Longbows versus Muskets: What we can learn from Product innovation & adaption in Medieval England
by Nicola Kirton
From an outsider’s perspective, medieval England was a period of endless battles.
In 1066, the Battle of Hastings established the Norman rule of William the Conqueror. Then, several centuries later, civil war broke out as the House of Lancaster and the House of York fought for control of the English throne.
As Britons entered the 16th century, there was one weapon that reigned supreme: the longbow. But with a new invention on the horizon, was the longbow’s dominance about to come to an end?
How the Longbow Became Britain’s Ultimate Weapon
Although the longbow had been in use of a longtime (there is evidence back to 3,000BCE), it was not really used by the English military until the 1300s.
Longbows fired more than four times further than their alternative, the crossbow, at 200 yards. They were also significantly more accurate and could fire more arrows per minute. However, they required more training than the crossbow, but on the battlefield with skilled marksmen, a crossbow-bearing enemy could be shot down before they even got close enough to retaliate.
It’s no surprise that the longbow quickly became Britain’s ultimate weapon.
Muskets versus Longbows
Throughout the 1300s and 1400s, longbows reigned supreme. But at the start of the following century, a new invention arrived from Spain that changed weaponry forever.
Muskets were the first type of ‘firearm’ as we understand it in the modern day. They were positioned on the shoulder of the attacker and typically fired a musket ball. It was the first widespread weapon to use gunpowder.
The musket that contained this explosive powder was easy to produce in large numbers and could be used effectively by a soldier with a few weeks’ training. Most importantly, it could penetrate plate armour, which a longbow couldn’t do. The first versions were inaccurate and took considerable time to re-load, when compared to the longbow.
At first, uptake was slow (more on this below), and opinions differed between military leaders on whether the longbow or the musket was most effective. Armies often used a combination of the two, and battles were won with both.
However, as the centuries passed, the musket’s product design was developed further to overcome some of its significant drawbacks. Through continuous improvement in firearms, the longbow was eventually outstripped in every area, so rendering it obsolete.
A disruptive (but successful) innovation will often be less efficient at inception. But it will overtake the previous product and render it extinct.
Product Innovation and Adaption in Medieval England
The creation of the longbow is an example of ‘Adaptive’ product development. It made incremental improvements to something that already existed. It was a sensible, structured change that proved undoubtedly useful.
By contrast, the creation of the musket is an example of an ‘Innovative’ product development. It was a disruptive idea that focused on entirely new technology that was not being used at the time. As with many disruptive technologies it had disadvantages –initial set-up, higher costs, quality assurance and performance.
This meant that uptake for the new musket was slow at first and people questioned its usefulness. Who would use muskets when they had longbow archers available – more accurate, more volume? But the military could see its long-term potential, so it was worth investing in the development needed to make it a superior weapon.
See the ‘S-Curve of Innovation’ for a clear representation of how successful innovative ideas overtake the existing products over time.
Just as the longbow was an adaptive development of an existing product, the musket was developed in a similar way throughout the 1700s and 1800s. The Rifle Musket brought incremental improvements on the previous version.
It took a long time before the next disruptive innovations came along, in the form of more sophisticated weaponry.
There’s more than one way to transform an industry!
There is more than one way of creating new products and transforming an industry.
The longbow was an adaptive idea that was enormously successful. The same applies to the introduction of the musket, which was an innovative idea.
The best companies use a combination of adaptive and innovative techniques to stay ahead of the curve and achieve the best results. In fact, to stay ahead of the curve, manufacturers need to invest in creating both new adaptive (improved) and new innovative (disruptive) products to place on the market. Too much innovation may be expensive, too radical and less appealing to many of their customers, too much adaption will leave them behind the competition.
Fun fact – Dr Michael Kirton, originator of Adaption-Innovation Theory, was very knowledgeable about military history, especially from a strategic, leadership point of view. It was during his time in the military in WWII that he initially developed some of his ideas about leadership, management and teamworking which lead to A-I theory.
To hear about this in his own words, do listen to this interview, with KAI master practitioner, Dr Rob Sheffield (https://kai.foundation/michael-kirton-kai/, second section in grey).
For more guidance on our study of problem-solving styles at the KAI Foundation, get in touch today.
About Nicola Kirton:
Nicola Kirton, FRSA, is the daughter of the late Dr M J Kirton, originator of Adaption-Innovation Theory and its inventory. She is Managing Director of the KAI Foundation, Chair of the KAI Steering Committee and works with the executive teaching team for quality assurance of KAI trainings and usage worldwide.
Please click here to visit Nicola’s LinkedIn profile.
