A Comprehensive Guide to the Foundations and Evolution of Strategic Thinking
What Strategy Is is a clear, rigorous exploration of one of the most overloaded and misunderstood concepts in business. Rather than offering yet another definition, the book explains why strategy defies a single definition and how its meaning shifts across contexts, eras, and decision types. It distinguishes between having a strategy and doing strategy, grounding both in the concrete choices and trade-offs that shape long-term performance.
Blending intellectual history with practical application, the book traces the evolution of strategy from early industrial and managerial thinking through the rise of positioning, capabilities, and game theory, to today’s world of platforms, ecosystems, and AI. It integrates the major lenses strategists actually use—where to play, corporate portfolio choices, vertical integration, M&A, international strategy, and resource allocation—while showing how organization, incentives, culture, and metrics turn intent into action. With chapters on uncertainty, innovation, consulting, and common failure modes, What Strategy Is equips readers with a coherent mental model for evaluating strategies, avoiding superficial thinking, and making better strategic choices in an increasingly complex world.
