BOOK REVIEW
Book Title: How to Outthink, Outmaneuver, and Outperform Your Competitors: Lessons from the Masters of Strategy
Author: Norton Paley
Publisher: CRC Press
List Price: $49.95
Format: 275 Pages, Hard cover
Publication Date: 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4665-6540-1
Reviewer: Amitha Mosapeta, MBA, MS, PMP
Review Date: November 2021
Introduction
The central purpose of this book is to equip managers with a firm grasp of the roots of strategy, to understand how strategies are developed, and to apply them to a range of volatile competitive conditions. That means imposing one’s will on others and maximizing the impact of their economic and human resources to achieve goals.
Overview of Book’s Structure
- Chapter 1 – Apply Strength against Weakness: Maneuver by Indirect Strategy
- Chapter 2 – Improve Chances for Securing a Competitive Lead: Act with Speed
- Chapter 3 – Secure a Competitive Advantage: Concentrate at a Decisive Point
- Chapter 4 – Create a Lifeline to Business Strategy: Employ Competitor Intelligence
- Chapter 5 – Maintain High Performance: Align Competitive Strategy with Your Company’s Culture
- Chapter 6 – The Force Multiplier behind Your Business Strategy: Leadership
- Chapter 7 – Engage Heart, Mind, and Spirit: Create a Morale Advantage
- Chapter 8 – Turn Uncertain Market Situations into Fresh Opportunities: Move to the Offensive
- Chapter 9 – Think like Strategists: Lessons from the Masters of Strategy
Highlights
Chapter 1 emphasizes on indirect strategy which is the most efficient way to implement a business plan. In the indirect approach it is possible to confront a larger competitor and win. Further, a direct strategy means confronting a stronger competitor head on where there is little or no differentiation in product features, quality, performance, price, and service.
Chapter 2 mentions Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of the competitor’s unpreparedness; travel by unexpected routes and strike where the competitor has taken no precautions. From a total company viewpoint, and within a global setting, speed impacts a number of managerial, organizational, and competitive issues.
Chapter 3 discusses a decisive point and how to find it. It turns out there are numerous possibilities for selecting a decisive point for a concentrated effort. The general guideline is to target a competitor’s specific weakness or general area of vulnerability. This chapter also discusses comparative analysis to identify competitor’s weakness or market gaps and SWOT analysis which is a widely used and time-tested approach.
Chapter 4 discusses knowing the competitor and your business. Know the competitor and know yourself; in hundred battles you will never be in peril and when you are ignorant of the competitor, but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. This chapter also discussed competitor benchmarking. Benchmarking is an assessment tool to compare and measure your firm’s business processes against those of your competitors.
More…
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How to cite this book review: Mosapeta, A. (2022). How to Outthink, Outmaneuver, and Outperform Your Competitors, book review, PM World Journal, Vol. XI, Issue I, January. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/pmwj113-Jan2022-Mosapeta-How-to-Outthink-Outmaneuver-Outperform-Competitors-book-review.pdf
About the Reviewer
Amitha Mosapeta, MBA, MS, PMP
Dallas, Texas, USA
Miss Amitha Mosapeta is a Business System Analyst (BSA) with extensive experience in business analysis, project management, implementation, customization, and integration for companies in the financial services, manufacturing, and service industries. Amitha has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Master’s degree in Business Administration with specialization in Marketing, Master’s in Computer Science and has obtained the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in 2014.
Amitha can be contacted at amitha.mosapeta@gmail.com
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