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It is the battle plan for action that is designed upon a unique set of attributes or conditions kernels that sets an organization apart from its competitors leverages and results in exceptional and sustainable profits. Rarer still are ones that explain good versus bad strategy, through clear illustrations where organizations got it right or wrong.
This is a must read for CEOs or planners whose job depends on getting it right! A pleasure to read, this book explains what is, and what is not, good strategy and good strategic thinking. The examples, stories, and anecdotes kept me engaged throughout this well written book. It articulates the fundamentals of strategy and is exceptional in its depth and breadth of case illustrations and understanding on strategy.
A book like this can only be written with many years of research and deep thought on the practice of strategy. The diagnosis and actions that constitute good strategy, the fluff and failures that cause the bad. Richly illustrated and persuasively argued by a researcher, teacher, and consultant, Richard Rumelt has authored the playbook for anybody in a leadership position who must think and act strategically. Building on solid academic foundations and using fascinating examples from business, politics and history, Rumelt exposes the many fallacies that surround this important concept while providing his own unique and refreshingly-clear approach on how to develop a coherent and successful strategy.
This is a wonderful book, full of fresh ideas and practical advice, written in a clear and engaging way. The author is considered an international expert in strategy. Throughout the book, he includes examples extracted from his experience consulting with various com This is such a great book, but I debated rating it 4 stars because I felt some of the examples dragged on a little, becoming slightly monotonous. An insightful but long-winded exploration of effective strategy. The examples and advice are mostly related to business usually large corporations , but they also deal with nonprofits and government.
Its points could have been condensed into a book one-third the length. Part 3 Thinking Like a Strategist seemed disconnected from the rest. I suggest skippi An insightful but long-winded exploration of effective strategy.
I suggest skipping it. I read this book because it was recommended by web designer Paul Boag in his podcast episode 10 books every web professional should read. I own a web design company and am something of a Boag fan. Bad strategy is long on goals and short on policy and action. Ambition and motivation aren't strategy. To have a strategy is to choose one path and eschew others. Good strategy isn't just what you are trying to do; it's also why and how you are doing it. Feb 18, Silvia rated it really liked it. Richard Rumelt may come across as an arrogant sob, but he's a very smart one.
I had a lot to learn from this book, out of which I think the most important thing that stuck was to eliminate the fluff.
I liked the cases he presented to get his points across, though I think that for some he got a bit too into it and made them very difficult to keep up - I had to stop and google people and events. Nevertheless, it's a good book for everyone dealing with planning and strategy in their job and, dare I Richard Rumelt may come across as an arrogant sob, but he's a very smart one. Nevertheless, it's a good book for everyone dealing with planning and strategy in their job and, dare I say, even in your personal life you might find some things useful. I loved it so much that I did a video https: But if you don't feel like watching the video, what I said about it is below.
What is Good Strategy?
Rumelt, , Profile Books Rumelt says… What was so great about this book? Jul 01, Hj Barraza rated it it was amazing Shelves: Who does he think he is, a rocket scientist? Well, yes, he also worked as an engineer on the US Voyager mission to Jupiter.
This book is fascinating, informative, enjoyable, erudite book. You can consider it a necessary reading for executives and managers on the topic of strategy. Apr 23, Zahedul rated it it was amazing. This is probably the most the most enlightening book I've read in the last 5 years. The author cuts the fat while explaining the strategy making process, making it more accessible to the average reader using a plethora of case studies. From the author's forty years experience as a research, teacher at UCLA and as a consultant, he brings on nuggets of wisdom on ways to formulating good strategies and staying away from bad ones.
For fully internalizing the main takeaways, I probably will have to r This is probably the most the most enlightening book I've read in the last 5 years. For fully internalizing the main takeaways, I probably will have to read the book twice. Jun 03, Michael "Doc" Norton rated it liked it. This book seems a lot longer than necessary.
It is full of examples where the author looks back on events and determines that he was right at the very beginning and that his strategy was or would have been best for the client. Other stories presume a certain strategy existed because success was achieved by some measure. Overall, I felt like I got some good nuggets from the book. Ways to think about problems, what else to consider, etc. Jan 28, Xavier Shay rated it it was amazing.
One of the best "business" books I've read. The style is straight forward, there is a wealth of positive and negative examples the author has an incredible amount of experience to draw from , and plenty of insight which I'm fairly certain will permanently change how I think about strategy. Mar 31, Asif rated it it was amazing. This is a beautiful book with clear writing and brilliant examples. The writer identifies all the hogwash that is passed on as strategy and then shows what a good strategy looks like.
Apr 08, Jordan Munn rated it really liked it. Mar 30, Javier Recuenco rated it it was amazing. Oct 09, Wang Jiao rated it did not like it. It is very empty, lack of concrete content, just examples piled up with abstract words. Too dull to continue after two chapters. Not fruitful at all.
One of the best business books I have read! The examples of bad strategies were eye-opening, and sadly all too common in the corporate world, or the public service. May 26, George Moody rated it liked it Shelves: This is, overall, an excellent book on strategy. Its two main contributions are a clear and rigorous approach to good strategy, which almost everyone can gain from, and a vigorous analysis of errors in strategic thinking that gets right to the heart of why there is so much bad strategy out there.
The remaining two sections, whilst interesting and containing us Summary: The remaining two sections, whilst interesting and containing useful ideas, are less vital. The third seems rushed and poorly structured even; there is no conclusion at all, the book abruptly ends. For the most part the praise is well deserved. His practical and action focused approach, and the core distinction between good and bad strategy are powerful and useful.
