This is one of the innovatorโs dilemmas: Blindly following the maxim that good managers should keep close to their customers can sometimes be a fatal mistake.
Clayton ChristensenThe outsourcing gurus have been driving the theory, and they are saying everybody ought always to do this. But it is really contingent on where you are on the spectrum from "not good enough" to "more than good enough," relative to each tier of the market.
Clayton ChristensenThe whole enterprise of teaching managers is steeped in the ethic of data-driven analytical support. The problem is, the data is only available about the past. So the way weve taught managers to make decisions and consultants to analyze problems condemns them to taking action when its too late.
Clayton ChristensenIf you defer investing your time and energy until you see that you need to, chances are it will already be too late.
Clayton Christensen