Excellent Book: Contemporary Strategy Analysis

I’m a member of several strategy groups on Linked In.  Within one of them–Strategy Professionals Network–a discussion has unfolded over the past several weeks based on the following question:  “What one business strategy book or article would you recommend?”  This is certainly a simple question but one that has many answers.  As for the article, it’s still tough to top Michael Porter’s classic, “What is Strategy?”.  Written in 1996, it stands today as one of Harvard Business Publishing’s most popular downloads.  As far as a single book, that’s a little more challenging.

For those genuinely interested in a tried and true book on strategy, I think Robert Grant’s Contemporary Strategy Analysis (7th edition) is hard to beat.  Filled with examples from sports teams to high technology companies, the book skillfully presents basically everything you need to know about competitive strategy.  It should be in the library of anyone serious about strategy–practitioners especially.  I’ve used and/or reviewed many other texts in my teaching and they don’t manage to measure up to Rob’s book in terms of coverage and, in particular, readability.  Rob—currently a professor at SDA Bocconi–has taught around the globe from Georgetown to London Business School.  He’s on the editorial boards of Strategic Management Journal and Long Range Planning.  It’s safe to say he’s a well-respected scholar with a smart and practical view of strategy.  His book clearly reflects that. 

Here’s a video of Rob talking about the book.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6uwpSSzHN8

Here’s the book site:  http://www.contemporarystrategyanalysis.com/