Changing Business through Strategic Innovation
Session 1: Types of innovation, developing an innovation strategy
1. Did Polaroid have an innovation strategy?
2. Which of the strategies suggested by Markides and Charitou would have been most likely to
save Polaroid if implemented properly? Why?
3. If Polaroid's management were to follow your strategy advice, do you think the company
would have been able to implement it properly? Why?
After finishing this session you should be able to:
Formulate innovation strategies allowing firms to create and capture value through innovation.
Session 2: Disruptive innovations: competitiveness through new business models
1. What is the generic strategy of Progressive? the design theme of PAYD? Are these two
comparatible? Answer based on the Zott & Amit article.
2. Consider the profit formulas as explained by the Johnson et al. article for traditional insurance
and PAYD. What is the biggest difference?
3. The case identifies three developments that can affect the future of PAYD business model.
How do you think these developments can affect the sustainability of Progressive's competitive
advantage?
After finishing this session you should be able to:
Develop new business models to leverage the core competencies of a firm in innovative ways.
Session 3: Exploration, exploitation, ambidexterity
1. Which activities at elBulli can be considered as exploration, and for exploitation? Try to
identify two activities for each type apart from those explicit labeled as such at the end of the
case.
2. Were elBulli and Ferran Adria able to obtain a healthy balance between exploration and
exploitation? Which approach prevailed in this quest: ambidexterity as suggested by the HBR
article, or vacillation as suggested by the SMJ article?
3. Consider your answer for (2). Is the approach identified in your answer superior or inferior to
the alternative? Why?
4. What are the most important exploration and exploitation activities of elBulli? Why? (one
activity each, the most important one).
5. Why did exploration and exploitation activities not improve the competitive advantage of
elBulli (so it had to close down)? How could the restaurant have become commercially viable?
After finishing this session you should be able to:
Distinguish between exploration and exploitation and evaluate the role of each in enhancing
competitiveness through innovation.
Session 1: Types of innovation, developing an innovation strategy
1. Did Polaroid have an innovation strategy?
2. Which of the strategies suggested by Markides and Charitou would have been most likely to
save Polaroid if implemented properly? Why?
3. If Polaroid's management were to follow your strategy advice, do you think the company
would have been able to implement it properly? Why?
After finishing this session you should be able to:
Formulate innovation strategies allowing firms to create and capture value through innovation.
Session 2: Disruptive innovations: competitiveness through new business models
1. What is the generic strategy of Progressive? the design theme of PAYD? Are these two
comparatible? Answer based on the Zott & Amit article.
2. Consider the profit formulas as explained by the Johnson et al. article for traditional insurance
and PAYD. What is the biggest difference?
3. The case identifies three developments that can affect the future of PAYD business model.
How do you think these developments can affect the sustainability of Progressive's competitive
advantage?
After finishing this session you should be able to:
Develop new business models to leverage the core competencies of a firm in innovative ways.
Session 3: Exploration, exploitation, ambidexterity
1. Which activities at elBulli can be considered as exploration, and for exploitation? Try to
identify two activities for each type apart from those explicit labeled as such at the end of the
case.
2. Were elBulli and Ferran Adria able to obtain a healthy balance between exploration and
exploitation? Which approach prevailed in this quest: ambidexterity as suggested by the HBR
article, or vacillation as suggested by the SMJ article?
3. Consider your answer for (2). Is the approach identified in your answer superior or inferior to
the alternative? Why?
4. What are the most important exploration and exploitation activities of elBulli? Why? (one
activity each, the most important one).
5. Why did exploration and exploitation activities not improve the competitive advantage of
elBulli (so it had to close down)? How could the restaurant have become commercially viable?
After finishing this session you should be able to:
Distinguish between exploration and exploitation and evaluate the role of each in enhancing
competitiveness through innovation.
