Can a "realization" change the world?

Generic notion #257b. Consider the quote that begins "When IBM realized that it was not in the office automation business but rather the information processing business, everything changed...." Is there a generic term for this kind of realization? Part of it is just coming to see the truth, overcoming illusions, getting it right finally. But there seems to be a separate dimension here, something other than just coming to a correct empirical understanding of the world. One piece of this seems to be reframing; the realization has implications for re-interpreting other information and re-channeling how actions will be based on existing information/knowledge. Hints here, then, of a sort of "paradigm shift" (to use an overused and misused term). Hmmm, back to work.