Competing Against Luck

The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice

By: Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall

Narrated by: John Pruden

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

The foremost authority on innovation and growth presents a path-breaking book every company needs to transform innovation from a game of chance to one in which they develop products and services customers not only want to buy, but are willing to pay premium prices for.

How do companies know how to grow? How can they create products that they are sure customers want to buy? Can innovation be more than a game of hit and miss? Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen has the answer.

A generation ago, Christensen revolutionized business with his groundbreaking theory of disruptive innovation. Now he goes further, offering powerful new insights. After years of research, Christensen has come to one critical conclusion: Our long-held maxim - that understanding the customer is the crux of innovation - is wrong. Customers don't buy products or services; they "hire" them to do a job. Understanding customers does not drive innovation success, he argues. Understanding customer jobs does. The "Jobs to Be Done" approach can be seen in some of the world's most respected companies and fast-growing startups, including Amazon, Intuit, Uber, Airbnb, and Chobani yogurt, to name just a few. But this book is not about celebrating these successes - it's about predicting new ones.

Christensen contends that by understanding what causes customers to "hire" a product or service, any business can improve its innovation track record, creating products not only that customers want to hire, but for which they'll pay premium prices to bring them into their lives. Jobs theory offers new hope for growth to companies frustrated by their hit and miss efforts.

This book carefully lays down Christensen's provocative framework, providing a comprehensive explanation of the theory and why it is predictive, how to use it in the real world - and, most importantly, how not to squander the insights it provides.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 Clayton M. Christensen, Ridgway Harken Hal (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Thought provoking listen!

Really enjoyed this book, but I do admit to being a Clay Christensen junkie. This is a solid book with many thought provoking ideas, and in my opinion a number of blockbusters that scream for further thought and analysis in my own personal and professional life.

Great jobs theory

This book makes me really look at our products and determine what others are hiring our products to do, I can now focus on this concept and build around it

Insightful and engaging

This is a great book that completely transformed my thinking in my business. I'm requiring my entire management team to read it.

Very Important Theory - Must “Rear”

I would recommend this book to any business leader, manager or student. This theory provides an excellent framework for understanding your customer which is the key to any successful product, innovation or business.
Well worth the time.

Another home run hit from Clayton Christensen!

I always enjoy Clayton Christensen's thorough and clear approach to business theory. This book is no exception. I'm thoroughly convinced Jobs Theory provides a more powerful framework for product development than the default methods of building products based on what customers asked for. I'll admit I don't feel fully prepared to apply this theory based on this book alone, but will now be seeking out additional resources to guide the application of the principles outlined in this book.

Life changing

One of the top three books I’ve ever read that change my world paradigm. Can’t recommend this book enough!

The answer to how innovation happens

There was an old Apple ad that summed up to one tag line. Think different. This book with it's focus on jobs-to-be-done is a guide book to thinking differently about innovation rather than random for those starting a business or running an existing enterprise.

My milkshake addiction will never be the same

One of the best books I've read in a long time. Full of thought provoking nuggets of wisdom and strategy. I highly encourage everyone to read this one.

Great Discussion of Jobs to be done

This is another masterpiece from Professor Christensen. His ability to develop simple yet comprehensive business theories is second to none; jobs to be done is no exception.

Changed the way I look at process of innovation and product development

I am a product designer and ux researcher and Jobs to be done framework has given me a new lens to explore in depth and breadth the process of innovation. What is great about this construct is that you cqn right away start using in your daily work. The author keeps the book relevant and interesting throughout specially at the end. Great Book!!