Disruptive Technologies: Understand, Evaluate, Respond

by Paul Armstrong

Disruptive Technologies outlines the steps businesses can take to engage with emerging technologies today in order to serve the consumer of tomorrow. This book offers the knowledge and tools to engage confidently with emerging technologies for better business. This highly practical book offers organizations a distinct response to emerging technologies including Blockchain (Bitcoin), artificial intelligence, graphene and nanotechnology (among others) and other external factors (such as the sharing economy, mobile penetration, millennial workforce, ageing populations) that impact on their business, client service and product model.

Disruptive Technologies provides a clear roadmap to assess, respond to and what are the upcoming changes in technology, roughly when to respond, and what's the best response? By using a quick-to-master evaluation and decision-making framework - structured around the key dimensions of Technology, Behaviour and Data (TBD).

Emerging technologies guru Paul Armstrong offers a clear guide to the key disruptive technologies and a toolbox of frameworks, checklists, and activities to evaluate their possibilities. Disruptive Technologies enables forecasting of potential scenarios, implementation of plans, alternative strategies and the ability to handle change more effectively within an organization. The essential tool for all professionals who need to get to grips with emerging technologies fast and strategically.

Genres: Technology, Nonfiction

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 3, 2017

Reviews

[Darren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Technologies continue to disrupt, both positively and negatively, business activities and it helps to keep an eye on emerging technologies so that you can better react to them. This book seeks to give the reader knowledge and tools to better assess and respond to the changing opportunities in a practical, real-world manner.

This goal is achieved in a perfunctory manner, providing some insight into current emerging technologies de jour such as Blockchain and nanotech, along with strategies for considering what is coming and how it may be reacted to. It is clearly more of an overview and scene-setting type of book instead of a detailed framework that can be utilised by the reader.

It just failed to engage me. It was reasonable but not a game-changer. It was easy-to-read despite being understandably tech-focussed, containing some useful, pertinent information. A credible ‘also ran’ you could call it, but perhaps not the major revelation it would like to be.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author begins by explaining the points that have made technology advance so fast, he leads us to understand where the technology is headed and how it is impacting business today and in the near future. The problem is that they are poorly understood, businesses are not adapting to these changes and the potential opportunities they offer, which can result in the disappearance of 40% of the Fortune 500 companies.
Covered disruptive technologies include blockchain and bitcoin, artificial intelligence, holography, 3D pirnting, and nanotechnology. In order to understand and evaluate the impact of these technologies, as well as to respond appropriately, a system is required that is explained in detail. The proposed system considers the following key points: Technology that can give specific solutions to a problem, Behavior since this problem impacts people, and Data as crucial to make intelligent decisions. This TBD system can help corporations maintain long-term success. The author provides a guide to decision making, investment suggestions, practical implementation tips, and embrace the Millennial generation as a fundamental human resource.
I consider this book fundamental for any entrepreneur, CEO, entrepreneur, designer or implementer of products, teachers and anyone who wants to be informed of these new trends for business.
My gratitude to the Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review the book

[Darya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book for two reasons that cover the purpose of it. One is that it gives a very good overview of disruptive modern technologies by describing what they are, benefits, pros and cons for us in them. Second reason is the people component and understanding why people are not rushing to change it to accept those new technologies in their lives. I liked the discussions around this topic with the human and a bit of tech components.

[Nick Woodall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was practical, real, and full of insights. It was thin enough to read quickly, yet full of information, especially about technologies that will be disruptive in the future. This book helps position your business so that it is not overwhelmed by a disruptive technology, and in some cases helps position your business to take advantage of those disruptive situations.

[Alexis Chateau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was required reading as part of my master's degree. The book started off great and quickly hooked me in. It was the best of 4 textbooks I had read so far. But after about 3 chapters, the information got repetitive and was really poorly organized. It picked up again in the last few chapters though and ended on a good note.

[Jamie Trigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting methodology for analyzing the potential for new technologies to impact our lives in a significant manner. Worth the read!