What Is Strategy?: An Illustrated Guide to Michael Porter

When it comes to strategy, the mistake most managers make is thinking they have one when they don't.

Joan Magretta, author of the bestselling book Understanding Michael Porter, has teamed up with illustrator Emile Holmewood to capture essential strategy concepts in a short, easy-to-understand, graphic format.

Here you'll find the classic Porter frameworks—industry structure and the Five Forces, competitive advantage and the value chain—as well as a set of practical tests to apply in evaluating existing strategies or developing new ones. You'll also learn Porter's thinking about critical issues such as scale, goal setting, sustainability, and disruption.

With a relatable cast of characters—a deadlocked team of managers calls in Professor Porter to help them devise a new strategy—this book brings a sense of fun to a serious subject. It will help you quickly grasp the fundamentals of strategy, whether you're a seasoned strategist looking to cut through all the new buzzwords or a new manager about to lead your first strategy meeting.

Joan Magretta has worked with Michael Porter for over two decades. She is a Senior Associate at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School, a McKinsey Award winner, and author of the bestselling books Understanding Michael Porter and What Management Is, which was a top pick by The Economist when it was first published. Previously, she was a Bain partner and a strategy editor at Harvard Business Review. Emile Holmewood is an award-winning illustrator and animator based in Tokyo. His background in graphic design informs his illustration work, where he enjoys the challenge of transforming complex ideas into humorous images. You can find Emile Holmewood at: bloodbros.co/. Heinrich Zimmermann is a partner at a strategy consultancy based in Frankfurt and Tel Aviv. He was a founding partner of the Institute for New Communication, an interdisciplinary think tank and design lab based in Germany. He originated the concept for this book and assembled the team to turn his vision into reality.