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What Is Strategy?
Strategy is a relatively young discipline. Until the middle of the last
century, much of what people now think of as strategy was catego-
rized simply as management. So it is really no wonder that many
organizations struggle to define what a strategy is and how to cre-
ate a useful one; there is no single, clear, and pervasive definition
The five choices make up the strategic choice cascade, the founda-
tion of our strategy work and the core of this book.
To really think through strategy, though, the cascade isnt
quite enough. In chapter 7, we will provide another toolthe
strategy logic flow, a framework designed to helpfully direct
your thinking to the key analyses that inform your five strategy
choices. Then, in chapter 8, we provide a specific methodology for
making sense of conflicting strategic options, a processcalled
reverse engineeringfor making strategic choices with others.
Taken together, the five choices, one framework, and one process
provide a playbook for crafting strategy in any organization.
Our intent is to provide you with a do-it-yourself guide to
strategy. We offer you the concepts, process, and practical tools
you need to create and develop a winning strategy for your busi-
ness, function, or organizationa strategy that serves your cus-
tomers better and enables you to compete more successfully and
to win.
The world needs more business leaders who understand strat-
egy and are capable of leading the strategy process for their com-
panies. It needs strategic capabilities at all organizational levels in
industries of all kinds, in government, in health care, in education,
and in the social sector. Strategy neednt be mysterious. Concep-
tually, it is simple and straightforward. It requires clear and hard
thinking, real creativity, courage, and personal leadership. But it
can be done.