Outthink the Competition: How a New Generation of Strategists Sees Options Others Ignore [Hardcover]

Kaihan Krippendorff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 20, 2011

A Fast Company blogger and former McKinsey consultant profiles the next generation business strategists: the "Outthinkers"

"Outthinkers" are entrepreneurs and corporate leaders with a new playbook. They see opportunities others ignore, challenge dogma others accept as truth, rally resources others cannot influence, and unleash new strategies that disrupt their markets. Outthink the Competition proves that business competition is undergoing a fundamental paradigm shift and that during such revolutions, outthinkers beat traditionalists.

Outthink the Competition presents stories of breakthrough companies like Apple, Google, Vistaprint, and Rosetta Stone whose stunning performances defy traditional explanation and will inspire readers to outthink the competition. Core concepts in the book include:

• Discover the Eight Dimensions of Disruption
• Learn to play by the Outthinker Playbook
• Develop the Five Habits of the Outthinker
• Implement the Outthinker Process

It's time to buck tradition in order to stay ahead. Outthink the competition and uncover opportunities hiding in plain sight.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Forge unexpected pathways to win strategic advantage

In business, you can face disruption in one of two ways. Like most people—and most companies—you can fall back on tried-and-true rules. They've always worked in the past, and you hope they'll work for you again. Or, you can recognize that the game has changed, and look beyond your current playbook to create an entirely new strategic reality.

If you pick the second option, then you are ready to Outthink the Competition. Written by business strategist and popular Fast Company blogger Kaihan Krippendorff, this groundbreaking guide identifies and appeals to a new generation of "outthinker" entrepreneurs and business leaders. These innovators succeed in today's breakneck business environment by spotting overlooked opportunities, leveraging underutilized resources, and seizing asymmetric advantages.

Outthinkers beat their rivals not by being bigger or stronger, but by producing breakthroughs. Outthink the Competition gives you and your team a proven system to harness this strategic creativity, and presents stories of outthinker companies that are successfully reshaping their industries, including Apple, Google, Rosetta Stone, Tesla Motors, and many more. You'll discover how you can:

• Understand the nature and potential of today's business revolution

• Force your competition into two-front battles that give you the high ground

• Develop the Five Habits of the Outthinker

• Construct a true Outthinker culture

• Apply the Outthinker Process for game-changing ideas

• Incorporate systems thinking and cognitive science principles into your approach

• And more!

If you want to win a strategic contest, don't let your opponents set the terms. Instead, Outthink the Competition and make the unexpected choices that will leave the competition disoriented and you moving ahead to master the next challenge.

From the Back Cover

PRAISE FOR OUTTHINK THE COMPETITION

"The nature of global business competition has been undergoing a radical change, and new ways of thinking and acting are required to become and stay effective in this newly defined environment. In Outthink the Competition, Kaihan outlines the specific changes underway and provides practical tools to help you adopt a new mindset to link your strategy to key financial indicators for better results. If you do not yet understand the strategic value of being good or how to wield the emerging power of coordination, read this book."
—ROBERT CANCALOSI, Chief Learning Officer, GE Healthcare

"While our bookshelves are now filled with advice on how to manage organizations, inspire employees, and connect with consumers in this new era, no one has talked convincingly about how to manage the competition . . . until now. Outthink the Competition shows how to adjust your strategy to the new realities of business in order to outplay, outwit, and outlast your competitors."
—SALOMON SREDNI, CEO, TradeStation Group

"In Outthink the Competition, Kaihan underscores the strategic power of being able to see, intelligently select, and pursue new options that your competition overlooks. This ability is the starting spark of all great growth stories and it is a critical skill for leaders to master. If you want to continue out-innovating the competition, take a closer look at the systematic process outlined in this book."
—DANIEL AMOS, CEO, AFLAC

"Companies rightfully spend an enormous amount of time and effort seeking to better understand our customers. But we often overlook a player with an equally important seat at the table: the competition. In Outthink the Competition Kaihan helps adjust for this imbalance. He provides practical methods to systematically analyze and intelligently manage the competition. This does not mean copying or even responding to the competition. It means precisely the opposite."
—MARC SPEICHERT, Chief Marketing Officer, L'Oreal USA

"Without a truly compelling and simple strategy that is able to thwart the competition, the next three–five years of execution is going to be a waste of time—or at least not as much fun! Kaihan provides an approach that will get the job done."
—VERNE HARNISH, CEO, Gazelles; author of Mastering the Rockefeller Habits

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (December 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1118105087
• ISBN-13: 978-1118105085
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #300,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kaihan is the author of "The Art of the Advantage: 36 Strategies to Seize the Competitive Edge" and President of The Strategy Learning Center. He helps large and small companies beat their competition and helps executives develop strategic thinking skills.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE essential handbook on how to compete and win in the market December 16, 2011

By David L. Shrier, Entrepreneur in Residence, Ernst & Young LLP

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

OUTTHINK THE COMPETITION is one of the best books I have read on corporate innovation in over 15 years and codifies quite possibly the best single system for driving business growth across companies ranging from startups to Fortune 50.

