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The Greek mathematician Archimedes used to say he needed only a lever to move the whole world. Today Archimedes might be a shaper, someone who has the aspirations, mind-set, management capabilities and capacity for risk to revolutionize an industry. Just think of the changes wrought by the telephone and steam engine in an earlier era, and by the personal computer, social networks, cell phones and Internet advertising today, and you can begin to understand the ways in which shapers can upend perceptions of risk and reward. Innovative companies can’t simply adapt to change; they need to instigate that change before the ground shifts from under them. Shapers alter mindsets; they shake things up — and they can move worlds.

Highlights:

• Historically, once a new innovation has disrupted an industry, things tended to stabilize, but not anymore. Why are disruptions that are brought about by new technologies not being followed by a period of stabilization?
• What makes a good shaper?
• How can companies translate a shaping view into a successful business strategy, and why is a shaping view better than a vision?
• For companies that take the plunge, you recommend a strategy called FAST — an acronym that stands for Focus, Accelerate, Strengthen and Tie it Altogether. Can you describe how FAST works in practice?

Guests: 
Lang Davison, director, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and executive director, Deloitte Center for Edge Innovation
John Hagel, director, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and co-chairman, Deloitte Center for Edge Innovation

Related Content:
Transcript: Reshaping the Future: The Risks and Rewards of Innovation in a Changing World
Article: "Innovation in Hard Times," link to this viewpoint published in Businessweek
Article: Shaping Strategy in a World of Constant Disruption
Industries: Technology, Media & Entertainment, Telecommunications 

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