1. Michael Horn October 28, 2008 mhorn@innosightinstitute.org
Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns
Michael Horn
October 28, 2008
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

2. Incumbents nearly always win Sustaining innovations
Disruptive Technologies: A driver of leadership failure and the source of new growth opportunities
Pace of
Technological
Progress
Incumbents nearly always win
Sustaining innovations
Disruptive innovations
Performance
Performance that customers
can utilize or absorb
Entrants nearly always win
Time
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

3. Disruptive Innovations create asymmetric competition
Pace of performance improvement
Incumbents nearly always win
60% on
$500,000
Sustaining innovations
Performance
45% on
$250,000
Non-consumers or Non-consuming
occasions
Different measure
Of Performance
Time
Disruptive Innovations: Competing against
non-consumption
Performance that customers
can utilize or absorb
Time
40%
on $2,000
20%
Entrants nearly always win
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

4. Copyright Clayton M. Christensen
Disruption in business models has been the dominant historical mechanism for making things more affordable and accessible
Yesterday
Ford
Dept. Stores
Digital Eqpt.
Delta
JP Morgan
Xerox
IBM
Cullinet
AT&T
Dillon, Read
Sony DiskMan
Today
Toyota
Wal-Mart
Dell
Southwest Airlines
Fidelity
Canon
Microsoft
Oracle
Cingular
Merrill Lynch
Apple iPod
Tomorrow:
Chery
Internet retail
RIM Blackberry
Air taxis
ETFs
Zink
Linux
Salesforce.com
Skype
E-Trade
Cell Phones
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

5. Tabletop Radios, Floor-standing TVs
Technology can only be deployed in existing businesses in ways that sustain (and add cost to) the current model. Disruption best competes against non-consumption at the outset.
Tabletop Radios, Floor-standing TVs
Performance
Time
Path taken by
vacuum tube manufacturers
Non-consumers or Non-consuming
occasions
Different measure
Of Performance
Time
Portable TVs
Pocket radios
Hearing aids
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

6. The right product architecture depends upon the basis of competition
IBM Mainframes, Microsoft Windows
Proprietary, interdependent architectures
Compete by improving
functionality &
reliability
Performance
Compete by improving
speed, responsiveness and customization
Modular open architectures
Dell PCs, Linux
Time
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

7. Insights from examining education through the lenses of this research
Conflicting mandates in the way we teach vs. the way we learn
Computers have failed to make a difference because we have crammed them into conventional classrooms
They must initially be deployed against non-consumption
Individualized, computer-based instruction requires a disruptive distribution model
Separation is critical. Chartered schools should be seen as heavyweight teams, not disruptive competitors
We have imposed disruption on our schools three times in recent history by moving the goalposts – the metrics of improvement.
Education research has not shown the way forward
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

8. We all learn differently
Learning Styles
Linguistic
Logical- mathematical
Spatial
Bodily- kinesthetic
Musical
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Naturalist
Paces of Learning
Visual
Written
Aural
Playful
Deliberate
Fast
Multiple Intelligences
Medium
Slow
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

9. Interdependencies in the teaching infrastructure
Conflicting mandates in the way we must teach vs. The way students must learn
Interdependencies in the teaching infrastructure
Temporal
Lateral
Physical
Hierarchical
Need for customization for differences in how we learn
Learning Styles
Paces of Learning
Multiple Intelligences
Standardization !!
Customization !!
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

10. Copyright Clayton M. Christensen
Historically, most schools have “crammed” computer-based learning into the blue space
Core curriculum
Performance
Time
Path taken by
most schools, foundations and education software companies
Non-consumers or Non-consuming
occasions
Different measure
Of Performance
Time
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

11. Prime examples of non-consumption
Credit recovery
Drop-outs
AP Courses
Home-schooled and homebound students
Small, rural, and urban schools
Tutoring
Pre-K
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

12. School boards have been moving “Up-Market” to focus limited resources in the “new” trajectory of improvement
English language & literature
Science
Math
Importance
of program
Economics
Psychology
Statistics
German
Time
Time
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

13. Perfect opportunity to implement computer-based learning disruptively
Math
Science
English language & literature
Political importance
of program
Economics
Psychology
Statistics
German
Non-consumers or Non-consuming
occasions
Time
Computer-based learning: Compete against non-consumption
Time
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

14. Copyright Clayton M. Christensen
The substitution of one thing for another always follows an S-curve pattern
% new
% old
.001
.0001
.01
0.1
1.0
10.0 09 11 07 05 03 13 15
% new
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen

15. Online learning gaining adoption
Enrollments up from 45,000 in 2000 to 1,000,000 in 2007
8/2/2018
Copyright Clayton M. Christensen