The new fundamental unit of value creation
Since
the early industrialism, companies have evolved from selling mass produced
one-size-fits-all objects, to gradually offering more choices. To compete,
customized and individual solutions are becoming even more specific, to the
point where they are created for a particular context: The most valuable solution should not just match an
individual user’s profile, it’s also composed for a particular time and
location and taking the current availability of resources into account.
The
unit of value in the industrial model was a product.
If consumers wanted faster or more comfortable transportation, they would buy a
better and bigger car.
The new unit of value is an “instance” – a contextualized solution.
Solving your need – rather
than selling you a product
A bigger car will generally not get you faster to your
destination. Instead, the outcome you need - mobility - can be improved by
coordinating the use of the car with a range of other resources. Knowing that
you can drive directly to a vacant parking place, making a quick and smooth
transfer to a train, or being able to use a city bike saves time. Sharing the
ride with others saves money, and reduces congestion in traffic.
The car company can still be part of these solutions,
but the new value for customers is created by coordinating all the elements
involved in mobility in the specific situation.
Such solutions, coordinated to fit the user’s
particular context, might be called ”instances”.