Summary
Cairo, 1511. A new drink called qahwa (coffee) is spreading through the city’s quarters. Sultan al Ashraf Qansuh al Ghawri convenes a council of five advisors to decide whether to embrace, regulate, or ban it. Each advisor embodies one of five “silent killers” of technological adaptation: commitment trap, resource starvation, emotional drag, system neglect, and takeoff without capture. The Sultan must decide. A role play for MBA and executive education audiences.
Teaching objectives
The role play highlights (i) timeless challenges faced by incumbents navigating technological change; (ii) the five silent killers of adapting to technological change; (iii) the politics of change.
Keywords
- Technological change
- innovation strategy
- organizational adaptation
- incumbent firms
- disruptive technology
- role play
- silent killers
- historical analogy
- transformation
- organizational politics
- identity
- resource allocation
- value capture
- SDG9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Q22026
