O que não aprendi no MBA - A estratégia no mundo real

by Jay B. Barney

Esta é a história de Justin Campbell, que com um MBA chega a um emprego como consultor estratégico. A sua equipa tem como missão ajudar a HGS Inc., uma empresa de produtos químicos, a definir e executar uma estratégia para explorar uma tecnologia têxtil que a empresa desenvolveu.
Justin e a sua equipa vão implementar ferramentas de estratégia para analisar a atratividade de potenciais mercados para a tecnologia. Mas apercebem-se rapidamente que as ferramentas não os podem ajudar a lidar com o lado humano da estratégia - incluindo as forças políticas que rodopiam dentro da HGS. Todos os envolvidos no processo são tendenciosos e inseguros, brilhantes e trabalhadores, egoístas e preguiçosos, leais e dedicados.
Justin e os seus colaboradores não são personagens "reais" - "O que não aprendi no MBA" é um romance de negócios. Mas eles são realistas: são como nós. A sua história revela as limitações das ferramentas de estratégia e demonstra as táticas necessárias para navegar na desordenada dinâmica humana que pode criar ou quebrar os esforços de uma estratégia de empresa.
Este livro envolvente usa o poder da ficção para dar poderosas lições àqueles que procuram a excelência em gestão estratégica. É uma leitura convincente - seja o leitor um graduado MBA que se empenha em aplicar o que aprendeu, ou um descrente ansioso para ver no que os MBAs estão errados quando chegam ao mundo real.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Buisness, Self Help, Management, Leadership

284 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 2010

About the author

Professor Barney's research focuses on the relationship between firm resources and capabilities and sustained competitive advantage. He has published over 100 articles and eight books. He has been on the editorial boards at the Academy of Management Review and the Strategic Management Journal, has been Associate Editor at the Journal of Management, senior editor at Organization Science, Co-Editor at the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, and served as the editor-in-chief of the leading theory journal in the field of management, the Academy of Management Review.

He has been elected as a Fellow of both the Academy of Management and the Strategic Management Society and has won the Irwin Outstanding Educator Award, the Academy of Management Scholarly Contributions Award, the Eccles School of Management outstanding research award, the Penrose Award for Pathbreaking Management, the CK Prahalad Scholar-Practitioner Award, the Foundational Paper Award, the John Fayerweather Eminent Scholar Award, and the Distinguished Scholarship Award.

Reviews

[Anand Iyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I didn't learn in business school is a book every budding consultant should have read at least once, especially the ones hired from B-school. The B-school learnings that are thrashed have been elucidated: how Porter's five force can be bent to the shape of the manager or how NPV calculation varies with the managers' interest. But most important, how hydra-headed a client actually is and how important it is to address every head in the same "deck".

[Brian Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very light read, but still engaging. It gives a fine look at what a newly-minted MBA faces in the real world. It also serves as a textbook with references to core material that every MBA should grasp immediately. Curious as to what MBAs do and how they think? Got a few hours to spare? Then this is a cute read. But, if you're not an MBA student and you've got a bunch of other good books to read, I suggest you move on to more interesting material.

[Auggie Heschmeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This turned out to be far more engaging than I ever could be imagined it would be. For a book that is basically a business school class in disguise, there are some moments of really lovely prose and even some unexpected twists and turns. As a work of high art, it's nothing special, but as a work of business education, this is a book you should buy for each and every one of your entrepreneur friends.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally done with this book! It took me forever as the story didn’t capture me. Ironically, the book‘s intention is to make the topic of business strategy more tangible and relatable in real life business scenarios. While the idea is great, the approach fell too flat, imo.
I can however recommend „the adventures of an IT leader“ for those who are interested in a „novel style approach“ to business, which was a great read.

[Todd Cheng · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a few books in consulting. These books include the McKinsey Way, Succeeding at Consulting, McKinsey Edge, Top 100 Consulting Frameworks, The Goal, much Drucker, and much Deming. Occasional I work with consultants. I see the materials developed, the longer hours, and often seek to better understand the thoughts behind the glossy Power Points and intensities.

This is a great dialectic novella that in first person unfolds ten days as a first time consultant. It is a fiction about nonfiction consulting practices, frameworks, and methods. It covers peer reviews, pitches, analysis, coaching, and mentorship. Each concept or chapter of the journey closes with 2-3 retrospective questions. A pleasant fire side story to explore the profession and value they can bring in a transformation journey. I expect more mid-level managers need the object perspective.

