The Mind of the Strategist: The Art of Japanese Business

by Kenichi Ohmae

This book, full of actual examples, aims to bring to life all of the dynamic, subtlety, and variety of business strategy as it is practiced in the real world and in real companies. The author does not purport to be inventing strategy in this book or to be revealing the secrets of Japanese business and strategic planning. Rather, he is exploring with the reader the ways in which the strategist must think, the key principles and thought patterns that real-world strategists have used to move their companies forward in Japan and throughout the world. He explores the relationship of the Strategic Triangle formed by the company, the customer, and the competition and shows how these factors must be the basis for all strategic thinking and planning.

Genres: Business, Management, Nonfiction, Business Strategy, Japan, Buisness, Economics

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

a Japanese organizational theorist, management consultant, Former Professor and Dean of UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and author, known for developing the 3C's Model

Reviews

[Nanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for every member of an organization, not just strategists. This is not a how-to do strategic planning type of book. Its a book that discusses ways, techniques and example to practice strategic thinking - which is actually what is lacking in most professionals these day. Not deliberately but corporate folk have altered their thought process by corporate functions and day to day requirements so this book is a good review / reminder on how to develop and consistently exercise strategic thinking. Also contains useful tips for discussion and understanding cause and effect of business proble

[Karim Nas · Rating 5 out of 5]

inspirational

[Omar Mohamed Alaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

“All this leads me to a final onservation. Strategic success cannot be reduced to a formula, nor can anyone become a strategic thinker merely by reading a book. Nevertheless, there are habits kf mind and models of thinking that can be acquired through practice to help you free the creative power of your subconscious and improve your odds of coming up with winning strategic concepts” ~

The Mind of the Startegist ~ Kenichi Ohmae
I got this book as a recommendation from a podcast about how to be a consultant and work for McKinsey. It has a lot kf very good frameworks, yet it is very outdated, the examples and the context kf the book is from back in the 1980’s, so as much as the knowledge is powerfull, as much as I wasn’t able to relate it to modern day problems.

One very pleasant surprise though was the insight shared about the Japanese educational system and how it developed the Japanese work ethic we see today. This helped me understand a lot about the current Japanese work culture and answered some questions I had about the amazing discipline they have.

If I would rate this book, I would give it 3 out of 5.
It is not in Diwan Bookstore nor is it at Books Bike
I got it from Amazon via Edfa3ly.com

[Dani Austria · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so unproductive to even say this is outdated—of course it is; it was published in 1983. But I would say in 2021, it's still a good book to read for anyone in a strategy role, even those who are in non-business strategy roles. I'm giving it a four because as someone who knows close to *nothing* about how business actually works, I learned a lot. (This may be a three at best for those who are already knowledgeable.)

The details may be unrelatable now, but there's something to learn from how Japanese businesses in the 80s steered through their challenges. 11 years in advertising and marketing—still young but also so old—I can say based on my own experiences that the some of the principles and ways of thinking touched on by the book (out 8 years before I was even born, lol) remain in use. It's helped me somewhat appreciate the decisions made from other business units in my current company.

[Ietrio · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a good laugh. The hive mind in which the employee is a cell and in late 20th century managers are expected to commit suicide for mismanagement, also a national debt bigger than the GDP, well, funny. It has worked for Marie Kondo given the small places in which many people live in inner city Japan. But art and strategy combined with Japanese Business?

[Gleb Bokhonov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Глубокая книга, не только о бизнесе по-японски. Господин Омаэ имеет колоссальный опыт работы с мировыми корпорациями и делится основными положениями и выводами, которые он сделал.

Стратег - это стиль мышления, творческий подход и упорное следование выбранному пути. Это постоянный анализ, подвержение сомнению и достижение результата. Япония - другой мир. Нам не стоит слепо двигаться за Западом, стоит брать лучшее из двух полушарий.

Книга помогает понять с чего следует начинать, если твердо решил посвятить свою жизнь бизнесу и людям. Бизнес - это люди.

[Sunny Jaggi · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a foreigner working in Japan, I am keen to understand and decipher the hidden mysteries of Japanese business culture. I expected this book to provide more valuable insights on how the Japanese culture is integrated with the corporate environment. However, I think there are two major areas which can be improved in this book: 1) have more emphasis on business culture in Japan since this book largely focuses on general strategy, 2) I think the narrative can be simplified as I was sometimes struggling to understand the author’s point. Worth to mention is that this book is written in the 1980s.

[Jun Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have read several books by Kenichi Ohmae these two weeks, he seems to be thinking methods to apply the situations, he focus on strategy, structure, big picture.

lots of formulas/flow charts/diagrams to map the situations - very difficult for Chinese, who are more interested in people-people relations, not these charts.

kind of difficult for me ;-(

[Sergey Tingaev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Просто шикарнейшие методики определения конкурентных преимуществ и кейсы их искользования. Один из очень немногих примеров книги написанной консультантом, в которой действительно всё по делу и понятно в плане приложения.
Другое дело - иметь на столько же гибкий и острый ум, чтобы переложить эти методы на свою будничную ситуацию. С этим никакая книга, к сожалению, не поможет.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

My KPMG-Partner-boss turned me onto this back when I was a young and impressionable consultant in 1995. This book started it all for me with my various pursuits in strategy over the years. A must read.

