The Myths of Disruption: How Established Firms are Adapting to the Digital Age

Julian Birkinshaw

Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School

as recording during on 1 June 2021 as part of Innov8rs Connect Unconference.


The concept of disruptive innovation – whereby established leaders lose out to upstarts with low-end but fast improving technologies – is hugely influential among academic and practitioners.

In this talk, Julian Birkinshaw shared findings from his recent research to show that disruption is a much less common and more nuanced phenomenon than commonly believed. The important story, he argued, is not about newcomers killing off incumbents, it is about incumbents adapting effectively to the fast-changing digital environment.

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About the speaker

Julian Birkinshaw is Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Faculty Advisor for Executive Education at the London Business School. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and the (American) Academy of Management.

Professor Birkinshaw is a recognised thought-leader on the impact of digital technology on the strategy and organsation of established companies, for example such topics as digital disruption, agile working, corporate entrepreneurship, business model innovation and management innovation. He is the author of fifteen books, including Mindtools for Managers (2018), Fast/Forward (2017), Becoming a Better Boss (2013), Reinventing Management (2010), Giant Steps in Management (2007), Inventuring: Why Big Companies Must Think Small (2003), and Entrepreneurship in the Global Firm (2001), as well as over one hundred articles.

Professor Birkinshaw is currently ranked as one of the “Thinkers 50” top thought leaders in the field of Management. He is regularly quoted in international media outlets, including CNN, BBC, The Economist, the Wall Street Journal, the Huffington Post, Bloomberg Business Week and The Times. He is a regular keynote speaker and a consultant to many large companies, such as BP, Dell Technologies, Roche, Tata Group, BMW, Unilever, Enel, and Orsted.