E-Marketing Professionals

CAPABILITIES FOR DISRUPTION
To quickly take advantage of the vision identified by the first two S's, the company needs to develop the capability for disruption through the next two S's—speed and surprise. These capabilities can be used across a series of dynamic strategic interactions. By pre-positioning the company's organizational capabilities for speed and surprise, the firm creates the ability to react quickly to opportunities in the environment or to proactively out-maneuver competitors at every stage of the dynamic strategic interactions between companies.

Because advantages are eroded quickly, capabilities for speed and surprise are vital to seizing the initiative. Speed and surprise are needed to take advantage of opportunities, to move quickly against competitors, or to respond to a competitor's attack. Speed is also a key part of competitive advantage, because it enhances the ability to serve customers and to choose the moment in time that the firm will enter the market (e.g., as a first mover or a fast follower). Surprise is also crucial to success. The longer the first mover can delay entrance by competitors into the market by stunning them with a surprise attack, the more time there is to create a strong / position and make gains before the competition responds and forces movement onto the next market, product, or new method of competing.