See here for background to this post. 

2. Disruptive innovations gain a foothold and revolutionize a market because they target a niche audience who normally could not consume a good.

I think this point is where the authors really are on to something. In my own case study research of cyber charter schools, this theme came up consistently. The virtual schools I worked with often catered to a very unique student population… the students came from all kind of backgrounds: special education needs, behavioral needs, physical needs that kept them at home, students who needed to make up credits, failed out of their traditional schools etc etc etc.

However, one theme cuts across these various students that the authors pick up on directly… All of these families are “non-consumers” because they are often not served in the normal public school system. For some reason or another their educational needs are not being met, and the online option becomes much more appealing.

Targeting a niche audience, or providing online courses that aren’t normally offered in a school, could lead to online learning gaining a rapid foothold.

BTW, the idea of targeting “non-consumer” also applies to computers in the classroom. A while ago I had the idea that teachers and schools would more readily adopt computers if they had ready-made uses for them that were not already available on paper and pencil. For example, having your students on laptops playing a game of jeopardy to memorize facts is probably not the best use of dollars, because as a teacher I’ve setup a similar game using my blackboard and chalk. However, having students virtually dissect a frog on their laptops caters to “non-consumption” – the alternative in many schools without the proper science resources is no dissection at all – so this use of the computer is UNIQUE and addresses a need that hasn’t been met. This theory of non-consumption and innovation is a key element of the book, which makes it worth reading.