"The traditional playbook for strategy is no longer sufficient"

"Many of today's business leaders came of age studying and experiencing a classical model of competition. [Moi ici: Como não recordar as palavras de Napoleão] Most large companies participated in well-defined industries selling similar sets of products; they gained advantage by pursuing economies of scale and static capabilities such as efficiency and quality; [Moi ici: Como não recordar o Normalistão e o plancton] and they achieved those advantages through deliberate analysis, planning, and focused execution.
.
The traditional playbook for strategy is no longer sufficient, however. Across all businesses, competition is becoming more complex and dynamic. [Moi ici: Como não recordar a explosão de picos na paisagem enrugada] Industry boundaries are blurring. Product and company lifespans are shrinking. Technological progress and disruption are rapidly transforming business. High economic, political, and competitive uncertainty is conspicuous and likely to persist for the foreseeable future.
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Accordingly, in addition to the classical advantages of scale, companies are now contending with new dimensions of competition  —   shaping malleable situations, adapting to uncertain ones, and surviving harsh ones  —   which in turn require new approaches. And the stakes are higher than ever: the gap between the performance of top- and bottom-quartile companies has increased in each of the last six decades.[Moi ici: Como não recordar o bispo Berkeley]
.
Today's business leaders are having to deal with multiple and complex short-term concerns, like declining growth, political uncertainty, resistance to globalization, social division, and so on. But as the 2020s approach, leaders must also look beyond today's situation and understand at a more fundamental level what will separate the winners from the losers in the next decade."

Trecho retirado de "Today's CEO playbook is outdated. Here are 5 things rising stars should focus on to win in the next decade"

Como aumentar a facturação quando não se pode aumentar a produção por falta de pessoas? (parte III)

Parte I e parte II.

"The growth and sustainability of European economy requires a change from competition based on cost reduction towards high value added activities by adopting a competitive sustainable manufacturing (CSM) paradigm. Indeed, European countries need continuous innovation to keep their position in a global market place while creating value in a sustainable society. The development of the sustain- ability paradigm has translated over the years into a series of global initiatives with broad objectives but without precise quantitative targets."

Trecho retirado de "Key Research Priorities for Factories of the Future—Part I: Missions" de Tullio Tolio, Giacomo Copani e Walter Terkaj, publicado em "Factories of the Future The Italian Flagship Initiative"

""Axiom 1: Service Is the Fundamental Basis of Exchange"

"Axiom 1: Service Is the Fundamental Basis of Exchange - To understand the meaning of Axiom 1, “Service is the fundamental basis of exchange”, it is important to recognize that S-D logic represents a shift in the underlying logic of understanding exchange, rather than a shift in the emphasis of type of output that is under investigation. This shift of logic is achieved by introducing a processual conceptualization of service (singular)—the application of resources for the benefit of another—as the basis of exchange. In other words, the concept of service focuses on the process of serving rather than on a type of output such as services (plural). Consequently, S-D logic is not about making services more important than goods, but about transcending both types of outputs with a common denominator—service.
With the help of this processual conceptualization of the basis of exchange, exchange can be understood as actors applying their competences to provide service for others and reciprocally receiving similar kind of service (others’ applied competences or money as ‘rights’ for future competences) in return."

Trecho retirado de "Chapter 28 - Further Advancing Service Science with Service-Dominant Logic: Service Ecosystems, Institutions, and Their Implications for Innovation" do livro

