Taxis vs. Uber: A Perfect Example of Resistance to Change

Guest Blog by Cyril Bouquet and Chloé Renault
Sep 25, 2014 9:00 AM ET
Campaign: CSR Blogs

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In cities all over the world an ugly war is being fought by “traditional” taxi companies against a new form of competition from Uber and other ride-sharing services.

These newcomers’ methods aren’t news anymore: through a mobile application customers can find and reserve vehicles in their immediate area in minutes. From Los Angeles to Sydney and Singapore, these services are shaking up the taxi business and are being met with heavy resistance. Historically, taxis have fought for their place in the urban transportation spectrum by staging strikes and paralyzing cities like London and Paris, leaving hordes of passengers stranded. But the taxi industry’s resistance to the rise of Uber and similar services is a futile attempt to put the brakes on innovation.

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Cyril Bouquet is Professor of Strategy at IMD. His major interest is the interface between organizational psychology, strategy and leadership. He will be leading a stream on how “Alien Thinking” can help your business at IMD’s upcoming 

Orchestrating Winning Performance (OWP) program in Singapore on 17-22 November 2014.


Chloé Renault is a researcher, facilitator and graphic recorder. She works on innovation and organizational transformations.