Blue Ocean Strategy - Kim and Maubogne

Hardcover | Harvard Business Review Press | January 20, 2015

The Gist

A couple of really smart academics with a lot of real-life experience and research offer a framework to build and execute a strategy that will evolve a business, increase profits, and potentially revolutionize industries. 

Read If You Like

• The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

• The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

• Business books

The Verdict: If You’re Building a Business, Buy It

Blue Ocean Strategy argues that businesses should strive to make new markets and push the limits of their industry rather than continue to fight their competitors. Using 150 case studies that span over a century and three dozen industries, Kim and Mauborgne offer a step-by-step guide to identifying blue oceans (aka untapped or entirely new spaces in the market), building a strategy around this blue ocean, and then executing that strategy. Although Kim and Mauborgne write clearly and break down the information throughout Blue Ocean Strategy, their down is dry and clinical. The book is structured like an academic research paper and at times is hard to get through. However, while Kim and Mauborgne’s writing style presents a challenge, this does not take away from the value or merit of the information Blue Ocean Strategy contains.