The Overuse of “Disruption” in Product Management

The term “disruption” is thrown around so often in product management that it’s lost much of its meaning. Every company wants to be seen as a disruptor, but in reality, few products truly change the game.

So what does real disruption look like? And how can product managers foster it in their own work? The key distinction is this: challenging norms is not the same as creating real behavioral change. While plenty of products introduce new features or improve existing processes, only a few fundamentally alter the way people interact with the world around them.

Disruption: It’s About Changing Behavior

True disruption doesn’t just make something better—it shifts user habits in a fundamental way. It forces people to rethink their workflows, expectations, and decision-making processes. Disruption can be immediate and obvious, or it can unfold gradually as adoption scales.

Consider a few well-known examples:

• Uber didn’t just improve taxi services—it changed how people think about urban transportation and car ownership.
• Generative AI (GenAI) isn’t just an upgrade to traditional AI—it’s redefining how content is created, sparking new workflows across industries.
• eMeals, a less famous but still disruptive product, transformed meal planning by integrating grocery shopping into its recipe recommendations, shifting consumer behavior around home cooking.

Not every innovation is disruptive. Incremental improvements are valuable, but they operate within existing behavioral frameworks. Disruptive products break those frameworks altogether.

How to Identify Disruptive Potential

If disruption is about changing behavior, how can product managers identify whether their product is on that path? Here are some key questions to ask:

• Does it solve a real pain point in a fundamentally different way?
• Does it require a behavior shift from users?
• Will users experience an immediate “aha moment” that makes them never want to go back?

To measure whether disruption is taking hold, look for these leading indicators:

• Adoption speed: How quickly do early users integrate it into their routine? If a product requires a significant habit shift but adoption remains slow, that could indicate friction preventing its success.
• Retention & engagement: Are users sticking with it over time, or is the novelty wearing off? If the behavior shift is real, engagement should grow, not taper off.
• Feedback & evangelism: Do users rave about it and recommend it to others? Organic word-of-mouth can be a powerful signal that a product is truly changing the way people work or live.

Can Established Companies Drive Disruption?

A common argument is that disruption comes from outsiders, not incumbents. Established companies are often seen as too slow or risk-averse to drive true innovation. There’s some truth to this, but it’s not the full story.

Why insiders struggle:

• Too focused on incremental improvements: Most large companies prioritize optimizing existing revenue streams over taking big bets.
• Stuck in existing constraints and risk aversion: Established orgs are often bound by legacy systems, internal politics, and shareholder expectations.
• Past failures create hesitation: If a company has tried and failed to innovate before, leadership may be reluctant to take another leap.

Why disruption is still possible from within:

• Mindset matters more than position: True disruption comes from those willing to challenge norms, regardless of their role in the company.
• Big companies have resources for long-term bets: While startups have agility, established firms have capital and infrastructure—if they choose to use it strategically.

Companies like Amazon have proven that large organizations can drive disruption. But they do so by fostering a culture that prioritizes bold thinking and long-term vision over short-term gains.

True Disruption Is Rare—But Worth Pursuing

Not every product needs to be disruptive. Incremental improvements and refinements are necessary and incredibly valuable. But every product manager should understand what real disruption looks like and recognize when they have an opportunity to create it.

The key question to ask when the goal is disruption: Are we truly changing behavior, or just making things a little better?

Whether inside or outside an industry, those who push boundaries create the future of product. The best product leaders don’t just follow trends—they redefine them.