Current book
Competing on New Ground
How Companies Build Competitive Advantage as Sustainability Changes the Economics
A strategy book for leaders deciding which sustainability-linked opportunities are genuinely theirs to pursue, and what it takes to turn changing market conditions into an advantage the business can sustain.
View on AmazonThe commercial question
The management issue behind the book.
Sustainability can change the economics of a market long before it becomes obvious which response will create value. Costs move, requirements tighten, technologies mature and customers begin to judge offers differently. A business may be able to see the direction of travel without yet knowing where it can win.
That distinction matters. Some responses protect existing revenue or reduce exposure. Others may create a stronger offer, a better position with customers or a more defensible source of return. The task is to tell the difference before investment and organisational effort harden around an attractive but weak idea.
What it helps clarify
Three questions for management.
- 01
What has actually changed?
Separate a broad sustainability trend from the commercial mechanism it affects: customer choice, cost, access, willingness to pay, portfolio mix or the terms on which an offer can operate.
- 02
Where could the business create value?
Test whether the opportunity fits the company’s customers, offer, assets and route to market, rather than assuming that a relevant shift is automatically one the business should pursue.
- 03
What would make the position durable?
Consider the practical changes required in the offer, investment, evidence, capabilities and operating model for the advantage to last beyond a promising pilot or announcement.
The book's point of view
A commercial test, not a sustainability narrative
The book distinguishes between an initiative that is necessary, one that protects value, and one that could create a genuine competitive advantage. Each may be worthwhile. Confusing them leads to weak investment cases and exaggerated growth claims.
Its practical lens brings together customer value, the value the company can capture and the conditions that could make a position difficult to replicate. It is intended for managers who need to decide where to act, where to learn and where not to over-commit.
Further reading
Related Perspectives.
Competing on New Ground is available from Amazon.
View on Amazon