The Innovator's Solution

By: Clayton M. Christensen, Michael E. Raynor

Narrated by: Joel Leffert

Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

Clayton M. Christensen is a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. Michael E. Raynor is a director at Deloitte Research. Together, they outline an innovative plan that urges businesses to create disruption rather than fleeing from it. Named one of 2003's Best Business Books by Business Week, this book is a Wall Street Journal and New York Times best seller.

©2003 Clayton M. Christensen and Michael E. Raynor (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC

Critic Reviews

"Stimulating and beneficial." (Publishers Weekly)
"[A] valuable tool for every aspiring upstart, whether you're inside a billion-dollar company or have a billion-dollar glimmer in your eye." (Fast Company)

Great Book...Drone Narration

What made the experience of listening to The Innovator's Solution the most enjoyable?

The content of the book is great. Something every C and VP level manager needs to read.

Would you be willing to try another one of Joel Leffert’s performances?

No way...most drone voice I've ever heard. Puts me to sleep every time...even when I'm not tired.

Any additional comments?

Please get someone else to narrate this...and I'll actually buy it again to listen to it again.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

A easy to understand presentation of a complex sub

Would you listen to The Innovator's Solution again? Why?

yes, for reminding me on the points and making notes of relevant models to use

Any additional comments?

The reader should be complemented on making the material alive and making it easy to understand. Good prononsiations makes the listening to a good alternative to reading the book. Well done :)

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Possibly the best business book available

I found this book to be a refreshing no BS analysis of the business of innovation

It is well articulated well researched and puts forward a clear, precise and consistent idea that is backed up and explained in real world case studies.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

A must-read for technologists

I work in the technology industry, which seems to progress in fits and spurts, through disruptive innovations that become mainstream products within mere years, not decades. This book was eye-opening in its exploration of disruptive innovations, the conditions under which they succeed, their effect on "established" players...how (if) a disruptive innovation can be defended against by the established players..

Very interesting read.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Boring but fantastic

Struggled to finish, but loved the content. Very slow narrator. Slight overuse of examples in my opinion.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Insightful!

If you could sum up The Innovator's Solution in three words, what would they be?

Move up-market.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the way that they were able to back up each assertion with relevant examples.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. I typically listen to my audio books at triple-speed (which, surprisingly is still easy to understand). As a result, I was able to listen to this book over the course of a day.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A Must Read for Leaders and Managers

A sound theory and good book on innovation. I can not wait to try the techniques on a new project!

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Perplexed...

This book is like a labyrinth of tips and solutions to innovation.

It starts off like this "In case you meet condition A and condition B, while condition C is avoidable, you should do action X to expect outcome Z".

Now, this starts to get super annoying when the list goes beyond handful.

As the situation can be assessed differently from a person to another person, this book stands far from its original intention: to provide a solution for people at loss on innovation

Maybe it was too much to ask Professor Christensen to come up with a solution. His issue raising with innovator's dilemma is maybe where the series should have stopped at.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

chapters are random

chapter in audio start in the middle of book chapters, structure is therefore lacking completely.

Probably the most important business book I read

What's powerful about it is not just the recommendation it gives to entrepreneurs on how to disrupt industries or to executives on how to maintain growth (invest in disruption rather than fleeing from it), but also because of the sound explanation it provides to these recommendations. Highly recommended.

5 stars aren't enough

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Brilliant insight into how to create a sustainable and competitive positioning and how to ensure long lasting succes. Vital for any MBA student and serious professional. I have read many articles from Christensen as MBA student but value of book tying it all together is definitely worth it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Innovator's Solution?

Multiple insights throughout the book

Have you listened to any of Joel Leffert’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Not sure if I listened to any other voice overs from Joel but this one was excellent.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended!

Chapter titles overpromise and under-deliver

Very interesting first few chapters. Unfortunately some controversial arguments don't give convincing proof in theory (and only feel generally appealing from the authors perspective). Chapter titles consistently overpromise and under-deliver. Still interesting read.