Blue Ocean Strategy – W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

I’ve been doing some work on netweed and have a lot planned, which is kind of cool cause I’ve been neglecting it for awhile.  However, due to a variety of technical difficulties, I’ve gone into semifunctional mode.

That said, I thought I’d write about a business book I’ve found inspiring and see what that does for me since I already believe that finding out about this book will be a good thing for you.

Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne is truly a remarkable book.  I love the fact that it’s a research based work whose case for a different way of strategizing business has visionary implications.

I hesitate to summarize much but the Blue Ocean concept rests on the idea that currently most companies function in a Red Ocean of competition in which benchmarking, tweaking for efficiencies and introducing new models passes for innovation.  Rather than competing head for head in crowded marketplaces, Kim and Mauborgne advocate envisioning new markets created through value innovation and, in so doing, leaving the competition behind in their suddenly outdated mode of operation.

Kim and Mauborgne present a practical approach to visionary strategy grounded in studying companies who achieved major breakthroughs and then were able to sail freely in a Blue Ocean without serious competition, sometimes for extended periods.  Apple’s creation of the iPod/iTunes marketplace is an excellent example.

You’ll have to check out the book to get the real concepts and it will be well worth your time.  What’s interesting is, though Blue Ocean Strategy is written for an audience in large corporations, it’s also useful for small business strategizing, especially online where small efforts can lead to great results. 

In fact, it might be quite interesting to take their ideas and see if they apply to political activities.  So, there it is, an inspiring book with relevance far beyond its target market.

Update:
I forgot to mention that it’s quite readable despite the heavy academic status of the authors.

I’m also happy to report that my mood has improved considerably and that the sun just broke through the clouds outside (I kid you not).

Available from Amazon:

W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne – Blue Ocean Strategy