SESSION 4 - The managers guide to IT innovation waves

Question 1

Whats the article about?

Answer 1

Many executives have problems in making wise decisions about which innovations to adopt when

Hype cycle (by Gartner): analytical tool for assessing progress and acceptance of new IT; describes how new IT innovations break upon business scene in wave-like, attention-grabbing fashion

Question 2

Whats the difference between innovating mindlessly and innovating mindfully?

Answer 2

• primary lesson for manager: recognising the differences among components of particular wave – whether actual adoptions measure up to the talk, how successful implementation is, whether value is added

Innovating mindlessly: jumping on innovation’s bandwagon without giving much thought to unique circumstances of his/her company

Innovating mindfully: taking company circumstances into account in deciding whether, when and how to join others in adopting an IT innovation

• IT innovation wave machine is powerful institutional force hard to resist: innovating mindlessly often happens as managers would like to be known as innovators + do not want to risk competitive survival of firm