What do the telephone, the photocopier, the personal computer and Bloomberg's recent purchase of Bureau of National Affairs have in common? They are considered by CI experts to be examples of "disruptive innovations."
Defined as " a new dimension of performance compared to existing innovations." ( from Dr. Christensen' s Seeing What's Next) I have always interpreted that as "some process or product that can totally change a landscape." Forcing all existing and future players to act or behave differently.
This area of analysis was recently in the news when it was revealed that one of the top 10 books recommended by Steve Jobs was Clayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma : an analysis on disruptive innovation. His following treatise, Seeing What's Next, takes analysis a step further and discusses innovation as a method to predict industry change. Something CI professionals constantly do battle with.
Much has been written about the telephone and the personal computer; we all know how these technologies have changed our business and personal practices and preferences---but what about Bloomberg's recent acquisition of BNA?
Bloomberg wanted into the legal information market; it can now build upon its News, Business/Finance and Government markets/presence by adding a major established Legal "piece." Several years ago, Bloomberg showed it was serious about the legal market with its launch of "Bloomberg Law." The legal research module integrates legal news, research, case docketing and regulatory functions.
With the major "legal piece" including BNA premier tax and regulatory content, Bloomberg may soon become #4 when added to the "Big 3" (Thomson/West, Wolters Kluwer and Lexis/Nexis) list of legal publishers. Now we have potentially 4 major competitors vying for our money and attention. That could be very disputive. Here's hoping there will be saving for all customers....
