Summary of Roger L. Martin's A New Way to Think

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The traditional model for making strategy choices is to focus on asking the question: What is true. A more effective model for framing and making strategy choices is to focus on the logic behind the choice by asking: What would have to be true.

#2 The third bucket is about structuring work. The dominant model is that culture is so important that if it is not conducive to the working of the company, those in charge must change culture by mandating a change and/or reorganizing. A more effective model is to hold that culture can't be changed by mandating it or formally reorganizing roles and responsibilities.

#3 The fourteen dominant models are in place not because they are stupid. They make sense, and I don’t expect them to be replaced anytime soon. But I hope that you will be intrigued enough to read the whole chapter for each and be convinced to at least experiment with using the alternative model.

#4 Competition happens at the front line, not between companies. Customers choose between products and services that can meet their needs. And they have only a limited amount of visibility into or concern with who brings the product or service at their front line.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822517059

IRB Media

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Insights on Roger L. Martin's A New Way to Think

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The traditional model for making strategy choices is to focus on asking the question: What is true. A more effective model for framing and making strategy choices is to focus on the logic behind the choice by asking: What would have to be true.

#2

The third bucket is about structuring work. The dominant model is that culture is so important that if it is not conducive to the working of the company, those in charge must change culture by mandating a change and/or reorganizing. A more effective model is to hold that culture can't be changed by mandating it or formally reorganizing roles and responsibilities.

#3

The fourteen dominant models are in place not because they are stupid. They make sense, and I don’t expect them to be replaced anytime soon. But I hope that you will be intrigued enough to read the whole chapter for each and be convinced to at least experiment with using the alternative model.

#4

Competition happens at the front line, not between companies. Customers choose between products and services that can meet their needs. And they have only a limited amount of visibility into or concern with who brings the product or service at their front line.

#5

The traditional response to complex organizational challenges is to create hierarchy, in which experienced, wise leaders inform themselves of the facts on the ground, reflect and consult, and then give orders to people below them.

#6

The same rule applies to each subsequent level of aggregation. If a layer is not generating net value that ultimately helps the product win, then that layer is at best superfluous and worst makes the product less competitive.

#7

The higher layers in a corporation provide value to the lower layers by exploiting the firms' operational scale and scope