Having been forced to read Porter and Chandler's weighty tombs in business school, and found little connection between academic studies and business success, I'm always skeptical of books that claim to help discover opportunities or define business strategies. Professor Sull however combines well-researched studies with a lucid writing style that builds his case chapter-by-chapter and mixes old ideas together in a new and compelling way. There an absence of absurd diagrams that frequently litter books like these, and Dilbert-esque "what on earth does that mean?" acronyms and buzz phrases.The essential idea is that agility is the key to business success especially in difficult times. While this may not seem groundbreaking, the author elaborates on this concept by comparing winners and losers in various industries, and looking at the inherent cultural elements in organizations that decide their ability to be agile. Personally, I'm a huge fan of this concept, having cheer-leaded agile software and project management concepts for years, and the book makes a strong case for scrapping the 5-year corporate plan and taking a more nimble approach to seizing opportunities.
Also, in all the business books I've ever read, no author has had the confidence to accept that luck plays a significant role in the success of strategy. Porter brushes this under the carpet with the "environmental factors" umbrella, but Sull grasps the idea firmly and credits chance with the significant role it deserves. Rather than undermining his theory, in many ways random chance provides the endless environmental change that makes an agile response so essential.
Overall, apart from being an enjoyable read, I'd highly recommend this to anyone who is looking to change traditional thinking in their organization - there are many interesting case studies and concepts that will challenge standard strategic thinking.
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