Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters

by Richard P. Rumelt

Only the prospect of choice inspires peoples’ best arguments about the pluses of their own proposals and the negatives of others’. As in the law, disciplined conflict calls forth stronger evidence and reasoning. Second, both Chips and Solutions represented dramatic transformations of the firm, and each would require developing wholly new skills and work practices. One wouldn’t choose either risky alternative unless the status quo Boxes strategy was failing. And one wouldn’t choose to do both Chips and Solutions at the same time because there was little common ground between them. It is not feasible to do two separate deep transformations of a company’s core at once.