Fricção positiva e negativa

"Negative Friction.
Friction is the idea that you are difficult to business with, that you make it difficult to transact, that more is required than should be necessary, and that the experience isn’t good. The worse your experience, the less likely you are to continue to buy from companies that create enough friction to drive you to seek other options.
...
Positive Friction.
In a super-relational, strategic relationship where human beings need to work closely to solve problems and generate results together, friction is positive. Meetings are friction, which is why much is written about the amount of time wasted in poor meetings. Perhaps it because of the Digital Age in which we find ourselves, little is written about how face-to-face meetings and a physical presence creates positive friction, the deepening of relationships and the engendering of trust.[Moi ici: Como não recordar "Every visit customers have to make is an opportunity for interaction and co-creation"]
.
Conversations to understand what clients need, especially the conversations that include multiple stakeholders with different or competing perspectives, are another form of friction. The friction created by competing perspectives and working through to some reasonable consensus is the benefit of that friction.
.
Would it be easier to send a survey to see how you are doing? Would an email accomplish the same goal without interrupting your busy client? While these choices might end a bit of friction, the positive friction that comes from a phone call is that it proves caring and high touch. The lower friction suggests transaction.
.
It is a mistake to try to reduce friction when it is positive, just as it is a mistake not to remove it when it is negative."

 Ainda na semana passada preparei esta imagem para documentar estes dois tipos de fricção:

Trechos retirados de "Negative Friction and Positive Friction"

Como aumentar a facturação quando não se pode aumentar a produção por falta de pessoas? (parte II)

Há pouco no Twitter fui citado a propósito de um tweet do @nticomuna:

O populismo a fazer das suas😈

Os aumentos salariais elevados a par com falta de pessoal...😱

E as empresas aguentam estes aumentos salariais sem os respectivos aumentos da produtividade?😂

Estão a formar uma bolha. De novo

"Entre mortos e feridos, alguém há-de escapar" pic.twitter.com/fITbqTwdds

— anti-comuna (@nticomuna) March 2, 2019

E a minha resposta foi:

WOW!!!
Em linha com a mensagem desta manhã https://t.co/qkjMankUBm Como aumentar a facturação quando não se pode aumentar a produção por falta de pessoas?
O que o @nticomuna escreve foi o tema de https://t.co/cN29fRepdU e de https://t.co/EApChluKVI https://t.co/lghLCXMvR0

— Carlos P da Cruz (@ccz1) March 2, 2019

Comparem o tema do tweet do @nticomuna com o título do último postal "Como aumentar a facturação quando não se pode aumentar a produção por falta de pessoas?" 

Continua.

Como aumentar a facturação quando não se pode aumentar a produção por falta de pessoas?

Como relacionar "Falta de mão de obra desespera empresas" e esta série "O que aí vem! (parte II)" e parte I, com "O que são os custos de oportunidade" e estes canários na mina (""Warns of Margin Threat as Niche Brands Disrupt Industry""; ""profecia fácil do "hollowing", ou "radioclubização", de como uma marca forte e genuína se transforma numa carcaça, num aristocrata arruinado, fruto de deixarem os muggles à solta""; ""Giants invariably descend into suckiness" (parte XIII)" e "Será o efeito de Mongo?"

E ainda aquele sublinhado de "Acerca da Micam"?

Cada vez mais sinais de que a ascensão dos nichos, o avanço de Mongo, começa a fazer mossa no modelo paradigmático do século XX, o trabalhar para o interior da caixa da normalidade onde estava a maioria dos clientes: o Normalistão:

Em Mongo, também chamado de Estranhistão, a maioria das pessoas não quer ser tratada como plancton, e há que trabalhar para todo o espectro de clientes/nichos porque há cada vez mais gente fora da caixa da normalidade:

A demografia por um lado, e a fiscalidade e o assalto das gerações mais velhas ao bolso das mais novas por outro (ainda esta semana li "Cerca de 90 mil portugueses emigraram em 2017" - lembram-se disto ser motivo de rasgar de vestes no tempo da troika) vão criar um desafio para as empresas: como aumentar a facturação quando não se pode aumentar a produção por falta de pessoas?

Ou subir na escala de valor, ou mudar de ramo, ou deslocalizar para África.

Continua.

