Disruptive innovation is a term that has recently become popular in the business world. From an organisational point of view, disruptive innovation is an innovation activity that runs counter to the prevailing market trends because it subverts the criteria by which market performance is judged, and is therefore extremely 'disruptive'. It is difficult for companies to adapt to the challenges posed by this type of innovation based on traditional mentality and profit mechanisms, so companies need to create a new approach outside of institutional inertia in order to promote disruptive innovation.
Disruptive innovation requires 'disruptive talent'. Disruptive people are people who are full of ideas, who don't throw out the so-called rules and who often break the rules of the game. In the business world, disruptive people are represented by Steve Jobs and Sir Richard Branson. Branson, who founded Virgin, once said, "If I am employed by another company, then my supervisors need to tolerate me having my own ideas and doing things my own way." When Branson was a child, his teacher said to Branson's mother, "The boy will either be prime minister or go to prison."
Should company managers tolerate such 'hard-liners' and make good use of them?
Many companies are keen to recruit people who are both competent and capable, and who follow directions, but the reality is that people who are independent thinkers and can see opportunities are often difficult to integrate into teams because they think differently. They are often unruly and critical, and therefore do not easily conform to the culture and discipline of the organisation. Disruptive people are particularly good at certain types of work (e.g. closely related to ideas, or requiring theoretical and paradigmatic innovation), but for jobs that require more standardisation and discipline (e.g. patiently communicating with clients and conducting detailed due diligence), their self-righteousness and haphazardness can often reduce team effectiveness. For this reason, disruptive people are often better suited to pioneering new roles.
How can managers harness the brainpower, drive and innovation of disruptive people while ensuring a harmonious and productive working environment for a team? Within the organisation, managers need to divide up the tasks and define the areas of responsibility for different types of talent. If the current situation and resources are not sufficient to support disruptive talent, then managers should communicate with them and find a satisfactory way out, rather than forcibly suppressing them with rules and systems that will only create an irresistible situation and even turn their talents and grievances into a disruption to organisational efficiency.
From a macro perspective, in today's business competition, "intellectual capital" is becoming increasingly important, and compared to traditional production workers, knowledge-based professional employees have a stronger voice and initiative by virtue of their intellectual capital. The relationship between managers and employees can be harmonised, and sometimes intellectual capital can be tapped through intrapreneurship.
