A New Way to Think

Introduction

Thinking Differently about the Essentials of Management

It’s often said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. By that definition, I have seen plenty of it in my four decades as a strategy adviser.

When executives and managers find that a given framework, general practice, theory, or way of thinking—what I will call a “model” for short—doesn’t lead to the desired outcome, they almost automatically assume that the model in question wasn’t applied rigorously enough. The prescription, therefore, is to apply the model again, more vigorously. And when that produces the same unsatisfactory result, the prescription is to try even harder. If focusing on maximizing shareholder value doesn’t ...