Abstract :
Disruptive InnovationTheory has created a significant impact on management practices
and aroused plenty of rich debate within academia. Copious as the studies are, the
scattered and conflicting nature of the literature on disruptive innovation in the last
decade may pose a state of ambiguity for future research, thus necessitating a comprehensive
review at this juncture. This paper first clarifies the basic concept and potential
misinterpretations of the theory. Believing in the predictive value of the theory on firm
performance, the authors then summarize and critique the research on how to enable
potential disruptive innovation from internal, external, marketing and technology perspectives.
The different perspectives inspired the authors to identify a number of key
research directions within the disruptive innovation research domain. Potential future
research is also briefly discussed by integrating disruptive innovation with other
research domains, such as open innovation. Finally, in addition to theoretical contributions,
the authors make practical contributions by outlining a series of potential inhibitors
and enablers of disruptive innovation as managerial ‘take-aways’.
