Judo Strategy: Turning Your Competitors' Strength to Your Advantage [Hardcover]

David B. Yoffie (Author), Mary Kwak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001

A century-old strategy holds the secret to toppling corporate giants. 'In a world where advantage increasingly depends upon movement rather than position, "Judo Strategy" drills home the ultimate principle of strategy: maximize impact while minimizing effort. This is easy to say but difficult to accomplish. The authors provide pragmatic techniques and examples to help make this principle come alive. Don't enter the market without this book' - John Hagel, Author, "Net Gain and Net Worth", and Chief Strategy Officer, 12 Entrepreneuring, Inc. Why do some companies succeed in defeating stronger rivals, while others fail? This is a question that, sooner or later, all ambitious competitors must face.Whether you're a tiny start-up taking on industry giants or a giant moving into markets dominated by powerful incumbents, the basic problem remains the same: How do you compete with opponents who have size, strength, and history on their side? The answer lies in a simple but powerful lesson: Rather than oppose strength to strength, successful challengers use their opponents' size and power to bring them down. This is the message at the heart of "Judo Strategy". Based on extensive research by Harvard Business School professor David Yoffie and research associate Mary Kwak, "Judo Strategy" introduces a groundbreaking approach to competition that shows companies how to win against imposing odds. Using vivid examples from companies ranging from Wal-Mart and Charles Schwab to Juniper Networks and Palm Computing, the authors demonstrate how managers can translate the core principles of judo - a martial art that prizes skill not size - into a winning business strategy.By mastering movement, managers learn to seize the lead and make the most of their initial advantage. By maintaining balance, they can successfully engage with opponents and respond to rivals' attacks. And finally, by exploiting leverage, managers can transform their competitors' strengths into strategic liabilities. This book will help any company - large or small, new or old, virtual or physical - become a more effective competitor. In addition to developing the concept of judo strategy, it presents a defensive primer - in the form of "sumo strategy" - for companies facing judo attacks.Packed with the insights of world-class managers and strategists, "Judo Strategy" does double duty: it can help you become a giant-killer, while also teaching you to protect your hard-fought position from challengers in the wings. David B. Yoffie is the Max and Doris Starr Professor of International Business Administration at Harvard Business School and Mary Kwak is a Research Associate at Harvard Business School.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Judo, often translated as "the way of gentleness," is a century-old martial art that employs quickness and agility to help devotees overcome adversaries who seem--at least on the surface--to be more powerful. In Judo Strategy, David B. Yoffie, a professor of International Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and Mary Kwak, a Harvard research associate, turn these principles around for a corporate audience, showing how they can also be used to help companies battle bigger and stronger competitors. The metaphor has been used before in business and economic examples, the authors concede, "yet no one, to our knowledge, had tried to use judo as the basis for a systematic way of thinking about strategy." In the pages that follow, they begin by delving into the three primary tenets of the discipline (movement, balance, and leverage), and show specifically how each could be applied in business. They then explore the way three prominent New Economy companies (Palm Computing, RealNetworks, and CNET Networks) have successfully put the strategy into practice. Finally, they offer insight into fending off others who employ the judo strategy. In all, an original and practical management approach. --Howard Rothman

Review

"...Mr. Yoffie and Ms. Kwak use the judo metaphor with perfect sensibility." -- Dallas Morning News

"...when taken to the mat, the book stands the test." -- Entrepreneur Magazine

"Judo Strategy is a lively, detailed analysis of how small companies can compete against larger ones." -- Business Week

"Yoffie and Kwak successfully follow through on a simple approach that delivers useful advice for any manager." -- Computerworld

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578512530
• ISBN-13: 978-1578512539
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #361,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small, new companies vs. large, entrenched companies, August 24, 2001

By 

Benjamin Slivka "Ben Slivka" (Clyde Hill, WA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Judo Strategy: Turning Your Competitors' Strength to Your Advantage (Hardcover)

Taking examples primarily from the high-technology business world of the past 7 years, Yoffie and Kwak use the sports of Judo and Sumo as metaphors to analyze small, new companies competing against large, entrenched companies. A brief introduction to the sport of Judo is followed by an overview of the Principles of Judo Strategy in business -- Movement, Balance, and Grip - with short examples of companies as varied as Amazon.com, Capital One, Charles Schwab, Dell, eBay, Frontier Airlines, Inktomi, Intuit, Juniper Networks, JVC, Netscape, People Express, Priceline.com, and Transmeta using these strategies (mostly) successfully. CNET Networks, Palm Computing, and Real Networks each get a chapter of their own discussing their use of Judo Strategy in detail.

Of course the upstart company does not always win, so the authors introduce the sport of Sumo and then describe how to apply Sumo Strategy to deal with a Judo strategist, using examples of behavior by AOL, Cisco, Coca Cola, Du Pont, Intel, Microsoft, and Texas Instruments.

I enjoyed the judo and sumo metaphors and especially all the stories about companies that had used these strategies successfully. The only suggestion for improvement I might offer the authors is to include more examples of companies (like Netscape) who violated these strategies and paid the price.

Judo Strategy winds down with a list of five rules for the Judo Strategist, which I will summarize as: Focus, Execute, Be Nimble, Leverage Creatively, and Cut Your Losses Quickly. I was particularly impressed by the passion, energy, intellect and dogged determination required of a small company leader to compete successfully with a large company. The commitment over a long period of years by a single leader sets a very important tone for a company, and events like George Sheehan leaving WebVan [I wrote this review before WebVan folded!] or Peter Neupert kicking himself upstairs to Chairman at Drugstore.com should be seen as critical warning signs about the long-term viability of those companies.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Competing with Industry Giants ... and Winning, September 5, 2001

By 

Donna "ddubinsky" (Portola Valley, US, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Judo Strategy: Turning Your Competitors' Strength to Your Advantage (Hardcover)

Okay, I'm biased about this book. After all, our story (the Palm story) is well profiled in it! But I do believe that Yoffie and Kwak have captured and articulated well some of the essential elements of our strategy. Judo Strategy gives solid advice, and is loaded with examples, for those entrepreneurs who dare to compete against industry giants. Refreshingly, it also instructs you on what NOT to do, which is sometimes even more important. I recommend this book for anybody who choses to compete with market leaders.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even Bill Gates could learn a trick or two, September 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Judo Strategy: Turning Your Competitors' Strength to Your Advantage (Hardcover)

This is a great book for anyone competing with the 800 pound gorilla of their industry. It gave me a lot of ideas about how to look beyond other companies' strengths and take advantage of their weaknesses. The examples are inspiring (especially the examples of moves to avoid, like getting into a war of attrition). If you work anywhere other than Microsoft, you should definitely read this book.