“Shock and Awe (technically known as rapid dominance) is a military doctrine based on the use of overwhelming power, dominant battlefield awareness, dominant maneuvers, and spectacular displays of force.”
In this fourth segment of Innovation Wars, the notion of Shock and Awe seems apt, following the comparison of Google and Amazon and how they handle innovation during different phases of the business cycle.
Most established companies don’t get a chance to engage in Shock and Awe innovation. They defensively react – slowly, usually too slowly – to outside disruptions. Few companies engage in proactive “wars of aggression,” where they shift focus to a new business model before being forced to by the actions of others. The shining example of this aggressive approach is Amazon.
If you look at the moves Amazon has made over the past two decades, they follow a pattern: A big change in customer segment but a small change in core capabilities. It’s almost dance-like: 1) Target a market segment; 2) Build new competencies to improve operations; 3) Pivot onto one of these competencies to target a new market segment…repeat. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3…it’s a waltz.
This short, rhythmic, functional pivoting is the key to rapid aggressive innovation. Using incremental improvements made for the current business as the foundation for the shift into a new business model reduces uncertainty. It prevents overreaching and allows the firm to focus fire as soon as it decides which target to shoot at. This is superior to blindly developing green-field capabilities right in the middle of a period of disruptive change, which is typical in defensive innovation.
Amazon’s approach, using improvement to launch innovation, is a real advantage in following the most important rules in both war and business transformation:
- Know as much as you can about what you are getting into;
- Commit fully to a specific objective;
- Win as fast as you can.
The alternatives to this approach, and there are many, often suffer from uncertainty and mistakes, and that means delays. Executing a paradigm shift too slowly is like fighting a protracted war. You tend to get bogged down. Best to remember the military adage: If you are going to go to war, make it a short one.
This is the fourth in a series that stars here.