Judo Strategy: Turning Your Competitors' Strength to Your Advantage (Hardcover)

by David B. Yoffie (Author), Mary Kwak (Author) "IN THE SPRING of 1994, a little-known company called Mosaic Communications opened its doors in Mountain View, California..." (more)
Key Phrases: judo strategist, judo strategy, sumo strategy, Bill Gates, Internet Explorer, United States (more...)

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

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 239 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business School Press; illustrated edition edition (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578512530
• ISBN-13: 978-1578512539
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 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.com Sales Rank: #423,029 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 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 (Clyde Hill, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	"ddubinsky" (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Reference Volume for Entrepreneurs, September 2, 2001

By	Simon Johnson (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews

To understand strategy we study the details of campaigns, what worked and why. You can fill a library with good books on military affairs, but if you want to think about business strategy there are relatively few that combine reliable history with analysis. Most business strategy books are either simple exhortations to do better or rigid formulas that would have brought tears to Clausewitz's eyes. Many business histories, on the other hand, offer little more than a dry recital of events.

Judo Strategy is different. This is good analytic history, blending individual perspectives with overall strategy issues. Yoffie and Kwak bring in the personal dimension, while not losing sight of what it really takes to win. They present numerous detailed accounts of how entrepreneurs built (and in some cases then damaged) some of the country's best-known companies. Judo Strategy provides both an entertaining read and an important reference volume for entrepreneurs.

Napoleon is quoted as saying: "Read and reread the campaigns of Alexander, Hannibal, Ceasar, Gustavus Adolphus, Turenne, Eugène, and Frederick; take them for your model, that is the only way of becoming a great captain, to obtain the secrets of the art of war." Following this logic, we should read and reread the campaigns of companies like eBay, Palm Computing, Sony, and Charles Schwab. Start with Judo Strategy.