We suggest that disruptive innovations are a specific category of successful radical innovations, and that disruption should not be the only focus of companies. The disruption theory applies to very specific situations, which cannot be recognised beforehand and sometimes not even while they happen either. Applying the disruption theory all the time in all companies can be misleading, and sometimes dangerous. We suggest that companies should shift their focus to successful radical innovations and this article suggests the latter share common characteristics. Successful radical innovations are the result of a combination of several changes which often do not happen simultaneously. Companies, whether they are a start-up or an established firm, have to progress in a trial and error mode which is characteristic of the effectual logic, until they eventually reach, sometimes many years after, a perfect combination.
