How Strategy Really Works. This approach grew out of the strategy practice at Monitor Company and subsequently became the standard process at P&G.
Strategy in Life
What is Strategy? Why is it easy to get wrong and so hard to get right? Strategy Structures in Life Concept-Space Getting from one point to another In a predefined direction Stars as Concept-space analogy By predefined actions Strategy in Life Know your surroundings Creating Strategies Using Strategies Summary Strategy...
Patterns of Strategy
Patterns of Strategy shows how the strategic fit between organisations drives strategic direction. It is essential reading for those who wish to understand how to manoeuvre their organisation to change its strategic fit to their advantage. The 80 ‘patterns’ of strategy help you explore options for collaboration and competition within your strategic ecosystem. A practical and authoritative guide, you can use it to plan and navigate your strategic future.
Many Strategies Fail Because They’re Not Actually Strategies
Many strategy execution processes fail because “new strategies” are often not strategies at all. A real strategy involves a clear set of choices that define what the firm is going to do and what it’s not going to do. Many strategies fail to get implemented because they do not represent such a set of clear choices. And many so-called strategies are in fact goals. “We want to be the number one or number two in all the markets in which we operate” is one of those. It does not tell you what you are going to do; all it does is tell you what you hope the outcome will be. But you’ll still need a strategy to achieve it. Another reason why many implementation efforts fail is that executives see it as a pure top-down, two-step process: “The strategy is made; now we implement it.” That’s unlikely to work. A successful strategy execution process is seldom a one-way trickle-down cascade of decisions.
Care as methodology
On being a researcher in the strategy industry. And reflections on how care becomes a valuable scarcity in a world where speed and ego erode the sincerity of knowledge.
What Is Strategy?
Today’s dynamic markets and technologies have called into question the sustainability of competitive advantage. Under pressure to improve productivity, quality, and speed, managers have embraced tools such as TQM, benchmarking, and re-engineering. Dramatic operational improvements have resulted, but rarely have these gains translated into sustainable profitability. And gradually, the tools have taken the place of strategy. In his five-part article, Michael Porter explores how that shift has led to the rise of mutually destructive competitive battles that damage the profitability of many companies. As managers push to improve on all fronts, they move further away from viable competitive positions. Porter argues that operational effectiveness, although necessary to superior performance, is not sufficient, because its techniques are easy to imitate. In contrast, the essence of strategy is choosing a unique and valuable position rooted in systems of activities that are much more difficult to match. Porter thus traces the economic basis of competitive advantage down to the level of the specific activities a company performs. Using cases such as Ikea and Vanguard, he shows how making trade-offs among activities is critical to the sustainability of a strategy. Whereas managers often focus on individual components of success such as core competencies or critical resources, Porter shows how managing fit across all of a company’s activities enhances both competitive advantage and sustainability. While stressing the role of leadership in making and enforcing clear strategic choices, Porter also offers advice on how companies can reconnect with strategies that have become blurred over time.
Arcs in Strategy Games
It is common to hear players talk about “tactics” and “strategy” in games. In this case, the colloquial understanding of these terms happens to be pretty useful, in that it …
How to not screw up your product strategy | Jade Rubick - Engineering Leadership
An overview of common mistakes people make while developing a product strategy, tips for creating a successful strategy, and how to communicate and execute on a product strategy.
Achieving playfulness in strategy game design
On a recent podcast episode, Brett “BrickroadDX” Lowey and I discussed the property of “playfulness” in strategy game design, and a lot of conversation over on my stream and…
Designing Strategy: Rushdown, Economy, and Defense
Hey everyone! Today I have a good-old-fashioned formalist-ish game design article. It’s been a little while since I’ve really done one of those, unless it was attached to Push the Lane.…
Strategy Is a Loop, Not a Plan | Ragan McGill
Most strategies don't fail because they were wrong. They fail because the world moved and the strategy didn't. Here is how I combine John Boyd's OODA loop with Richard Rumelt's strategy kernel to build strategy that keeps learning.
‘How Google Works,’ by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg (Published 2014)
Two technology executives explain the business methods behind Google’s groundbreaking success.
Shopify: A StarCraft Inspired Business Strategy
How CEO Tobi Lütke Applied StarCraft Gaming Strategies & Concepts To Build Shopify
From Open Source Software to Open Source Strategy
How the Smartest Executives Are Using Open Source Techniques to Optimize Corporate Strategy
