HBS Professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee on "Better, Simpler Strategy"

HBS Club of Calgary and HBS Club of Toronto present a conversation with HBS Professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Andreas Andresen Professor of Business Administration, Unit Head, Strategy on his recent book Better, Simpler Strategy: A Value-Based Guide to Exceptional Performance.

In nearly every business segment and corner of the world economy, the most successful companies dramatically outperform their rivals. What is their secret? In Better, Simpler Strategy, Harvard Business School professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee shows how these companies achieve more by doing less. At a time when rapid technological change and global competition conspire to upend traditional ways of doing business, these companies pursue radically simplified strategies. At a time when many managers struggle not to drown in vast seas of projects and initiatives, these businesses follow simple rules that help select the few ideas that truly make a difference.

Better, Simpler Strategy provides readers with a simple tool, the Value Stick, which every organization can use to make its strategy more effective and easier to execute. Based on proven financial mechanics, the Value Stick helps executives decide where to focus their attention and how to deepen the competitive advantage of their business.

How does the Value Stick work? It provides a way of measuring the two fundamental forces that lead to value creation and increased financial success—the customer's willingness-to-pay and the employee's willingness-to-sell their services to the business. Companies that win, Oberholzer-Gee shows, create value for customers by raising their willingness-to-pay, and they provide value for talent by lowering its willingness-to-sell. The approach, proven in practice, is entirely data-driven and uniquely suited to be cascaded throughout the organization.

With many useful visuals and examples across industries and geographies, Better, Simpler Strategy explains how just two measures—willingness-to-pay and willingness-to-sell—enable firms to gauge and improve their strategies and operations. Based on the author's sought-after strategy course, Better, Simpler Strategy is a must-have guide for making better strategic decisions.

We encourage those who attend the event to purchase a copy of Better, Simpler Strategy: A Value-Based Guide to Exceptional Performance. (HBR, Bookshop, Amazon)