The author presents a compelling look at how innovation transforms industries, raising the fortunes of some firms while destroying others. The book draws on the rich history of innovation by inventors and entrepreneurs - ranging from the birth of typewriters to the emergence of personal computers, gas lamps to fluorescent lighting, George Eastman's amateur photography to electronic imaging - to develop a practical model for how innovation enters an industry, how mainstream firms typically respond, and how - over time - new and old players wrestle for dominance. Utterback asserts that existing organizations must consistently abandon past success and embrace innovation - even when it undermines their traditional strengths. He sets forth a strategy to do so, and identifies the responsibilities of managers to lead and focus that effort.

作者展示了一个引人注目的视角，展示了创新如何改变产业，在提高一些企业财富的同时摧毁其他企业。本书借鉴了发明家和企业家丰富的创新历史，从打字机的诞生到个人电脑的出现，从煤气灯到荧光灯，从乔治·伊斯曼的业余摄影到电子成像，为创新如何进入一个行业开发了一个实用的模型，主流企业通常如何应对，以及随着时间的推移，新老企业如何争夺主导地位。厄特贝克认为，现有组织必须始终如一地放弃过去的成功，拥抱创新——即使创新削弱了它们的传统优势。他制定了这样做的战略，并确定了管理者领导和集中精力的责任。