Using Dynamics II

Important waves of change are like an earthquake, creating new high ground and leveling what had been high ground.

One way to find fresh undefended high ground is bey creating it yourself through pure innovation.  Dramatic technical inventions, such as Gore-Tex, or business model innovations, such as FedEx's overnight delivery system, create new high ground that may last for years before competitors appear at the ramparts.

The other way to grab the high ground is to exploit a wave of change.  Such waves of change are largely exogenous--they ate mostly beyond the control of any one organization.  No one person or organization creates these changes.  They are the net result of a myriad of shifts and advances in technology, cost, competition, politics, and buyer perceptions.  Important waves of change are like an earthquake, creating new high ground and leveling what had been high ground.  Such changes can upset the existing structures of competitive positions, erasing old advantages and enabling new ones.   They can unleash forces that may strengthen or radically weaken existing leaders.  They can enable wholly new strategies.

ACTION POINT: What are the forces of change creating new high ground in your industry or market?