The other day I overheard this comment: “Why does innovation always have to be about disruption? That’s all I ever hear anymore, ‘disruption, disruption, disruption,’ and it makes me uncomfortable.”

“Disruption” has become the current (and already overused) buzzword of the day. It seems for the moment, the Disruptor School of Thought has taken over the innovation conversation.

Disruption seems to imply disorder, confusion, disturbance, breakdown, disintegration, collapse, turmoil, upheaval, insurrection, riots, mutiny, violence, chaos, and revolution. All very scary things.

It’s true that disruption is all about shaking up the status quo. And, often, that is necessary. It’s exciting to see a new invention that improves our lives for the better. In my life, microwave ovens, personal computers, and smart phones, to name just a few, have done just that.

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