The W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne Blue Ocean Strategy Reader

by W. Chan Kim, Renée Mauborgne

The best of W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne’s articles on blue ocean strategy, all in one place. The seminal book Blue Ocean Strategy has sold over 4 million copies globally and is in print in 46 languages. But much of W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne’s work on creating new market spaces was originally published in the pages of Harvard Business Review . This book brings the best of those articles together all in one place. Piece by piece, these articles explain the process of creating “blue oceans”––uncontested market spaces, untainted by competition. Kim and Mauborgne introduce tools for exploring and exploiting these markets, such as the Value Curve, the Strategy Canvas, the Price Corridor of the Mass, and the Business Model Guide―tools that have come to make up the blue ocean strategy framework. This collection also features the authors’ latest Harvard Business Review article, “Red Ocean Traps.” Whether or not you’re familiar with blue ocean strategy, this book will give you a new perspective on this important framework―and help you implement it in your organization. This volume includes the articles “Value The Strategic Logic of High Growth,” “Fair Managing in the Knowledge Economy,” “Creating New Maket Space,” “Knowing a Winning Business Idea When You See One,” “Charting Your Company’s Future,” “Tipping Point Leadership,” “Blue Ocean Strategy,” “How Strategy Shapes Structure,” “Blue Ocean Leadership,” and “Red Ocean The Mental Models That Undermine Market-Creating Strategies.”

Genres: Business

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 14, 2017

About the author

W. Chan Kim is the Co-Director of the INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute and a Chair Professor of Strategy and International Management at INSEAD. His book Blue Ocean Strategy, co-authored with Renée Mauborgne, has sold 3.6 million copies and is recognized as one of the most iconic and impactful strategy books ever written. It is being published in a record-breaking 44 languages and is a bestseller across five continents.
Kim is ranked in the top 3 management gurus in the world in the Thinkers50 listing of the World’s Top Management Gurus. He was selected for the 2011 Leadership Hall of Fame by Fast Company magazine and was named among the world's top 5 best business school professors by MBA Rankings. He also received the Nobels Colloquia Prize for Leadership on Business and Economic Thinking. He is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum and an advisory member for the European Union. He also serves as an advisor to several countries.

Reviews

[N Rizkalla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good introduction to the principles and tools of "blue ocean strategy" by the creators of this business approach (in a series of articles published in HBR).

Blue Ocean strategy in a nutshell aims to change the strategic focus of companies from competing with others in the existing market boundaries, to exploring how to create a new space for doing business. Blue Ocean strategist will create a proposition (value, profit, people proposition) based on what is termed a "value curve" analysis. This analysis aims at looking within and beyond the boundaries of the market to identify the elements of product or service that the company need to focus on and to create other elements that did not exist within the industry before.

The book also touches on the process of change as well as applying the value curve to leadership issues. In the process of change the authors introduce the concept of "procedural justice", a fair change process that meets three criteria: engagement, explanation and expectation clarity.

From a practical point of view, I believe it is easy and rewarding to use the tools in a strategic exercise process in any company- if there is a will for change!

[KNCHNGL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had been seeking to re-familiarize myself with this material since first coming across it during my MBA days.

Pleasantly surprised that much of the purported principles are for the most part, generally applicable, despite the essay from the 1st chapter being 20 years ago, dated 1997. The various charts, tables and ideas make for a very quick and usable analysis toolkit, as is expected of the product delivered by HBS / MBA / Consultant types. However, for as a kindle book selling for US$17 released during 2017 Feb, I was hoping for a bit more; particularly in addressing recent technological change of the last couple years - web technologies, platforms & apps, blockchain, etc.

In conclusion, this reads like typical MBA material, which is not a bad thing at all - concise, full of examples, and simplified 3-point takeaways. However, most of us have undoubtedly heard the saying that "You pay a consultant to tell you the time on your watch." All the possible ideas have probably been thought of, but it's always really the execution that's the most difficult thing.

[Rhounage · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book a 4-Star review because the ideas presented in it are mere common sense and logical business strategies. Listening to the audio (of this book), I didn’t hear anything I haven’t heard before. The book is good but, it didn’t surprise me with anything that’s exceptional. And honestly I believe the book could’ve been much shorter.

Indeed, I’ve checked out some of the reviews regarding this book on this website, and I can see why there are people who gave it a 5-Star review, while others gave it a much lower rating.

I recommend this book to young inexperienced business students. But, not so to experienced business people because, the things written in here are basically common sense strategies that any experienced business person should have known from long ago.

Conclusion: A pretty good book to be promoted among young business students with no or little experience.

[Vitaly Kirkpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne Blue Ocean Strategy Reader is a must-read for anyone who understands the principles of Blue Ocean Strategy. The book is a collection of the best articles written by the bestselling authors of Blue Ocean Strategy and provides an in-depth look at their groundbreaking approach to creating and capturing new markets. The insights and strategies shared in the book are practical and applicable, making it a valuable resource for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone looking to innovate and stand out in a crowded market. Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to transform their business and create a competitive advantage.

[Ujaya Shakya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completed 2nd round of Blue Ocean Strategy which has opened my mind and gave me more confident at this hour. Five key learnings are: 1) Industry structure can be reshaped 2) Business idea does not need to be customer-oriented 3) Technology is not the defining factor 4) Does not have to be first rather it’s about being first to get it right. 5)Competition should not occupy the center of strategic thinking #Blueocean #Lockdown2020

[Camila Carvalho · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to learn to stand out without doing more of the same and without necessarily attaching more costs to your business. Learn to create value with this book. :)