Explore in-depth explanations of essential business strategies and frameworks. Learn how to apply concepts like the Flywheel, Core and Context, and Activity Maps to drive growth and innovation in your organization.
A virtuous circle is one where a good event feeds on itself to improve business further. It is a positive feedback loop. A virtuous circle can be small operating over days or it can drive a whole company’s strategy for decades. The same positive feedback loop can also run in reverse however, to create a vicious … Read more
Creating a robust strategy is vital for any organization’s long-term success. However, developing a strategy involves making choices, and making choices necessitates having viable alternatives. Generating these alternatives can be challenging, often leading organizations to pay lip service to the process rather than creating genuine options. This article explores why generating alternatives is difficult, how … Read more
Chicken and Egg strategy problems occur whenever the value proposition to two separate groups is dependent on penetration in the other. An example is an auction site like eBay, with the number of buyers driving attractiveness to sellers, and likewise the number of sellers driving attractiveness to buyers. This situation will power a virtuous circle once an … Read more
The S curve is a strategic concept that describes how the old ways mature and are superseded by new ways. In the early days of new technology, it takes a long time to improve performance. People are working out the technology, and the applications, ironing out the flaws, and building the ecosystem. Slowly over time, … Read more
Core and Context is a distinction that separates the few activities that a company does that create true differentiation in customers’ eyes (CORE) from everything else that a company needs to do to stay in business (CONTEXT). “Core” refers to the innovative processes that businesses undertake to create differentiation that wins customers. “Context” refers to … Read more
Introduced by Michael Porter in 1985, an activity system map is a powerful tool used in strategic planning to visualize and enhance an organization’s competitive edge. It illustrates the links between the clusters of activities and the processes that support the core competencies, hence representing how the activities pursued by an organization fit with and … Read more
The flywheel concept in business is a strategic approach where small, consistent actions build momentum, leading to significant long-term growth. This concept emphasizes how repeated efforts can accumulate and create powerful forward motion. Forget about quick fixes. The flywheel requires patience and persistence. But you will pay for it, believe me. The results of such … Read more