The New Strategic Thinking: Pure and Simple
Michael Robert
“Management expert Michel Robert unveils his practical and proven methodology for you to plan and implement effective corporate strategies. Featuring a detailed explanation of how Robert used his approach to turn around Caterpillar as well as case studies of leading companies that utilize Robert’s method, The New Strategic Thinking shows you how to assemble a strategy team, identify your company’s driving force, determine the focus of the strategy (product, customer, or market), and launch initiatives company wide.”
This book was just average and just another strategy management book. The author says they are bringing something different to the business world but it still came across as the same as other similar books on the topic.
On the first page the author mentions the “Decision Processes International” which is from then on referred to as “the DPI process”. DPI is the company the author is from, but he doesn’t actually explain what this “DPI strategy process” is. I guess it’s a secret only for those hiring their company and not to be exploited in a book.
There is then a little more on little tips, but nothing substantial. For the whole second half of the book you get case studies of real examples. Now normally I like the case studies, but this was the worst part of the book. They all started with how they needed help, then they found the DPI company and used DPI strategy and then bam everything was great again. It was in depth in the before and after but only 1 line saying they used DPI strategy and then the switch to it that saved the business. There was no actual explanation of the DPI strategy, what it is, how etc.
There were some tips at the start that I remember thinking at the time were great and I should review them at a later stage, but by the end I couldn’t remember these at all. The book gets too caught up in how awesome the creator is, and forgets that not everyone has the time or inclination to hire DPI. Overall it felt like the author was just promoting their company and not actually having any knowledge explained. 2 stars.
I have been exposed to the DPI process fairly closely. Yes, the process is shrouded in mystery, is made up of numerous ‘building blocks’, is heavily administratively orientated, and way too complex. It is a largely force-fed cookie-cutter approach, with little room for creativity, and what creativity there is limited by the 10-driver framework. If the creative element doesn’t quite fit into any of the 10 strategic drivers (and who says there are only 10 strategic by the way, and they are largely outdated in this fast-paced tech and AI-oriented world). The 10 strategic drivers are extrapolated from a generic business value chain – not exactly rocket science, more marketing gimmickry!