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Title: Five Future Strategies You Need Right Now
Author: George Stalk
Stars: ***
The purpose of this book is to alert business leaders to strategies that they
should be implementing to achieve competitive advantage. As is pointed out
in the introduction, the strategies are not brand new. They’ve been kicked
around for a while, and most have been road tested. According to the author,
“their sources of advantage are not only clear but undeniable.”
The five strategies are: Supply Chain Gymnastics, Side Stepping Economies
of Scale, Dynamic Pricing, Embracing Complexity, and Infinite Bandwidth.
Embracing complexity is one that interested this reviewer most. The author
positions this strategy as a departure from the “keep it simple” mantra
espoused by so many. Keeping it simple, he argues, involves taking things
away and thus removing complexity. Trouble is many clients demand
complexity (e.g. more choices, more customization).
Stalk’s views don’t seem to completely contradict the “keep it simple”
doctrine. There are different levels of simplification. For example, you may
offer 1,000 different kinds of shoes for sale (i.e. complexity), but build a front-
end web application that’s easy to use and that guides the customer through
the process of choosing a perfect pair in seconds, and you’ve hit the jackpot.
You’ve taken advantage of technology to successfully manage (embrace) the
complexity and simplify the user experience.
The book is an interesting read. It’s also very short which is nice. All 5
strategies could benefit companies depending on their circumstances. Some
are already reaping the rewards.
Author: George Stalk
Stars: ***
The purpose of this book is to alert business leaders to strategies that they
should be implementing to achieve competitive advantage. As is pointed out
in the introduction, the strategies are not brand new. They’ve been kicked
around for a while, and most have been road tested. According to the author,
“their sources of advantage are not only clear but undeniable.”
The five strategies are: Supply Chain Gymnastics, Side Stepping Economies
of Scale, Dynamic Pricing, Embracing Complexity, and Infinite Bandwidth.
Embracing complexity is one that interested this reviewer most. The author
positions this strategy as a departure from the “keep it simple” mantra
espoused by so many. Keeping it simple, he argues, involves taking things
away and thus removing complexity. Trouble is many clients demand
complexity (e.g. more choices, more customization).
Stalk’s views don’t seem to completely contradict the “keep it simple”
doctrine. There are different levels of simplification. For example, you may
offer 1,000 different kinds of shoes for sale (i.e. complexity), but build a front-
end web application that’s easy to use and that guides the customer through
the process of choosing a perfect pair in seconds, and you’ve hit the jackpot.
You’ve taken advantage of technology to successfully manage (embrace) the
complexity and simplify the user experience.
The book is an interesting read. It’s also very short which is nice. All 5
strategies could benefit companies depending on their circumstances. Some
are already reaping the rewards.
V E N T U R E S , L L C