Unlocking the Customer Value Chain: How Decoupling Drives Consumer Disruption

by Thales S. Teixeira

I have yet to find a good example of SIAFI services or subscriptions in one of the Big Seven: how we learn. Informal short-term education is flooded with subscription services, but not long-term formal education such as undergraduate and postgraduate or professional degree programs. Most colleges have four-year programs, while postgraduate degrees other than the JD or MD tend to require two years to complete. These offerings assume that young people receive an education, absorb as much knowledge as possible, and then deploy their knowledge in the workforce. While teaching undergraduates, graduate students in business, and senior executives, I have noticed two trends. First, undergrads and some graduate students are growing impatient with the sequential, multiyear education they require in order to earn a degree. If they could, they would rather take a few courses and then enter the job market. There they could practice what they have learned, and also understand better what kind of knowledge they require going forward.