A preliminary cognitive framework towards effective ideation for disruptive innovation

Abstract

In a world of increased disruptive innovation, volatile macroeconomic variables and unpredictable change, businesses are at risk of being disrupted as disruptors grow enormous user bases seemingly overnight and are then agile enough to continue innovating to stay ahead of the game. Incumbent businesses default to survival mode as they struggle to keep market share because the bureaucracy that burdens these large corporates inhibits their ability to react quickly. That being said, it has never been easier to revolutionise business models and innovate than it is presently, given the velocity of change in technology which underpins most of what disruptive innovation is about. Numerous models and frameworks have been proposed to assist one's cognitive process for ideation but none exist for disruptive thinking, hence a disruptive innovation ideation framework is called for. Using a qualitative research approach, the study was conducted in four phases as we inductively derived a preliminary cognitive framework for disruptive innovation. Phase 0 of this study included an extensive literature review to ensure the important theories relevant to entrepreneurship and innovation were taken into consideration. Three significant findings were uncovered using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method to examine the interviews gathered in Phase one, two and three of this research. Two population groups formed part of this study, (1) 26 of Africa's most accomplished Disruptive Innovators and (2) 12 Senior Managers from the retail and wholesale sector. Group 1 was used to seek answers to research questions one and two using semi-structured interviews whilst Group 2 was used to answer research question three using the same interview method. The study led to the creation of the preliminary cognitive framework "Enriched Disruptive Ideation" (EDI) framework and revealed three major findings: (1) Challenging both the common perception and the conception of business (2) the importance of building a good team (3) the emergence of the seven main themes, all of which were incorporated in the framework. This research as a result provided some contributions to bridging the gap in linking entrepreneurship and innovation theory.