On the Net, companies seldom win unless they find ways to help others share in the wealth their innovations create. Value webs explain why the Net spawns so many alliances between rivals and joint ventures between companies in different industries. More than ever, winning big requires giving up a piece of the action. Familiarity overcomes inertia . And familiarity comes in various forms.
Behavioral familiarity helps people accept new products because they resemble old products.
Much of Intuit's success with Quicken can be explained by the fact that the software makes electronic bill-paying feel similar, visually and procedurally, to writing checks. There is no central control of anything. Fish swim in schools without any single fish being in charge. Monarch butterflies don't need a Monday morning staff meeting to decide when to migrate south. Birds flock without voting on their destination.