and the Art of Business

Mark R. McNeilly

Six Strategic Principles for Managers

Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts.

On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty

Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality

The War of the Presidents

Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance

16 min

4.3

How Big Things Get Done

Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner

The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration

Why You're Not Built for Constant Happiness, and How to Enjoy the Journey

Ignite Your Power, Your Purpose, and Your Why

The Art of Standing Out in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Exploring Myths that Shape our Identity and Reality

20 min

3.7

Read People Like a Book

Patrick King

How to Analyze, Understand, and Predict People’s Emotions, Thoughts, Intentions, and Behaviors

21 min

3.9

Help Me, I Have No Discipline and Zero Self-Control

Vaughn Carter

The Secret Formula to Breaking Bad Habits, Mastering Mental Toughness, and Reaching Your Goals

18 min

4.2

High Output Management

Andrew S. Grove

Tips from the former chairman and CEO of Intel

How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness

Shipping Creative Work

25 min

4.6

I Know What to Do So Why Don't I Do It?

Nick Hall

The New Science of Self-Discipline

The New Science of Successful Women

How Compassionate Accountability Builds Vibrant Relationships, Thriving Workplaces, and Meaningful Lives

20 min

4.4

The Narcissist's Playbook

Dana Morningstar

How to Identify, Disarm, and Protect Yourself from Narcissists, Sociopaths, Psychopaths, and Other Types of Manipulative and Abusive People

20 min

The Anxious Generation

Jonathan Haidt

How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

Getting Things Done with Others

19 min

4.2

People ❤️ Blinkist

Sven O.

It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

Thi Viet Quynh N.

Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

Jonathan A.

Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

Renee D.

Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.