by Paul Simister
on May 29, 2015
The full title of this book by Kim Warren is
“The Trouble with Strategy: The brutal reality of why business strategy doesn’t work and what to do about it“.
In my review posted to Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book Five Stars. This means I think it is Excellent and Very Highly Recommended to anyone with a keen interest on business strategy.
Here is my book review.
The current approach to strategy is very sick but there is hope.
This is a hard hitting assessment of the world of strategy and it reveals that it is very sick, heading for intensive care even though many practitioners are in denial.
Academics are criticised for their failure to develop a convincing science of strategy. Too often academic researchers have asked the wrong question in their research and used the wrong methods. It’s no wonder that the answers are superficial and contradictory, even if they sound good and can create gurus. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 29, 2015
The full title of this book by Peter Navarro is
“The Well Timed Strategy: Managing the Business Cycle for Competitive Advantage“.
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
A reminder that “when to do it” can be as important as “what to do”
This book takes a different view to strategy than most strategy books. Normally the focus is on what to do. The examples and case studies in book make it clear that “when to do it” is a vital element of success. Strategies that make sense at certain stages of the business cycle can be extremely damaging in other stages.
The book defines a Master Cyclist as someone who manages the business with a perceptive view of what’s happening in the business cycle, steering the business carefully through the major decisions. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 29, 2015
The full title of the book by Henry Mintzberg, Bruce Ahlstrand and Joseph Lampel is
Strategy Safari: The complete guide through the wilds of strategic management
In my review posted at Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 3 Stars.
Here is my review.
A challenging read if you’re familiar with strategy
This book summarises ten different schools of strategic thought but the separations are deceptive and the approaches themselves are set up as straw men to be knocked down.
It’s therefore a challenging read if you’re already knowledgable about strategy and you have your own views about the different approaches. While some of it made me angry with what were almost parodies, some barbs hit home. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 29, 2015
I gave the book
Developing Business Strategies by David A. Aaker,
Four Stars when I reviewed it on Amazon.co.uk. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
Good practical guide to strategy
This book makes it clear from the very beginning that it is written for:
– managers who need to develop strategies but have had little strategy experience
– general managers and planning specialists who want to update their strategy skills
This focus on managers means that it’s written in a simple, straightforward way that is a practical guide to developing a strategy. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 29, 2015
The full title of this book by The Boston Consulting Group is
The Boston Consulting Group on Strategy: Classic Concepts and New Perspectives
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Three Stars. This means Worthwhile.
Here is my review.
A piece of history
This book is a collection of short articles from a variety of Boston Consulting Group consultants including its founder Bruce Henderson from 1970 forward to 2005.
It’s split five parts:
– The nature of business strategy
– The development of business strategy
– The practice of business strategy
– Business thinking
– Social commentary
The main meat is in part 3 with sections for:
– The customer, segmentation and value creation
– Innovation and growth
– Deconstruction of value chains
– Performance measurement
– Resource allocation
– Organisational design
– Leadership and change
As you read through, you’ll find a mixture of ideas that have passed into conventional strategic wisdom and perspectives that didn’t catch on
The consultancy firm have had a huge impact on the theory and practice of strategy but the book is harder to assess. I found it very interesting to go back and read the original germination of ideas but I also found it frustrating. A book made up of a large collection of short articles is inevitably a patchwork. Ideas don’t flow together as you would wish and there isn’t the development of core ideas to a deeper level.
I think The Boston Consulting Group On Strategy would have been a more compelling read if it had featured fewer original articles and added an updated perspective and thoughts on how the ideas are still relevant to today’s world or reasons why they are not.
It’s not a book for someone who is new to strategy and wants to put together a strategic plan. Nor is it a book for someone who wants to be at the cutting edge of strategy. There is little here for typical readers of my blog who own and/or manage small to medium sized businesses. It is a book for practitioners who want to have more understanding of where strategy has come from.
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by Paul Simister
on May 28, 2015
The full title of this book by Rita Gunther McGrath is
The End of Competitive Advantage: How to Keep Your Strategy Moving as Fast as Your Business
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Two Stars.
Here is my review.
Old wine in a new bottle
I had high hopes of this book as I was interested to find out how the author could justify the argument of how the old ways of strategic planning were wrong and that she had a new play-book for dealing with a world of continuous change.
I was left disappointed. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 25, 2015
I gave the original version of Blue Ocean Strategy a five star review.
Blue Ocean Strategy Expanded Edition by W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
I’m happy to again give Five Stars to this updated version in my review posted on Amazon.co.uk. This means I think it is Excellent and Very Highly Recommended.
Yet I was left feeling disappointed. Read my review to find out why.
Even better and more comprehensive. A great guide to differentiation and finding new markets
I’ve been following the Blue Ocean approach since the authors started publishing articles in the Harvard Business Review in the late 1990s. Even though I had been introduced to some of the techniques before (and seen other versions of the strategy canvas elsewhere in the customer value literature), I loved the original book.
For me, the big question is whether this new version is worth buying if you already have the original? [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 23, 2015
I’ve been fascinated by the topic of differentiating a business or product/service for more than 20 years and I even have a separate blog called Differentiate Your Business.
Who Should Read This Book ?
- Business owners and entrepreneurs.
- Senior executives in big businesses.
- Product managers and marketing managers in big businesses.
- Business consultants, coaches and advisors.
Review Of Blue Ocean Strategy by W Chan Kim and Renee A Mauborgne
[continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 21, 2015
The full title of this book by Richard Rumelt is
“Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The difference and why it matters“.
In my review posted at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
It’s time to get serious about strategic planning
This is a thought-provoking book which challenges many of the practices that are passed off as strategy today. Richard Rumelt is particularly against wish driven strategies like “our strategy is to grow by 20% per year because we want to grow by 20%.”
According to Richard Rumelt, the kernel of good strategy has three elements:
1) A diagnosis of the issues and problems facing the business
2) A guiding policy to overcome the obstacles
3) Coherent action
[continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 20, 2015
The full title of this book by AG Lafley and Roger Martin is
“Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works“.
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
Nice overview of strategy dominated by examples from Procter & Gamble
This takes a simple look at developing strategy based around answering five (not so easy) questions:
1) What do you want to achieve?
2) Where are you going to play?
3) How can you win?
4) How to improve/develop the core capabilities needed to win?
5) What management system is needed to make sure you win and to keep everything aligned?
[continue reading…]