The book is structured in three parts: All of them are interesting with useful insights, but the first is by far the best and most concise and contains the core of his approach. Rumelt begins by noting how rare it is to find a focused strategy actually implemented, and that this alone gives a huge advantage to an organisation capable of doing so.
The surprise of it, and the general rarity of such good strategy, is because such focus requires disciplining the competing interests, ambitions and desires of units within an organisation here the army, navy and air force. When not actually forced to do so, organisations tend to avoid the difficult decisions and prioritisations involved in forming and implementing an actual strategy, instead accommodating conflicting interests within a general list of organisational aims.
This is the essence of bad strategy, by which Rumelt means not a mistaken or unsuccessful strategy, but a failure in strategic thinking. Its prevalence derives from the inability to choose, from mistaking goals for strategy, and from failing to face up to the challenges or address the critical issues facing an organisation in a practical achievable way. The diagnosis defines or explains the nature of the challenge, and identifies the critical aspects, simplifying to allow action. Comprehending the situation with a view to achieving leverage over outcomes in this way, remains a question of judgement however.
Underscoring the importance of this element Rumelt gives strong evidence for his argument that most deep strategic changes are brought about by a change in diagnosis. The guiding policy is the overall approach chosen to cope with or overcome the obstacles identified. The stress here is on its pragmatic character — such a policy is not about visions or goals but a method of action, a way of grappling with the situation. The final element is this one of actions, of devising a coordinated set of actions or steps that work together to achieve the policy.
The key to combatting fluff lies here — strategy must contain action, and to be meaningfully strategic actions must be coordinated and support one another. Keeping with one of the themes of the book - that strategy is hard work - he argues one of the main impediments to action is the belief that certain painful choices or actions can be avoided, and that all priorities can be accommodated. It is often only the imperative to act that brings out strategic thinking in organisations, forcing prioritisation and decision making. Without this hard core and the difficult work required by it, aims and visions however remain fluff.
The first section ends discussing the costs and benefits of imposing coordination on an organisation, and from this the need to maintain flexibility whilst imposing enough coordination in the right places. This first section of the book is clear, tightly argued and powerful. The second section deals with application of this approach.
This development through example meant I found it quite a slog however, and it felt much more slackly written than the first part. Nevertheless, well worth skimming through and dipping into the most interesting parts for you. I gained a lot from reading this book, and I would recommend it for pretty much everyone. From my experience the prevalence of bad strategy is not overstated, and he explains well why it leaves everyone involved unsatisfied by it, as well as being a danger to the organisation involved. His thinking on good strategy is clear and action oriented, and whilst the volume of examples of its application can make the book hard going at times, they give a clear sense of the value of his approach.
Jun 05, Michael Culbertson rated it it was amazing Shelves: Highly recommended for all organizations. According to Rumelt, much of what is called organizational "strategy" is not truly a strategy: A set of goals, objectives, or targets is not a strategy. A list of activities is not a strategy. A project plan is not a strategy. A budget is not a strategy. Inspirational talk is not a strategy. The "kernel" of Rumelt's understanding of strategy consists of three parts: The connections between these three elements are crucial for a strategy to be strategic.
If any of the three components is missing, or if the three components are not well integrated through deep, careful thinking, what results is not likely to be a very good strategy. Rumelt lays this out in Part I of the book very coherently. Unfortunately, in Part II, he loses focus and rambles with business case after case. The examples are interesting to read, but they don't feel like they come to a very sharp point. Moreover, the examples in Part II are mostly from the competitive business world, and were less applicable to non-commercial organizations.
Although a number of examples in Part I are also from business, the content in Part I applies to both for-profit and non-profit enterprises. Rumelt destroys those simple-minded misconceptions in this important book. Through loads of detailed examples and thoughtful insight, he identifies a useful path forward for entrepreneurs and business leaders working to build a remarkable enterprise. Jul 25, Blundell rated it it was amazing Shelves: It shows what a good MBA could in still in you in terms of thought process.
Apr 27, Leanne Ritchie rated it really liked it. Summary - strategy takes analysis. Jul 20, Lendl Meyer rated it it was amazing. Perhaps the best business book I've read yet. Clear, logical, easy to follow, with good examples. Very practical and applicable. Buy it and read it. Mar 01, Norah rated it really liked it. This is a solid and fundamental book for anyone who wants to understand the basics of corporate strategy.
Having been a strategy consultant for some years, I see this book captures the daily-applied framework when tackling a client's business problem, and identifies some key common traits of a successful strategy from a less-so one. The case studies are little out-dated but interesting, which unfortunately are less detailed in the summary version.
Jan 13, Andy rated it liked it.
Nevertheless, this book is the pot calling the kettle black in terms of what the author calls "fluff. For something that might help you as a manager to deal with the issues raised in the book, I would recommend "The Four Disciplines of Execution. The problem to be fixed is "bad strategy. Why is there so much bad strategy? He gives all kinds of different examples of bad strategy that have little in common. For the most part, he is criticizing people more for lack of strategy than for bad strategy. The common theme seems to be that bosses are confused about what strategy is and are doing silly stuff like writing mission statements.
But this is just an elaboration of what the problem is, not a reason for why it is happening. And it is to some degree just word games, because a good mission statement is functionally the same thing as what he calls a "guiding policy. Guiding policy for a solution: The impossibility of a formula is due in part to the fluid definition of "good strategy. When Steve Jobs "waits for the next big thing" that is good strategy. When Admiral Nelson just relies on his captains' superior experience in a chaotic situation, that is good strategy. It is meaningless in retrospect to define successes as good strategies and failures as bad strategies; that's just circular reasoning.