Modelos de negócio

“Although choosing a business model is one of the most important decisions any businessperson makes, executives don’t always reflect much on what a business model actually is or does.
...
A business model specifies how the firm creates value (and for whom), and how it captures value (and from whom).
...
A business model, as defined above, describes how a business is supposed to function in theory. Although businesses will differ from one another in their particulars (name, location, number of employees, financials, and so on), a model allows us to look beyond the particulars to identify conceptual similarities and differences between businesses, whether or not they happen to operate in the same industry. Likewise, a model allows us to chart how business concepts evolve over time.
...
As I’ve indicated, the creation of new business models tended to happen slowly prior to the internet. In the supermarket industry, it took half a century or longer for slotting fees and club membership fees to make their debut as a means of capturing value. Even after they appeared, it took decades for other companies within the industry to embrace them.
...
This slow pace of change made life comparatively easy for executives. No matter what market or sector you were entering, the choice of a business model was pretty simple. By default, you were handed a standard model or method for creating value and making money. At best, a second option of business model was available to you as well. In media, for instance, a single model for making money dominated for much of the twentieth century. Companies created value for customers by offering free content such as broadcast television shows, news articles, or radio songs to consumer audiences. They captured value by selling viewers’ attention to advertisers, in what was termed an “ad-supported” model. Over time, premium cable television channels such as HBO and satellite radio SiriusXM embraced a different model for making money. They created value for customers in the same way—by providing content. But they captured value by charging for subscriptions, what was called a “paid media” model. For decades, these two models were basically it. If you wanted to compete, you chose one of the two and gave it your best shot. Switching was rare.
This situation changed dramatically with the advent of the commercial internet in the mid-1990s.
...
The appearance of business model innovation in and across industries happens so suddenly that executives and entrepreneurs often struggle to understand it. Disruptors tend to use a surfing metaphor, perceiving promising business models as powerful ocean waves. Seeking to catch and ride these waves, they anticipate them by directing their gazes in a direction where waves will likely appear. When they sense that a wave is imminent, they position themselves by paddling directly in front of the wave. Of course, spotting the right wave to ride requires focus and some luck, and staying atop of the wave once it appears requires learning and patience. For incumbents, the spread of business model innovations feels far less fun, and far more threatening. Incumbents tend to think of them, consciously or not, as wildfires that pop up unpredictably, propagate quickly, and wreak devastation in their paths. Their instinctive response is to suppress the wildfire by attacking or buying the startup. If a business model innovation flares up in your industry, turn on the siren, quick!
Which of these metaphors is most accurate?"

Trechos retirados de “Unlocking the Customer Value Chain” de Thales S. Teixeira.

"Warns of Margin Threat as Niche Brands Disrupt Industry"

Isto é um bálsamo para o autor deste blogue porque vem suportar as suas ideias à revelia do mainstream e da tríade. Recordar "profecia fácil do "hollowing", ou "radioclubização", de como uma marca forte e genuína se transforma numa carcaça, num aristocrata arruinado, fruto de deixarem os muggles à solta"

"Shares in Beiersdorf dropped more than 10 percent on Wednesday after the maker of Nivea skin cream warned that its operating margin would fall in 2019 as it invests to compete with niche brands that are disrupting the sector.
.
Beiersdorf was the latest consumer goods company to reset profit expectations for 2019 after German rival Henkel and Colgate-Palmolive last month, and following Kraft Heinz's write-down last week.
...
the future of mass-market labels was being challenged by the rise of small, disruptive brands as consumers increasingly expect more personalised products and services."

 Basta recordar os artigos relacionados com os marcadores até em baixo. Como não relacionar aquele "expect more personalised products and services" com a metáfora do plankton... a vida está difícil para a suckiness dos gigantes: "Mongo, micro-marcas, plancton, suckiness e emprego"

Trechos retirados de "Nivea Maker Warns of Margin Threat as Niche Brands Disrupt Industry"

Privilegiar os inputs sobre os outputs (parte XII)

Parte I, parte II, parte III, parte IV, parte V, parte VI, parte VII, parte VIII, parte IX, parte X e parte XI.