[lina ✰ · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is like an idiot’s guide to consulting

[Tom Wakelin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed in this title - For a book that has ‘How strategy worlds in the real world’, there is an extreme lack of strategy discussed. The book follows a made-up story of Justin Campbell; a new MBA graduate who works in a strategy consultancy. In between a complete lack of understanding his job and talking to his girlfriend on the phone, there is a complete lack of new learnings throughout this book. I would strongly recommend that if you are interested in learning about business strategy, you take a read of business books such as: ‘Losing the Signal: The untold story behind the extraordinary rise and spectacular fall of Blackberry’, ‘The ride of a lifetime’ or ‘That will never work’. All of these titles give REAL examples of how business strategy must adjust over time in the face of competition and changing business environments compared to this book.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot can be summarized as "watch a new MBA grad stumble through his first job and mess up really obvious stuff." It was interesting but I didn't learn much.

[Mihai Rosca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book without much expectation — or maybe with the wrong kind of expectation. I was half-bracing myself for a thick, jargon-heavy business book, the kind that reads more like a manual than something you actually engage with.

What I didn’t expect was how readable it turned out to be.

Instead of dry theory, the book is built around a case study, told as a coherent story. That makes a big difference. Having a narrative to follow helped me connect with the events and, more importantly, gave my mind something to work on. There’s a subtle but constant sense of purpose while reading it — almost like being handed a mystery and being invited to solve it step by step.

That approach worked far better for me than just being presented with abstract frameworks and definitions. The concepts are still there, but they’re embedded in decisions, constraints, trade-offs, and consequences. You’re not just learning what strategy is supposed to look like — you’re watching it collide with reality.

Overall, this felt much closer to how strategy actually plays out in the real world: incomplete information, competing interests, and choices that only make sense once you understand what really matters inside a firm. Way more effective than textbook-style knowledge, and definitely more engaging than I expected.



Key Takeaways:
- Strategy is not about being good, it’s about being different in the right way. A company can be well-run, efficient, and full of smart people — and still not have a strategy. The book keeps pulling you away from generic “best practices” and toward the uncomfortable question of distinctiveness.
- An advantage only becomes strategic if it:
actually matters for value creation,
is hard to replicate,
and doesn’t disappear the moment competitors react.
Otherwise, it’s just table stakes.
- Strategy is about trade-offs, not optimization. There is no “best” strategy in the abstract. Every meaningful strategic choice enables some paths while closing others and creates constraints that must be lived with.
- Politics exist whether you engage or not. One of the biggest mistakes smart, capable people make is believing that if they do good work, politics won’t matter.
In reality politics don’t replace competence, but competence alone doesn’t neutralize politics either. Not engaging doesn’t make you “above it” — it usually just makes you uninformed.
- Power ≠ hierarchy
Formal org charts tell you who reports to whom. They rarely tell you who actually influences outcomes.
Real power often comes from control over critical resources, gatekeeping information, credibility with decision-makers and historical wins (even outdated ones).
Learning where power actually sits is more important than knowing titles.

[Sreejith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short yet insightful peek into the strategy consulting world. Justin (the protagonist) in the story realizes the limitations of his highly-acclaimed MBA program study as he tackles his first ever real-world strategy engagement that is unlike any of his hundred odd MBA cases.

Justin goes further to appreciate the true value of his MBA learnings as tools that can provide additional perspectives while solving real world problems. In the real world, team work and organizational behavior play a bigger role - and of course burning the midnight oil through pure hard work!

All in all, a pleasant read that tickles and mildly ridicules the MBA program study; a good way to prepare for the real world post-MBA.

[Anna Coffey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick easy read. Very fitting as I start an entry strategy consulting role in 3 weeks. Noted some common mistakes of new consultants, good things to keep in mind.

The case was interesting, but felt like it could’ve been slightly more exciting. Felt very predictable at times. Book did not need to be 200 pages and had a lot of unnecessary wordy descriptions of peoples outfits and what their office spaces look like.

The worst part was the main character Justin who could not seem to understand certain parts of the job. Watching him make the same mistakes over and over while getting criticized from managers over and over was a bit painful and unrealistic.

