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Hello Domains, Goodbye Industries—Audio Edition

We argue that companies need to shift to organizing around fulfillment of customer needs—or what we call domains—in this audio podcast of the January 2021 research briefing.
By Peter Weill, Stephanie L. Woerner, and Andrea Patricia Diaz Baquero

LISTEN TO THE RESEARCH

For decades, companies have thought of themselves as operating in industries such as banking, retail, and energy. In contrast, most customers seek to fulfill specific needs—business customers might aim to manage their energy consumption, and consumers might navigate getting an education. We call these different customer problems and opportunities domains. Digital technologies, and new business models such as ecosystems, provide an opportunity to rethink how to solve your customers’ needs in each of their important domains. In this briefing, we share our first efforts at identifying the key domains, scope the size of the opportunity, and provide examples.

See the print version of the briefing.

The January 2021 research briefing is read by co-author Stephanie Woerner.

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT

Follow the research briefing podcast series on SoundCloud.

About the Authors

MIT CISR Researcher

Andrea Patricia Diaz Baquero, Research Assistant, MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research (CISR)

MIT CENTER FOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH (CISR)

Founded in 1974 and grounded in the MIT tradition of rigorous field-based research, MIT CISR helps executives meet the challenge of leading dynamic, global, and information-intensive organizations. Through research, teaching, and events, the center stimulates interaction among scholars, students, and practitioners. More than seventy-five firms sponsor our work and participate in our consortium. 

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