Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition and Strategy

The content of this book is excellent and it is one of the best books I have read on commercial strategy in a long time. It is a really thorough and clever summary of Porter's work, presented in a really accessible way. I have read a lot of Michael Porter's work previously but I still found that I got a lot out of this in the more 'macro' form it is presented in here. Unfortunately, the narrator makes it really hard to follow at some parts which in my view made this hard to get through. I nearly abandoned the audio and bought the kindle version just so i could stop listening to him.

The writing of many great thinkers can be difficult to follow. Their great points are often much clearer in the hands of other writers. Author Joan Magretta demonstrates this with the works of Michael Porter. It seems that most executives are aware of Porter, but few bother to read Porter because it's difficult reading. Magretta's work takes that barrier away.

Everyone directly involved in business strategy needs to know Porter's thinking. "Understanding Michael Porter" is an excellent way to do it.

One of the biggest and most common flaws Porter finds with typical business strategies is that they fall into the trap of thinking that if the company is the best at something, that will make the company successful, and further that there's something unique that the company can do to be the best. In reality, all the competitors are working hard to execute well. Striving to be the best is a zero-sum game that has everyone copying everyone else and that does not lead to profitability. Rule #1 is not to make this mistake.

From there, Porter gets more complicated, describing the various types of strategies that can lead to superior profitability. The key thing is differentiation. Managers must make emotionally difficult decisions to ignore some opportunities so that they can focus on others.

In my consulting work, I apply a simple test to determine whether the strategy avoids the error of aiming just to be the best and embraces differentiation. Write out the strategy in one or a few sentences. Reverse the meaning of the strategy statement. If the result sounds somewhat plausible as a strategy, then you have a real strategy. If the result sounds ridiculous, then you have a ridiculous strategy.

Several reviewers have commented negatively on the performance given here by Erik Synnestvedt. I concur. The reader has an odd and annoying sing-songy drawing out of the end of most sentences, depending on the vowel sounds involved. You can hear it in the sample. At first it doesn't seem so bad, but after a couple of hours of it, it gets increasingly annoying and distracting.

I have already purchased 5 extra editions for colleagues and friends as a must read. This book greatly links strategy and the daily decisions we make on what to do.

I never experienced strategy work to provide value - it has seemed more as management exercises than a roadmap for the organisation. I always felt that Lean, Process optimization etc. was overkill. Rather my focus has been on delivering value to customers with a pragmatic approach.
This book - through a well communicated explanation of Porters strategy work - makes a compelling case for strategy work with its clear link between customer value, activities performed and company profitability. The concepts of Trade-off and fit are extremely powerful-
A must read for anyone genuinely interested in understanding the links between company profitability, customer value and activities performed within the organisation.

I really dislike the narration.

The contents of the audio book will provide good reference points for individuals new to strategy. Many everyday conventions readily accepted in the work place are competently dismissed using Porter's models. Even if you don't come away with a complete understanding of strategy, you will undoubtedly acquire new ways of thinking about strategy and competitive advantage. Porter's 1996 Harvard Business Review article, "What is Strategy?" is a good bite-sized companion to this audio book. It is readily available online.

Many of us have well thumbed copies of Michael Porter’s Competitive Strategy. Now Joan Magretta has made his work available to a wider audience with Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition and Strategy. Think of Magretta’s book as a companion to Michael Porter and you will be right on point. Realistically, Porter’s book is not overly difficult to understand, but it does take study and some background. The strength of Magretta’s work is that Porter’s models become clear immediately. If you have read and understand Michael Porter this book is still valuable for its concise, relevant example and context. Readers from business settings will primarily benefit by this book, but decision makers from the not-for-profit sector will gain from reading this book as well. Read very well by Erik Synnestevdt .

Great material on competitive strategy. Unfortunately it was very difficult to tolerate the way the narrator finished the sentences. I almost stop listening. Using a kindle or nook woud be the way to go.

Joan reaches between the lines of Porters work. Providing specific examples, view points, insights, and how to's. I say how-to loosely. Her discussions and points of question are more of a frame work that can be modified to meet the specific needs of individual industries. The author also challenges previous perceptions, and miss understandings of Porters work in relation to competition, profit, growth, and strategy. This book is well worth the time to read or listen too. The only negative, is the author refers to work sheets within a chapter designed to aid and compliment points of the discussion that are not available through Audible's download.

Probably not. The reader had an unique pronunciation that negatively affected my reading experience. I am a Porter fan.

yes