Recordar 

"Privilegiar os inputs sobre os outputs nada mais nada menos do que aplicar uma regra fundamental do Design Thinking.
.
Começar pelo que o cliente, ou o consumidor, ou o prescritor (começar por um actor do ecossistema) precisa ou quer fazer. Quais as suas motivações, que problema é que está a tentar resolver.[Moi ici: Recordar sobretudo a parte IX]
.
A Empatia é a chave. Não é acerca da nossa empresa. Precisamos da capacidade de perceber e partilhar os sentimentos de outros"

E considerar "How Not to Fail at Retail":

"Think About: Input Before Output
.
We all know how online shopping works: a customer can search for products based on various criteria. But an online store isn’t very good at asking probing questions to find out what a consumer really cares about.
.
As Frank asked me questions about what I wanted to accomplish with this new amplifier, he gathered key information before suggesting what the right solution would be. He put himself in a position to make recommendations to me that guitarcenter.com would never be able to make. And he helped me learn more about what was really important to me.
.
Could I have bought the amp on guitarcenter.com? Sure. But now that Frank has acted like a trusted advisor and helped me with my decision making, I’m much less likely to close the deal online. And truthfully, the only place I even considered making the purchase was in-person, with Frank.
...
As an in-store salesperson learns about a consumer’s needs and interests, they can do something that an online retailer can do in only the most rudimentary fashion: frame the product’s story in terms of the particular benefits to this individual customer.
.
An online product listing can tell of generic benefits, such as “gets your teeth their whitest” or “saves you $432 per year in energy costs.” An in-person retail experience can do so much more.
...
Brick and mortar retailers have lost many of the advantages they once had, including providing better access to products and the convenience of “location, location, location.” But in-person retailers still have the advantage of proximate, meaningful human contact to that allows them to better listen to customers, collaborate with them and personalize their purchase experience."

Acerca da Micam

"“Now the world has changed. Thanks to digital disruption and transformation, the buyers are a little bit lost, in their words. [Moi ici: Aqui "the buyers" são os clientes das empresas de calçado. Recordar "Calçado português? Bom no fabrico, desconhecido na marca"] They are lost because it’s very complicated to understand what to follow, how to follow it and what time to dedicate to what," Micam's chief executive Tommaso Cancellara told BoF."

Trecho retirado de "Insights From the Frontline of Footwear"

Anónimo da província, mas sempre à frente

Há tempos fui fazer a auditoria anual que realizo desde 2013 a uma empresa que opera no mercado interno. Em 2013 desafiei-os a procurar outros clientes, a alargar o leque de clientes que serviam. Na altura, trabalhavam a 100% pra a EDP ainda que indirectamente.

A semente caiu em boa terra e a empresa começou a procurar clientes particulares. Em 2018 a EDP baixou fortemente o seu volume de negócios por várias razões, mas a empresa aumentou a facturação e o valor acrescentado. Um euro facturado a um particular é muito mais valioso que um euro facturado à EDP.

Quem acompanha este blogue sabe que sigo a evolução das exportações há muitos anos e que tenho uma abordagem parcial ao seu conteúdo. Para mim, um euro exportado por uma multinacional não tem o mesmo valor que o mesmo euro exportado por uma PME. Por isso, tenho feito este tipo de comentários ao longo dos anos:

• No meu campeonato as exportações do 1º trimestre correram bem! (Maio de 2016)
• Empresas que me interessam (Setembro de 2016)

Por isso, 2018 foi um ano mau demais:

• Acerca do perfil de exportações de 2017 (Fevereiro de 2018)
• "Um outro olhar sobre os números das exportações" (parte II) (Outubro de 2018)
• O choque em curso (Dezembro de 2018)

Relacionar isto com "Como os têxteis e o calçado ainda dão cartas":

