Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice
by Clayton Christensen & Taddy Hall & Karen Dillon et al. · 2016
In a nutshell
Clayton Christensen's Jobs-to-be-Done framework shows how understanding what customers hire products to do leads to breakthrough innovation. Essential for founders building products people actually want to buy.
Overview
From the legendary author of The Innovator's Dilemma comes Competing Against Luck, explaining how to understand what causes customers to buy products and services. The Jobs-to-be-Done theory shows that customers don't buy products—they hire them to make progress in their lives.
The Jobs Theory
Customers hire products to do jobs:
- Functional job: The core task to be done
- Emotional job: How they want to feel
- Social job: How they want to be perceived
Key Concepts
- Jobs are stable, even as solutions change
- Circumstances matter more than customer characteristics
- Non-consumption is often the biggest competitor
- Hire and fire: customers hire solutions and fire unsatisfactory ones
Real-World Examples
- Milkshake Marketing: McDonald's discovered people hire milkshakes for different jobs (morning commute vs. treat for kids)
- IKEA: People hire IKEA to "furnish my first apartment quickly and cheaply"
- Airbnb: Hired to "feel at home while traveling" not just "find lodging"
For Founders
- Define the job your product is hired to do
- Understand competing solutions (including non-consumption)
- Design experiences around the job, not just features
- Create products customers can't help but hire
Authors
Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, David S. Duncan
Published by Harper Business in 2016. Available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.
Reference
Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice — publisher / official page. Summary adapted from the Awesome Startup Books collection.
If you like this, read
Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice
Clayton Christensen's jobs-to-be-done theory, explaining how to understand what customers really want and create successful innovations.
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