“Disruption” in the general sense refers to a fundamental change in a functional structure caused by exogenous factors which, in its scope, amounts to a replacement of the existing functional structure by a new one.

The term has found widespread use in the economic context. Here, the term “Disruption” is used in particular to characterize an innovation that makes it possible to reconfigure the functional structure of a market. Innovation can be of a technical, social, economic, structural or organisational nature.

Usually a technical innovation is the basis, which inherits the disruptive potential, insofar as it makes it possible to serve as a foundation for new forms of interaction, transaction, communication, application or benefit generation. A new structure of value creation is formed from these. New value creation networks are emerging.