Customer Reviews

Competitive Strategy Dynamics

5 star:		(4)
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2 star:		(1)
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This is an excellent book for business managers not for expert models developpers. Much has been written on system dynamics that can hardly be applied to the world of business. Warren has translated a complicated theory into a graspable subject with a step-by-step approach that will help senior management integrate system dynamics into their thinking. It is then up to managers to require the help of expert consultants to build the model, the object of most of the litterature on system dynamics.

The book is an excellent synthesis of the resource based view of strategy with system dynamics. It presents an easy to follow process for implementing strategy dynamics in an organization. The development of a strategic architecture allows companies to cleary identify all resources, both tangible and intangible, and ensure that all inflows and outflows associated with these flows are running smoothly.

This is a good follow on book specifically addressing the strategic management issues. To really understand and apply this book, one must have read "Business Dynamics by Sterman".

Otherwise this is a good book giving a very refreshing approach to strategy management that has strong underlying mathematical foundations. Another plus for this book is by using system dynamics, that has been around for 40+ years and still going strong, as the underlying approach, it has made its shelf life longer (unlike most management theories that end up as "flavor of the week").

A must for anyone interested to read, know about, practice strategic management

OK, this is an MBA text book but it is still very readable for any business manager. It is so much more practical than blue sky theoretical, guru-speak. I actually worked out what I should do with my team, which is more help than I've had from a dozen other books by former CEOs!

The basic idea is really simple - performance comes from resources like "customers". We have to not only win customers but not lose them too...understanding why we win and lose customers is all about tracking the changes to business resources over time. The book shows how to "resrouce map" your business and then use the map to work out a way forward. It's got something to say on marketing, rivalry and industry changes. The really interesting part is trying to combine "soft factors" like customer reputation, into a business plan. Definitely worth thinking about if nothing else.

Warren describes the application of System Dynamics to strategic enterprise policy development and calls it Resource Based View.