John Dvorak in "The Myth of Disruptive Technology" calls the "concept of disruptive technology" "the biggest crock of the new millennium."

He claims that "There is no such thing as a disruptive technology."

I grant that much has been made of disruptive technology, but I disagree with Dvorak's claim.

I consider the work done in this field in the last 5 years to be useful in conveying information to folks who might not have spent much time studying history. Innovations (new technologies) change (or disrupt) the way people do things. And they change (or disrupt) the way businesses operate.

And leaders are better off if they understand the dynamics of technology and change.

Other terms used to describe the same phenomena include "discontinuous" or "radical" innovations. And we can find the same sorts of dynamics at work, whether we use one term or another. There is plenty of wonderful research on this topic, starting perhaps with Schumpeter, with the even scarier term, "creative destruction."

The term "disruptive" has some intimidating connotations. Perhaps it serves to catch the eye of the business leader who did not read economic history to notice what happened with moveable type, the telegraph, and 18th century navigation aids.