Kai Krippendorff has conducted ground-breaking research on the strategies, tactics and techniques that separate "gazelles", or hypergrowth companies, from the rest.
* He studied the growth characteristics and financial metrics of over 3,000 companies, and isolated the commonalities among a small group of about 100 companies that clearly exceeded the rest on revenue, profit and in many cases market share.
* Kai then codified it into a simple, easy-to-understand system and methodology that is used globally by executives ranging from Fortune 50 corporate leaders to emerging economy entrepreneurs.
* I personally have incorporated the Outthinker Method into my own innovation system and daily work, and find it incredibly powerful. My colleagues look at me like I'm a magician because of the innovative thinking I'm able to derive using this system.

OUTTHINK THE COMPETITION is a must-read for anyone who aspires to grow their business, whether they are a publicly listed large-cap company or a two-person startup.

After you've read OUTTHINK THE COMPETITION, I'd suggest considering HIDE A DAGGER BEHIND A SMILE which goes into more detail on the 36 strategies used throughout OUTTHINK THE COMPETITION. I find myself using more and more of these strategies in my daily work and am excited to familiarize myself with the entire toolbox....

Important Disclosures: (1) we are considering how Outthinking might apply to Ernst & Young LLP and/or our clients (2) in the consultancy I ran prior to joining Ernst & Young, I discussed potentially partnering with Kai on several projects and we presented programs to two of his Fortune 500 clients. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars I'm baffeled by the high reviews posted. February 13, 2013

By Clint

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am currently on a Elon Musk/Tesla/Space-X kick (as I consider him a modern day Tesla/genius), and searched Amazon for any biographies or any books relevant to him. This book Outthink the Competition popped up and after reading the reviews and as I am building my business, I decided to purchase it. The book is filled with stories & analogies about history like how Alexander the Great used outside of the box thinking/ideas to defeat his enemies, and how we can use this type of outside the box thinking strategies in our business. The book is filled with wannabe Art of War stories that to me and my business are irrelevant & pure nonsense. Nothing useless is gained from reading this book, I recommend you pass as I, after reading two chapters, returned the book for a full refund. Thank God for Amazon's spectacular return policy.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book! April 3, 2013

By Alex Villalpando

Format:Kindle Edition

This book, althought has so many stories about successful entrepreneurs and their way up the ladder, is many years ahead our era. Kaihan has dissected the most minimal fact about this incredible successes in a reliable method.
Thank you! Best Book read in many years!

AV

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling analysis of the new rules of business competition February 16, 2012

By John Gibbs TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Outthinkers step outside of the accepted paradigms in which thinkers operate, acting differently because they see the world differently, according to Kaihan Krippendorff in this book. Ordinary thinkers at first dismiss the outthinkers, then they ridicule them, and then they try to copy them. But it is too late if the outthinkers have gained a sustainable advantage.

The secret to success for outthinkers, then, is to make a few strategic choices to which your competition will not be able to respond effectively. Examples of companies which have done this to their competitors include Google, Netflix, Sohu.com, Research in Motion, Intuitive Surgical, eBay, Apple, Southwest Airlines, Dell and Home Depot. In each case, the company seized a strategic option that others were ignoring.

The basis of competition between companies is shifting from an economies-of-scale environment to a free-flow-of-information environment. Improved communications are driving middlemen out of business. The pace of competition is accelerating. Self-organized citizens and customers are seizing control. A small number of outthinkers are succeeding, but the majority of businesses are treading water or going backwards.

The author goes on to describe the "new playbook" (consisting of key strategies which outthinkers follow), the "habits" of outthinkers, a step-by-step process for applying outthinking to any organization, and the phases involved in rebuilding an organization from within.

While the book relied a little too much on ancient Chinese military strategy for my taste, I found the author's arguments about the changing business environment convincing and his analyses of successful companies compelling.... Business really has become more difficult and customers more demanding; in my opinion this book provides some very useful tools for envisioning ways of adapting to succeed. Read more ›

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Eh. January 7, 2013

By Alexander K. Weber

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The book does not talk about anything new or insightful, AND it's boring. Save your time by skipping this one.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A true strategy book with the potential to become a classic December 28, 2011

By Michael Froehls

Format:Hardcover

"Outthink the Competition" is one of these rare business books that can become a classic in no time. Written by Kaihan Krippendorff - an expert in how to apply thousands of years of Asian strategic thinking to business situations - this book targets those executives that truly want to move their companies to a long-term success trajectory above and away from the competition. Don't read "Outthink" if you are an executive or business owner who is just happy with the current status and does not want to rock the proverbial boat by departing from the crowd. If, however, you want or need to put your thinking cap on in order to find dramatically different ways to make your company grow successfully, Kaihan's book is a must-read.

Kaihan, a former colleague of mine from McKinsey, uses the consulting tool set at its best - he has developed easy to follow, yet incredible powerful frameworks to guide you through the process of generating, evaluating, and implementing your path to competitiveness.

The book follows the traditional path of business books by providing intelligent frameworks, powerful examples, and a simple process map for you to implement the concept in your company. For me, the highlight of the book is Part III, where Kaihan addresses the "5 Habits of Outthinkers" like "attacking the interconnected system" by finding leverage points in the value chain and networks that others overlook; and visualizing future desired outcomes and scenarios through "mental time travel". Having worked in strategy and strategic planning executive roles at various global companies, I can attest that Kaihan's way of thinking is truly remarkable and very different from what is usually done in Corporate America....

In summary, "Outhink the Competition" is an innovative business book for the determined executive who really wants to move her company not only to the next level, but to a level unattainable by competition. Read more ›