Deep Dive Critique

Deep Dive Critique

Deep Dive has the most useful information and tools of the three books that will be valuable to me in the years to come. The book uses the scuba diver analogy well in order to clarify the four different type of strategic thinkers. “Strategic thinking is the generation and application of business insights on a continual basis to achieve competitive advantage.(p156,164)” The four types of strategic thinkers are Beach Bums, Snorkelers, Scuba Divers, and Free Divers. The ultimate goal for any manager is to be a Free Diver in order to make an impact within the company. The ten strategic thinking skills are Strategy, Insight, Context, Competitive Advantage, Value, Resource Allocation, Modeling, Innovation, Purpose, and Mental Agility. Horwath emphasizes that strategy is not aspiration, best practices, and caution. “By focusing on one of the value discipline- product leadership, operational excellence, or customer intimacy- you will create momentum for your business that competitors simply cannot match.(p673)” Too often, the author suggests, that companies will try to concentrate on all three when they should be concentrating on one, and maintain in the other two in order to be successful. The first discipline of strategic thinking is Acumen, which helps generate key business insights. In order to enhance one’s acumen there are four primary sources of insight, which are context, customers, questions, and models. Horwath stresses that understanding context is paramount and that there are three pitfalls to be successful: Annual Assessment, Relative versus Absolute Performance, and Prescription without Diagnosis. Strategy Tune-Up Sessions, OODA Loop, and Contextual Radar are useful tools to gauge the context of the business. The models discussed at the end of chapter 3 are used to generate insights in the four main areas of a business. PEST Analysis and Five Forces of Competition are used in Market, Business Driver Matrix and Value...