"“Cada milhão de dólares de crescimento na procura final de têxteis, couro e calçado tem potencial para gerar 20,3 novos empregos, o que é o valor mais alto da indústria transformadora portuguesa”
...
O estudo de Tiago Domingues, técnico superior do GEE (Direção de Serviços de Acompanhamento da Economia Portuguesa), coloca no extremo oposto o sector petrolífero, que apresenta um potencial de criação de 2,2 novos postos de trabalho por cada milhão de dólares de aumento da procura. Sustenta que mais do que comparar stocks de importação e exportação entre países, importa analisar o valor acrescentado. E na explicação volta a remeter para os têxteis e o petróleo: se Portugal exporta produtos petrolíferos, o valor acrescentado bruto é quase nulo e prende-se com a refinação de crude. Já nos têxteis, temos 30 cêntimos de importações para cada euro produzido."

BTW, como lidar com "Falta de mão de obra desespera empresas"?

Webinar - How to perform an ISO 14001:2015 internal audit

Na próxima quinta-feira, 28 de Fevereiro pelas 19h00, os interessados podem assistir a "How to perform an ISO 14001:2015 internal audit [free webinar]" e colocar questões.

Para reflexão

Um artigo que merece ser lido para perceber o que se pode fazer e como as coisas podem funcionar, "What the ‘Amazon Coat’ Reveals About the Future of Shopping":

"More than half of shoppers aged 15 to 29 are influenced by independent customer reviews, and 43 percent are influenced by social media, according to Euromonitor International’s Lifestyle Survey 2017. “When it comes to shopping for clothes, fit, sizing and quality are key criteria — and when shopping online, these criteria are so hard,” said Ayako Homma, a fashion and luxury consultant at the market research firm.
.
The glut of positive reviews surely has helped the Amazon coat stand out."

"profecia fácil do "hollowing", ou "radioclubização", de como uma marca forte e genuína se transforma numa carcaça, num aristocrata arruinado, fruto de deixarem os muggles à solta"

No postal anterior abordámos o tema da quebra da procura do fast-fashion e uma certa aposta na qualidade.

"People are moving away from poorly made, inexpensive fashion items.
...
Payless was the shoe equivalent of fast fashion. The brand was not known for the quality or durability of its product, but competed largely on price."

Recordar, "Para reflexão pelos empresários do calçado e do têxtil":

"Dá que pensar no potencial impacte numa série de modelos de negócio baseados no fast-fashion... ou no low-cost."

Entretanto perante este descalabro:

Encontro, "The Lesson Of The Kraft Heinz Nosedive: Radical Cost-Cutting Is Out, Brands Are Back":

"Marketing budgets became a key target for the frugality drive of companies ever since the last recession. [Moi ici: Como é a memória... faz-me recordar qualquer coisa que li em 2007 sobre as marcas do FMCG... cá está, Kumar] Last year, budgets had decreased from 12.1% of average revenues in to 11.3% the previous year, according to consulting firm Gartner.
.
Predictably, with a focus on cost-cutting rather than growth, the financial health of corporate America is deteriorating. According to an analysis of the 2017 Fortune 500, 53% of corporates had experienced an after-tax profit decline, while only 47% saw profit growth. Marketing, once the driving force of America’s consumer society, has been in retreat for over a decade
...
The 3G Capital approach to business is ruthless and revolves around cost-cutting. Every employee must justify his existence every single day. Promotions are quick and merit-based, and underperformers get fired with the same alacrity. Budgets are zero based and evaluated unsparingly every year, or even sometimes with more frequency. Expenses are eliminated if they’re no longer judged worth incurring.[Moi ici: Oranges, como classificaria Laloux. A receita da tríade, e a paranoia do eficientismo]
.
In less than two years after merging Kraft with Heinz, its workforce was cut by 20% and overhead by 40%. Critics have long contended that 3G Capital’s cost-cutting went too far and came at the expense of growth. They turned out to be right. The problem with this philosophy is that you can’t cost-cut your way to growth.
...
Not surprisingly, what followed is sales declined for six quarters in a row. The wheels came off last Friday morning when Kraft Heinz stock dropped 30% at the open and the company lost $16 billion of its market value. The essential problem facing Kraft Heinz is that it stopped investing in its brands at a time when consumer tastes and behaviors are shifting, and the competitive environment is intensifying. [Moi ici: Seria interessante relacionar a #G Capital e as ideias Itamar Simonson]
.
It is time for companies to refocus on growth by investing in marketing, distribution and continued innovation, not adhere to a strategy of frugality alone.
...
Brands are more important than ever, as the world has come online and there are many new markets and a growing middle class in places like India, China, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Nigeria, Indonesia, Turkey or Mexico. These consumers buy brands, not commoditized products. They buy premium brands. And branding is essential to differentiate itself in a world of parity and, in order to create brand preference.
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Remember, brands do better in tough times compared to unbranded products and brands outlive product cycles."

