Book or other resource recommendations for strategy and planning
There are thousands of books and resources on strategy and planning.
Which do you recommend and why?
I really found the books Crossing the Chasm and Good to Great very helpful.
Some of you may have read or at least heard of Denny Doyle’s book “Making Technology Happen”, those who have read it seem to find it very helpful and we have a few copies in the VIATeC office so send me a note if you want a copy.
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I can’t say enough about the Harvard Business Review articles. The content is dense and the price is high but it is worth it. I still refer to articles I read in that magazine 15 years ago when I first discovered the HBR. Subscriptions help save a little over the store price but if I remember right my last subscription bill was $180.
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Rick BatemanI will glady support your recommendations regarding HBR. I also subscribed to their magazine for the past five years. I bought about a dozen of their paperback series which were collections of articles around specific subjects like the balanced scorecard, strategy or decision making. Most of my favourite business authors have Harvard roots as does another I recommend, Michael Watkins.
Every strategy one develops will depend on getting stakeholders on board and Watkins has the best systemic approach for this I have seen. I would recommend starting with The First Ninety Days to get a feel for his approach. Its an easy read and useful in a variety of ways. Which of his future books you read would depend on your specific needs.
I have also read Crossing The Chasm and The Rockefeller Habits and agree they are excellent.
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"Romancing the Brand" although very dated is mandatory reading for all new employees here and I've lent it to many clients, and I'm a really big fan of Leadership Jazz for those who want to strategically rally staff in a concerted work effort.
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Susan Low@Rick, that book by Michael Watkins (The First Ninety Days) looks excellent. I have downloaded an audiobook version to listen to. Thanks!
I've recently been reading Business Model Generation by Alex Osterwalder. Aside from it being an interesting way to create a book, the Business Model Canvas has high relevance to start-ups and companies seeking to be disruptive in their industry. Compared to the various business strategy models I've seen from the HBR-type sources out there, this book is more immediately applicable to start-ups I find.
That said, I do love HBR! I always find at least one or two articles that make it worth the cover price.
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I know Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish is very popular. I have read it a few times. Definitely a great comprehensive approach to planning.
You mentioned Good to Great - I'll second that. In fact, I suggest reading every word that Jim Collins has ever written. Specifically "Built to Last" and "How the Mighty Fall" are great reads too.
Lastly, I've found some gems in the Harvard Business Review magazine. It is a big pricey for a magazine and generally geared toward larger businesses, but if you can pull one gem from the annual subscription it is worth it.