A Profile Business Classic edition of one of the most important and critically acclaimed books on strategy ever written
Richard Rumelt is a professor at UCLA's Anderson School of Business. He also taught for several years at INSEAD in France, and has been a consultant to a wide range of organisations, from the Samuel Goldwyn Company to Shell.
This is the first book on strategy I have read that I have found
difficult to put down.
*John Kay, London Business School*
A business classic
*Management Today*
A milestone in both the theory and practice of strategy.
*John Stopford, Emeritus Professor, London Business School*
Good Strategy, Bad Strategy pinpoints the polar difference: 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.
*Michael Useem, Professor of Management at the Wharton School,
University of Pennsylvania, and author of The Leadership
Moment*
Rumelt's new book clearly elevates the discussion of strategy.
Using compelling examples and penetrating insights, Good
Strategy/Bad Strategy provides new and powerful ways for leaders to
tackle the obstacles they face. The concepts of "The Kernel" and
"The Proximate Objective" are blockbusters. This is the new
must-have book for everyone who leads an organization--business,
government, or in-between.
*Robert Eckert, Chairman and CEO of Mattel*
Rumelt blends a practical focus with powerful conceptual ideas to
provide an insightful guide for those wrestling with the challenge
of creating strategy that makes a real difference.
*Mark Jenkins, Professor of Business Strategy, Cranfield Business
School*
In his provocative new book, Richard Rumelt lays bare an
uncomfortable truth: Most companies have strategies that are
quixotic, muddled and undifferentiated. This is hardly surprising,
since in recent years the very idea of "strategy" has been
dumbed-down by a deluge of naïve advice and simplistic frameworks.
Rumelt cuts through the clutter and reminds managers that the
essence of strategy is a clear and differentiated point of view
that supports forceful and coherent action. Drawing on a wealth of
examples, Rumelt identifies the critical features that distinguish
powerful strategies from wimpy ones-and offers a cache of advice on
how to build a strategy that is actually worthy of the name. If
you're certain your company is already poised to out-perform its
rivals and out-run the future, don't buy this book. If, on the
other hand, you have a sliver of doubt, pick it up pronto!
*Gary Hamel, co-author of Competing for the Future*
Any executive reading this book will be motivated to examine the
strategy of his or her firm, come to a judgment about it, and then
work to develop or improve it. The many fascinating examples of
good strategy provide great insight, but even more valuable are
those of the `bad' variety. Rumelt writes with great verve and
pulls no punches as he pinpoints such strategy "sins" as fluff,
blue sky objectives, and not facing the problem.
*James Roche, former Secretary of the Air Force and president of
Electronic Sensors & Systems, Northrop Grumman.*
There are many books on strategy but none as good and
thought-provoking as Richard Rumelt's Good Strategy/Bad Strategy.
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. It will change the way we teach and practice strategy.
*Professor Costas Markides, Holder of the Robert P Bauman Chair in
Strategic Leadership, London Business School*
Cutting to the core of what makes the difference between success
and being an also-ran, Rumelt uses vivid examples from the
contemporary business world and global history that clearly show
how to recognize the good, reject the bad, and make good strategy a
living force in your organization. Everyone involved in creating
and applying strategy and strategic thing must read this book. In a
very crowded field like strategy, few books stand out. Richard
Rumelt's new work is one of the exceptions.
*John Stopford, Emeritus Professor, London Business School*
Richard Rumelt reinforces that a strategy is not a goal or
objectives. 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.
*Chuck Harrington, CEO, Parsons Corporation*
Books on corporate strategy are rare. 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!
*Kent Kresa, former Chairman General Motors, former CEO Northrup
Grumman*
Rumelt's non-fast food approach to strategy is terrific. 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.
*Brian Farrell, Chairman, President & CEO THQ Inc.*
Richard Rumelt's book, Good Strategy/Bad Strategy, is a must-read.
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. I highly
recommend this book to anyone interested in the field of
strategy.
*W. Chan Kim, BCG Professor at INSEAD and co-author of Blue Ocean
Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the
Competition Irrelevant*
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