Still felt like I gained something from this book, so I am happy I read it- especially now!

[Matthew Mechtly · Rating 3 out of 5]

While these narative style didactic books tend to be corny, this one was on the less corny side of things. All things considered, I believe the narrative actually helped reinforce many of the points and to do so in a more readable manner.

However, perhaps this books should be called "What I Knew Before Business School," since--as someone who doesn't have an MBA--the majority of things covered in this book were business basics that anyone with a rigorous undergraduate and couple year of corporate experience would already know. I think this book should have been a more technical to better address the target demographic.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

My professor made me read this book. Meh... interesting and a quick read but a lot of the insights were obvious and nothing was truly surprising. I suppose this is a result of having a protagonist that embodies several dumb mistakes new MBAs make. In actuality a new MBA would only make 1 or 2 of the mistakes in this book and they wouldn't be so glaringly simple. This also does nothing to encourage me to want to become a consultant ever in my life. I enjoy problem solving but the lifestyle seems terrible in terms of work/life balance.

[Shraddha Amritkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could easily relate to this book. Being a fresher and a current student of B-School, my thinking was also to apply the concepts learnt in B-school to the real life scenarios. But, the book has given me the heads up that this is not going to work this way and have already prepared my mind for the challenges.
Liked this book. Would recommend it to all the current B-school students (especially freshers) and aspirants.

[Surya Teja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, the book certainly hits properly with the target market - MBA students. Being one myself and a consultant, I can directly connect to this and the various tools talked about in this book.

The characters were kept professional, as the discussions do not go over 2 weeks and it takes longer than that to understand and bring out personal matters for anyone.

This book was so interesting that I stayed up past my usual bedtime to finish reading it despite having an early class tomorrow.

[Arun Narayanaswamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book with twists, turns and facts to make this such a wonderful read.
The book is a fictional take to a non fictional and extremely intense theoretical topic.
Be it understanding of a company structure, financial deep dive or political understanding of how a company or a corporate operates - this one has it all.

One of the best business books i have come across.

[Joshua Giles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wowzer this was one of the best business books I have read. Not many business concept books can be told in story form and done so well that someone reading it purely for pleasure and not business insights could enjoy

[JJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a basic book on some strategic tools; however, it's fun to read. As it is engaging, it lacks on substance. I wish the engaging prose had been used for more in-depth strategic thoughts. Good read for an afternoon by the beach side.

[Gaurav Tale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book linking b-school learnings to reality. B-school will only provide tools but how & when to apply them while understanding the organisation dynamics will decide the growth of a person and organisation.

[Nikilesh Krishnakumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read overall. Very dramatic and detailed storytelling that really helps visualize emotions. However, felt that the ending was rushed. Would have loved to get more insight into the latter half of the team's work and how the protagonist learned new insights.

[RA · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading philosophical novels, historical novels, psychological analysis novels, I found this was the first economic novel I ever read. Not very dense in strategy info as claimed, but interesting as a lecture.

[Olivia Ireland · Rating 3 out of 5]

For MBA required reading, this was a fun novel and was a not so subtle reminder of the various concepts I’ve learned in my strategy classes. For someone who is simply interested in business, there are better options out there!

[Aw Wen Xin Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read with business undertones

Overall a fun way to approach the topic and gain insight into the life of a management consultant. Would have liked a deeper look into the know-how’s, tools and techniques of doing the work but it still serves as a good introduction.

[Delasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much from this book. I’ve been working in industry for a couple of years. This book taught me so much about how to think about strategy in a real world setting, and how to problem solve as an independent outsider individual.

[Kevin Schafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was alarmingly readable and goofy in a good way (characters simply only speaking as if they were waiting to deliver next monologue on best method to create value).

Would not recommend to gen pop but alas.

[Hayli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Assigned for a class... definitely not a real novel... not written very well... mildly informative

[Eleanor Gravestock · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reflection questions saved this read. It was an amusing story but not particularly applicable to everyday life.

[Shashwat Anand · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for people starting in consulting. Especially MBA grads! Last-mile knowledge delivery prepares you to meet your consulting manager, your teammates, and most importantly your client.

[Chipo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book for class. It was okay!

[Sparsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly engaging