Clausewitz on Strategy : Inspiration and Insight from a Master Strategist
by Tiha von Ghyczy, Christopher Bassford, Bolko von Oetinger. Wiley: April 23, 2001. 208 pages.
Clausewitz is a “must read” in the area of strategy, but somewhat inaccessible. This compendium/extract fits the bill nicely. Heavily promoted by BCG around the turn of the century as part of the rediscovery of Clausewitz’s insights.
Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors
by Michael E. Porter. Free Press: June 1, 1998. 397 pages.
Porter’s classic brought years of work of industrial economists to center stage, ushering in “strategy” as we know it today in business. A foundation text for all who work in this space.
The Halo Effect: … and the Eight Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers
by Philip M. Rosenzweig. Free Press: Feb. 6, 2007. 256 pages.
If you have often found books on management to turn your stomach, this is the book for you. It may also be the first book on management you should read. Rosenzweig convincingly demonstrates what we have all suspected all along – that most books on management are bunk. But by showing us how bunk gets recycled into bucks by guru after guru, he gives us added fortitude in standing up to the fads that sweep the world of business year after year after year.
The Mind Of The Strategist: The Art of Japanese Business
by Kenechi Ohmae. McGraw-Hill: August 1, 1991. 304 pages.
This great text on business strategy has little to do with “Japanese Business”. It is more an excellent expository piece on the fundamentals of McKinsey’s corporate approach to business strategy as of the date of publication. Ohmae was at the time the Managing Director of McKinsey’s Tokyo office and a leader in the firm’s strategy practice.
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
by Thomas S. Kuhn. Books LLC: May 18, 2009. 188 pages.
The landmark book that explains how our predilection for explaining the unknown based on what we think we know leads us further and further from the truth until a “paradigm shift” brings us back on course. Sobering reading for anyone involved in technological innovation.
