CHAPTER 4

Identifying Jobs to Be Done

THE CONCEPT OF “jobs to be done” probably generates more interest than any other concept in The Innovator’s Solution.1 The concept that customers “hire” products and services to get jobs done in their lives is highly intuitive and extremely understandable (see the box, “Theory Refresher: Jobs”). The case studies in the book—describing how many consumers “hire” milkshakes as a way to fill long, boring commutes and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry to kill time productively— carry a counterintuitive ring of truth. The prescription seems simple: to identify opportunities to create new growth, look first for important “jobs” that people can’t get done satisfactorily with current ...

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