[Norshafarina Faharuddin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best book to understand what is strategy all about and how to think and act like a Strategist

[Lone Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating & Inspirational. I think whoever running a business should read this book. Although the book is translated from Japanese to English. There are some sentences I don't really get it.

This book is not about tactics or formula to hone a strategic business plan. But to cultivate your creative thinking mind to be able to think like one of the strategists.

And the fundamental fact of the book is to be able to let an entrepreneur know what is strategic business plan are about distinguished it from all another kind of business planning. In a word, competitive advantage.

The author basically interpreted four routes to simple strategic advantages.
- Identify the functional differentiation (Key Factor of Success)
- Exploiting competitor's weakness (Relative superiority)
- Challenge the Status Quo (Aggressive Initiatives)
- Maximize User Benefit (Strategic Degree of Freedom)

And the secrets of the mind of strategist lies in making people think, from the very start, what can we do? Instead of what can't we do?

[Reece Frith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read and a great insight into the competitive nature of Japanese business and how constant entrepreneurialism is required to sustain a competitive edge. Seldom can a Japanese company of any industry sit idle as competition is always lurking.

In comparing Japanese business to the US, Ohmae is able to attain a stark contrast in the philosophical nature of mind speak. "US chief executives who participated in the survey said their principal concern was government regulation. In contrast, the Japanese participants typically responded, 'new products' or 'new businesses'".

The book also delves into why Japan is renowned for it's high-calibre work ethic that is ubiquitous today. "From age 6 to age 12, one theme was drilled into me: how Japan could survive"

A pleasured read.

[Sandeep Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for all the people in the organization. The top guys in business might be aware of the contents in this book. It is a must for others. It widens your outlook towards competition and different options available to stay ahead of the competition. This contains examples from 1960-1980s and may not be directly relevant. Although the process described getting a competitive edge can still be followed today.

A good book to understand the role of a strategist.

[Dean Marquis · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a Military Maxim that says, Tactics is doing things right. Strategy is doing the right thing. In between both of these domains, lies the realm of Operations. In Business as in War, Operations are different. Ohmae does a great job of breaking this down, with the Concept of the Decision Tree. In Systems Management these are called Flow Charts are used in System Design. This book is an Investment in yourself.

[Nicolas Wegnez · Rating 4 out of 5]

As old as the book is, it does cover key concepts that have been expanded since….
Blue Ocean Strategy vs. here… changing the battlefield
Jobs to be done concept vs. here… Segmentation by objectives
Borrowing Brillance book vs. here… Strategies coming from SUBCONSCIOUS thinking
And yes of course, it does make it quite interesting that it is written from a JAPANESE perspective!
I read the book in 199x for the first time, and second read now in 2026 was still insightful and enjoyable!

[MaryEllen Ruddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent concepts that still work for the most part. If you can get past the outdated examples and male dominated references, you can see how the concepts can be applied. Would love an update that includes new concepts as well.

[Ponatshegelo Katlholo]

Every leader should read this. So every manager should. There are things that we are never exposed to at school, university, or college. This is tangible truth. Great read which is Eye-opening to how we should do things in business to enable growth and good positioning in customers.

[Peter Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt this was a very hard read. I had to force myself to sit down and turn pages just to finish it. I don't feel like I got a ton out of it. Maybe if my businesses were much much larger it would be more beneficial to me. I feel like it's geared toward conglomerates.

[Andy Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid overview of business strategy concepts, despite the examples now being outdated. Although the book is some 30-40 years old, it's surprising to see that many of these concepts are still relevant today and used in management consulting.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information. I would recommend it. It's a high-level overview of business strategy. Firm principles, but you have to read around the lessons as the examples can need to be updated. You don't read it for the story; the book could be condensed to 25%.

[Mijere Zimba · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOOD BOOK FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO START A BUSINESS OR WANTS TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

really struggled to get through this. kept on having to refer back to acronyms, and a lot of the material is very dated

[Prateek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for insights in Business & Strategy, especially Japanese companies. Thought the examples given are several decades old, but you get the essence.

[Denis Scholokov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Хорошая книга.
Много интересных идей.

[Harish B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on strategy. Lucid with insights. Must read.

[Pogger G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually found this book surprisingly topical given how long ago it was written. Not many strong critiques. I think there are some better business strategy books out there.

[Socratis Ploussas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear five star on making you think strategically. 2nd time I read it after 25 years, valuable as the 1st time.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and informative. Too bad it's 40 years behind the times (published in 1983).

[Takaji R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapter 15 is goated. God I wish Japan was a real country.