disruptive

Etymology

disrupt + -ive. In the business sense popularized by Clayton Christensen and Joseph Bower, see 1995 citation.

adj

  1. Causing disruption or unrest.
    Children who exhibit disruptive behaviour may be expelled from school.
  2. (business) Causing major change, as in a market.
    disruptive technologies
    Each time a disruptive technology emerged, between one-half and two-thirds of the established manufacturers failed to introduce models employing the new architecture—in stark contrast to their timely launches of critical sustaining technologies. 1995 January–February, Joseph L. Bower, Clayton M. Christensen, “Disruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave”, in Harvard Business Review
    […] companies tend to lose their leadership positions to companies that enter the market with a disruptive technology or market change. 2005, Karl D. Schubert, CIO Survival Guide, page 222

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