Question:
Undertake some searching of websites, journal articles, textbooks and newspapers for additional information to answer the following:
“3D printing – is it a disruptive innovation?” In researching and writing your report you will be expected to approach the theory as well as the practice of organisations and analyse one in relation to the other.
- Use Markides’ and Christensen’s ideas as a starting point; identify and review further literature on disruptive innovation.
- Compare the information you have found on 3 D printing with the literature on disruptive technologies, referring to relevant theory. In doing this critically review why or why not 3D printing can be considered as a disruptive innovation.
- Conclude, answering the question, with recommendations for the literature identifying any gaps you have found.
Solution:
Executive summary
The concept of Disruptive innovation has gained significant preeminence among scholars and business management practitioners. It is evident that the capacity of a small new entrant displacing a fully established incumbent is an aspect of major consideration in the context of management and innovation research. In light of this, this study has established a clear analysis of considerable literature regarding products/services, entities and markets/industries that have been characterized with a phenomenon of new entrants companies disrupting the normalcy and edging out incumbents. The foundation of the report has been hedged on Christensen and Markides’ analysis of how disruptive innovations tend to start with a small, simple, cheap to more reliable and convenient products or services basically distinguished from the existing technologies.
The evaluated literature has offered a clear and elaborate correlation of the implication of the disruptive innovation in context of 3D printing. Despite the technology existing since the 1980s, majority of scholars and news outlets have categorized it as a disruptive innovation. There are current low-priced, consumer-friendly 3D printers contrary to the traditional ones. The purpose of this report was to demonstrate on the relativeness of 3D printing to the disruption innovation theory. This has taken into account of the elements of its advent, the distinction of 3D printing with the entrants-incumbent concept, prices of products, market dominance, and industrial growth.
This report has hypothesized that 3D
printing fits the criteria identified in the theory of disruptive innovation
despite the process not occurring in an immediate proliferation eliciting
prompt consequences to incumbent entities. Nevertheless, it is evident that 3D
printing market has completely been disrupted by entry of new products/services and companies.
Contents
2.1 The Common Elements of a Disruptive Innovation. 6
2.2 Segments of Disruptive Innovations. 8
5.0 Discussion of the Findings. 11
Appendix 1: Steps used in Report Development 16
Appendix 2: Brief Statement of
Acknowledgement 17
1.0 Introduction
Disruptive innovation is a concept of art established by Clayton Christensen to demonstrate a process where a product or service assumes a simple application at the bottom of a market and consistently move up in the market ladder leading to a displacement of other established competitors. Ideally, Markides (2006) demonstrates disruptive innovation as a concept for disrupting an established system and paradigm through adoption of innovative ideas and technologies. This practice has been prevalent and in existence for many years despite its popularity rising during the industrialization period where innovation and technology have been at a center stage of its operations. Currently, the process of 3D printing technology is categorized as one of the extensively disruptive innovations with a capacity of impacting the global supply chain and logistics industry. In the contemporary practice, cases of disruptive innovation have been intensified with novel technologies being designed at an increased pace adopted in a broad range of areas (Corsi & Minin, 2014). In this report, 3D printing is categorized as a new, innovative technology which application has been significantly evidenced in the industrial sector and commercial markets. Nevertheless, there has been a discussion on the applicability of the 3D printing as a disruptive innovation. In light of this, this report will explore on whether 3D printing is a disruptive innovation focusing on the existing theories and practice in organizations. This report will be founded on the Markides and Christensen’s ideas with a consequent review of the existing literature on the concept of disruptive innovation.
1.1 Background Information
3D printing can be described as a manufacturing technology whose publicity has gained immense attention and media visibility in the past few years. Adopting the definition of Campbell et al. (2011) a disruptive technology is a process that involves building of an object from the ground-up, from one layer to the other using a three-dimensional computer designs. This process can be achieved through adopting a myriad of technologies and materials with the most prominent adopting the use of plastic filaments extraction through a nozzle, liquid resin or sometimes powders (Berman, 2012). There are multiple physical applications of the 3D printing starting with artificial teeth, titanium jaw bones and printed chocolates. In light of this, Gibson et al. (2014) posited that the 3D printing has often been termed as a disruptive technology from the angle of some sources and industrial expatriates. This forms a foundation of formulating a theoretical research framework for this report.
1.2 Theoretical Framework
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