10/02/2007

Blue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim, Renee Mauborgne

While I'm generally skeptical of any book that offers a "way to beat the competition" (after all, can't your competition read the book too?), this was a GOOD book full of interesting techniques.



Blue Ocean Strategy is about identifying and tapping into noncustomers with significantly different value propositions than are currently available to those noncustomers.



"Blue" ocean is the idea of uncharted open water as opposed to the highly competitive "red" (i.e. -blood) ocean where competitors are fighting for the same customers with very similiar ideas/products.



The book contains a series of analytic techniques and tools which can aid a group of individuals in:



  1. Identifying Blue Ocean ideas

  2. Analyzing the commercial viability of the idea

  3. Executing the Blue Ocean idea





The book uses a number of commercially successfull [break-the-mold] ideas and initiatives as a basis for drawing common ground between what characteristics made them successful. Some of the examples used are Starbucks, Curves, Cirque De Soleil, the Ford Model T, Southwest Airlines, and an extremely successful NYPD police commissioner.



Concepts/Techniques



  1. Red Ocean vs. Blue Ocean

  2. Strategy Canvas

  3. The 4 tests and the order you MUST do them in: Utility->Price->Cost->Adoption

  4. Buyer Utility Map

  5. Price Corridor of the Mass

  6. Tipping Point Leadership - Motivating movement from strategy. Kingpins, fishbowl managmeent, and atomization.

  7. Blue Ocean Index (scoring your idea)





This one is definately worth a read especially if your organization is searching for a new product/service idea.

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