O que escrevi sobre a ideia de Simonson: o fim das marcas:

• Plataformas, Mongo, emprego e confiança nas marcas (Fevereiro de 2016)
• Leu aqui há vários anos... (Julho de 2014)
• O jogo de sedução pode ir para muito mais longe (Abril de 2014)
• O papel da marca em Mongo (Fevereiro de 2014)

Recordar também os marcadores hollowing, radio clube, muggles, eficientismo e tríade. Por exemplo, acerca das marcas ocas:

• Marcas que viraram carcaças (bonitas por fora mas ocas) (Setembro de 2016)

Ainda mais temas para o futuro do retalho e da produção

Parte I e parte II.

"The decline of Payless can be attributed partly to broader trends in the market. The brand’s stores were largely located in malls, and there has a general decrease in the amount of foot traffic at large shopping centers over the last few years.
.
But there’s also an important shift happening in consumer behavior. People are moving away from poorly made, inexpensive fashion items. For decades fast fashion, epitomized by brands like H&M and Forever21, churned out cheap, fashionable clothes that customers could wear a few times before chucking out. But as I’ve reported before, many fast fashion brands are now on the decline.
.
Payless was the shoe equivalent of fast fashion. The brand was not known for the quality or durability of its product, but competed largely on price. As a result, customers could buy whatever boot or heel was in season, and expect to throw it away months later. Consumers appear to be tired of this approach, partly because it is so environmentally unsound. While Payless has spiraled downwards, a flock of brands making high-quality, eco-friendly, durable shoes like M.Gemi, Allbirds, and Rothy’s have been thriving."

O impacte desta evolução no retalho, nas marcas, na produção, nos materiais e design - pense nisso!

Trecho retirado de "What the Payless bloodbath says about the death of fast fashion"

In a culture that sanctifies victimhood

"In a culture that sanctifies victimhood, he [Moi ici: Jordan Peterson] proposes that people confront life’s inevitable pain unflinchingly. So here is Peterson in a nutshell: Life is suffering. We can only bear it if life has meaning. And meaning is created when you take responsibility – by confronting hardship and firmly steering your ship forward, even against waves that will, ultimately, overwhelm it. This is a message people are “hungry for” in our times, he says."

Como não recordar:

“Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”  

Trecho inicial retirado de "Jordan Peterson, PC's Fiercest Critic, Explains Why You Should Stand Up Straight"

Mais temas para o futuro do retalho

Parte I.

"Payless ShoeSource this week filed for Chapter 11 protection and said it would be closing all 2,500 store locations across North America as well as its e-commerce operations. With over 16,000 jobs lost, it is one of the largest retailer liquidation to date, according to the Wall Street Journal.
...
 we need see these closings as a sign of change and heed the lessons wisely, because what "killed" all three [Moi ici: Payless, Toys R Us e a Sears] is not just Amazon or the internet, but a new business paradigm."

