In his new book, "The Road to Reinvention," Josh Linkner argues that "deliberate disruption is the only path to sustainable growth and success."
That point, it seems, has never been truer than it is today.
To make it today, every company, big and small, new and old, has to be nimble and quick. Successful companies must be willing to jump markets and change industries with start-up boldness just to keep pace with the frantic, shifting demands of their consumers.
We see this point validated everywhere in the market today with companies like Amazon rushing from online booksales to suddenly designing and manufacturing its own smartphone. We have watched Samsung transition from a cheap appliance maker to a high-end technology leader. And we have watched Apple over the decades alter every industry it has touched.
But the real proof in Linkner's thesis is with the companies that haven't disrupted. Those companies like Blackberry and Polaroid that have dared to rest too long at the top and hold too dearly to the successes that brought them there.
"The advantages of the past have been commoditized and the rules of the game have fundamentally changed," Linkner argues. "We can no longer rely on the past as a game plan for winning… Deliberate disruption is the only path."
This slideshow highlights some companies that have done this the best—those companies that were bold enough to burn down their businesses, defy their success and reinvent themselves for future victories.
