The Difference Between Sustaining Innovation and Disruptive Innovation

Startups and enterprises might be on different ends of the spectrum, but they’re both thinking about disruptive innovation.

The grass always appears greener on the other side, but while you’re busy lusting after your neighbor’s lawn, he’s staring out his window coveting what you’ve got. That’s the way it goes in business, too, according to Brant Cooper and Patrick Vlaskovits, co-authors of the New York Times bestseller The Lean Entrepreneur. Startups pine for the sustaining innovation of enterprises, while the enterprises yearn for a little disruptive innovation.

While both startups and enterprises chase after what they don’t have, there’s a reason they’ve adopted the innovation technique that they have. Startups thrive on chaos because they’re not yet ready for the standards and procedures they’re striving for. And while enterprises want to stay cutting edge by adopting the ethos of disruptive innovation, Cooper and Vlaskovits warn that those fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants techniques may be damaging to their already established brand.
For more insights from Brant and Patrick, watch all the videos in the Lean Entrepreneur series:
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