Playing to win how strategy really works by Lafley A G in hardcover

This book, authored by A. G. Lafley and Roger Martin, provides a clear and actionable framework for business strategy. It challenges readers to move beyond simply participating in their industry to actively pursuing and achieving success. Lafley and Martin emphasize the importance of making deliberate, strategic choices about the future, which many organizations fail to do.

Drawing from their experiences at Procter & Gamble, the authors illustrate how a strong strategy can transform a company. Under Lafley's leadership and Martin's guidance, P&G achieved remarkable growth, doubling its sales and quadrupling its profits within a decade. This was accomplished by implementing five essential strategic choices:

1. Defining a winning aspiration.
2. Identifying where to play.
3. Deciding how to win.
4. Establishing the necessary capabilities.
5. Creating supportive management systems.

Using case studies of successful brands like Olay, Bounty, and Gillette, the book highlights how these strategies drove innovation and market dominance. It serves as a practical guide for leaders of organizations of all sizes, offering insights into aligning daily actions with overarching business goals.