Envisioning the Internet: Implementing 'disruptive innovation' in media organizations

When incorporating networked technologies, many established organizations face immense challenges, as these media involve new economic and cultural components. Predictions based on models concerning the incorporation of the so-called 'disruptive innovations' in established firms, are being offered in this paper, viewing networked technologies as 'disruptive innovations'. The study underscores the obstacles that limit implementation of such technologies in mainstream media organizations, and considers the strategies that might be used to overcome them. Analyzing the case of Israel's leading newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, between the years 1995-2000, it shows how managers of this traditional business approached the Internet. This paper analyzes how they respond to the ostensibly 'disruptive' networked innovation, eventually turning their organization's Web site into the country's chief news and content provider. This study offers lessons that extend beyond this specific case onto the broader vista of the implementation of 'disruptive' (networked) technologies in mainstream media environments.