Ontem vi este video sobre o Revolut e N26 e é o mesmo fenómeno: "a new business paradigm". Ter especial atenção às palavras do economista Vinay Pranjivam e os trechos que se seguem, retirados de “Unlocking the Customer Value Chain” de Thales S. Teixeira.

Ontem de manhã li estes trechos:

"The Concept of Decoupling
...
Wondering precisely how disruptors were unsettling small parts of incumbents’ businesses, I turned to a basic framework that my colleagues and I teach our students: the customer’s value chain, or CVC. A CVC is composed of the discrete steps a typical customer follows in order to select, buy, and consume a product or service. CVCs vary according to the specifics of a business, industry, or product.

Traditionally, consumers completed all these activities with the same company in a joint or coupled manner.
...
What I realized, as I thought about these examples, was that disruptors had posed a threat by breaking the links between some of the stages of the CVC and then “stealing” one or a few stages for themselves to fulfill.”

Trechos iniciais retirados de "Valuable Lessons Learned From the Closing of Payless Shoes"

Curiosidade do dia

Portugal progediu muito em safety. Continuamos naíve em security. Em Cesar, junto a parede de madeira, e de escola, no passeio, um oleão

— Carlos P da Cruz (@ccz1) January 5, 2017

Já por várias vezes no Twitter referi que em Portugal nos últimos anos têm-se feito muitos progressos em termos de segurança/safety, mas que continuamos muito atrasados em termos de segurança/security.

Há dias deparei com esta cena:

Um veículo a alta velocidade terá embatido no muro. Uma entidade tratou de sinalizar o local colocando umas barreiras metálicas, umas fitas plásticas e sinalização luminosa.

Agora reparem no lado esquerdo da fotografia. Aquela rede em cima do muro sinaliza uma pequena ponte sobre a linha férrea entre Gaia e Valadares.

Imaginem a facilidade com que alguém pode pegar naquelas barreiras metálicas e atirá-las para cima da linha férrea. É como deixar um maço de notas em cima do banco de um automóvel.

Estratégia e criatividade

Em "Strategy Needs Creativity" pode ler-se:

"The field of strategy overfocuses on analytic rigor and underfocuses on creativity.
...
I’ve noticed that business school students often feel frustrated when they’re taught strategy. There’s a gap between what they learn and what they’d like to learn. Strategy professors (including me) typically teach students to think about strategy problems by introducing them to rigorous analytical tools—assessing the five forces, drawing a value net, plotting competitive positions. The students know that the tools are essential, and they dutifully learn how to use them. But they also realize that the tools are better suited to understanding an existing business context than to dreaming up ways to reshape it. Game-changing strategies, they know, are born of creative thinking: a spark of intuition, a connection between different ways of thinking, a leap into the unexpected.
...
I believe strongly that the answer is yes. At its core, strategy is still about finding ways to create and claim value through differentiation. That’s a complicated, difficult job. To be sure, it requires tools that can help identify surprising, creative breaks from conventional thinking."

Como não recordar o tema da paixão e da arte e a sua relação com a estratégia:

• Arte, sempre a arte (Maio de 2018)
• O futuro da economia é a arte (Abril de 2018) 
• A ascensão do artesão e da arte na produção (parte II) (Abril de 2017)
• Qual a alternativa? (Maio de 2016)
• Arte e PME (Novembro de 2015)
• Acerca da paixão nas PME (Março de 2015)
• Passion Rules!!! (Maio de 2011)
• Paixão e relações amorosas (Fevereiro de 2011)

É preciso coragem

"This product is way out of my budget" a customer recently emailed me. I sighed and reminded myself that not everyone is now always right customer for my store."

É preciso coragem para ser firme.

Trecho retirado de "Here's Why You Should Stick To Your Prices--Even If Your Customers Hate Them"