Seizing the White Space: Business Model Innovation for Growth and Renewal

by Mark W. Johnson

This title presents a practical approach to fuel game changing growth through business model innovation. Transformational new growth remains the Holy Grail for many organizations. But a deep understanding of how great business models are made can provide the key to unlocking that growth. This landmark book describes how companies can achieve transformational growth in new markets Or, simply put, how they can seize the white space. To step out into the unknown and seize the white space requires a new language - and a framework with which to understand an existing enterprise and the white space it hopes to conquer. This book - from Clay Christensen's firm Innosight - is devoted to making game-changing business model innovation a possibility. Leaving the rhetoric to others, it provides the building blocks for creating business model innovation: first, by showing executives how to discover new business models and then by showing them how to bring these innovations to market. With road-tested frameworks, analytics, and diagnostics, this book gives executives everything they need to reshape their business and achieve fantastic growth. Mark Johnson is cofounder and Chairman of Innosight, an innovation-based consulting and executive-training firm focused on helping companies and institutions innovate for new growth and transformation.

Genres: Business, Management, Entrepreneurship, Nonfiction, Technology

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Mark Johnson is co-founder and Senior Partner of Innosight, an innovation and strategy consulting firm Innosight, which he co-founded with Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen. He has consulted to the Global 1000 and start-up companies in a wide range of industries—including health care, aerospace/defense, enterprise IT, energy, automotive, and consumer packaged goods—and has advised Singapore’s government on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Reviews

[Mark Oppenlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book suggests that innovation in a modern business context has less to do with developing new products and services, and more to do with developing new business models. Author Mark Johnson discusses what a business model is and why organizations so often resist new ideas, even ones that have the potential to be highly profitable. He offers some tools for understanding what your organization's current business model is and discusses ways to identify and capitalize on new opportunities that involve business models outside of your company's core competencies or even outside of your organization's comfort zone.

I think this book deals with a very important topic and does a great job of describing it. The "four-box" approach to understanding a business model - customer value proposition, key resources, key processes and profit formula - is very helpful and could be useful even for organizations not looking to innovate. And Johnson's delineation of approaches to taking on new business models and the real-world examples he uses are great.

Unfortunately the style of the book is quite dry. Despite quality content and very good stories from industry, the writing makes this feel like a particularly boring lecture. The graphs and charts are bland and uninviting. Everything is functional, not fun. Which is too bad for a book on innovation. It's almost as if Johnson was a top secret spy who said, "I have this great idea. Now how can I present it in a public forum so that only a few people understand the message?" He then proceeded to make the material as boring as possible, knowing that the average reader would zone out eventually.

I would give the ideas in this book 4 out of 5 stars, but the quality of the writing 2 out of 5 stars. For those who are looking to move their companies or organizations into new markets or who want to chase new opportunities, there is a lot of good material to consider here. You'll just have to slog through some dull writing to dig out those pearls of wisdom.

[Christopher Fowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you work in an established business, this is for you. Innovation inspiring. Solid platform for building startups within established businesses to "Seize the White Space". Managers should especially read this.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting book to get different models of innovative business models and rich of good examples, which is the best part to me. Worth a read, but didn't change my life.

[Loae · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book with many examples of successful and unsuccessful businesses. It had been sitting on my shelf for a number of years, so unfortunately already a bit out of date.

[Bob Mcinnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected but I interpreted the white space to find room for what I was looking for.

[MrsEnginerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great exploration of innovation and how business models influence growth and renewal. The book presents many examples of how to approach new ideas and solutions by focusing on a company's white space or possible "job to do" propositions; giving the customer either a new product or a better way to address an existing need or service. Explains business models in a very concise and understandable manner. Highly recommended.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

READ MAY 2010

Good treatment about innovative business models. Best quote, to develop customer value, "stop trying to figure out what kinds of products people are trying to buy and instead work out what they are trying to get done in their lives in a given circumstance" (p. 26).

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read for anybody interested in business model innovation or learning how to pivot your company into a new space. A bit dry and can get repetitive. Read the first chapter for the overview, and skim the book for examples that seem compelling or relevant.

[Thura Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, simple and easy to understand how the business model transforms.

[Lori Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read book on business models for knowledge workers who want to be in executive role and entrepreneurs.

[Ricardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goes straight to the point with relevant examples. Nice 4 box model to understand business models.

[Prateek Vasisht · Rating 3 out of 5]

CVP Profit Revenue Model