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Strategy Navigator

Turn the signals from your Wardley Map into a curated short-list of leadership plays. Mix and match goals, landscape stages, and pressure points to surface strategies that fit your context.

  • Start with the outcome you want to accelerate.
  • Add the stage of evolution or the tension you feel.
  • Review the suggested plays and compare the top contenders.

Strategic goals

Landscape stage

Pressure points

Keyword search

Showing 70 of 70 plays.

Algorithmic Transparency

Making algorithmic decisions understandable and auditable to build trust and satisfy oversight.

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Goals it supports

Build trustReduce regulatory exposureAccelerate adoption

Landscape feels like

Regulatory scrutiny of automated decisionsHigh-stakes outcomes that require explainabilityBuyers demand evidence of model safety and fairness

Signals to watch for

  • Procurement or regulators require audit trails, model cards, or explainability artefacts.
  • Users appeal or contest automated outcomes at rising rates.
  • Media or stakeholder scrutiny focuses on opaque decision-making.

First momentum moves

  • Map the highest-impact decisions and define the minimum explainability needed for each.
  • Publish a transparent decision dossier (model cards, data lineage, evaluation metrics).
  • Establish a cross-functional review board for algorithmic changes.

Watch outs

  • Sharing transparency artefacts without controls, leading to gaming or security risks.
  • Overloading users with technical detail instead of actionable explanations.
  • Treating compliance checklists as a substitute for genuine accountability.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Alliances

Formal partnerships or consortia formed to pursue shared goals.

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Goals it supports

Shape the marketBuild ecosystem leverageSecure long-term investment

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentMarket is nascent or undefinedEcosystem fragmentation

Signals to watch for

  • No single organisation can credibly move the market on its own.
  • Regulators, partners or customers are asking for collective direction.
  • Fragmented initiatives are slowing progress and confusing the market.

First momentum moves

  • Define the shared mission and minimum viable structure for the alliance.
  • Secure anchor members who bring credibility, coverage and resources.
  • Publish a roadmap or manifesto that frames the desired future state.

Watch outs

  • Power imbalances causing the alliance to stall or fracture.
  • Governance that is heavy, slow or detached from delivery.
  • Failing to articulate the value for participants beyond lofty statements.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Ambush

Reactively undermining a specific competitor's progress or negating their advantage with a surprise strategic maneuver.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionChange the narrativeAccelerate adoption

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbentNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • A rival prepares a high-profile launch that threatens your core revenue.
  • You have a mature asset you can reconfigure faster than the competitor can respond.
  • Channel or partner intelligence reveals a narrow window to derail their momentum.

First momentum moves

  • Package an aggressive counter-offer that lands before or alongside their announcement.
  • Align marketing, sales and delivery teams around a single disruptive response.
  • Secure supply, distribution or licensing levers that block the competitor’s rollout.

Watch outs

  • Telegraphing the move too early and giving the rival time to adapt.
  • Overextending discounts or bundles in ways that erode long-term value.
  • Focusing so much on the ambush that you neglect longer-term differentiation.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Fast impact
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Artificial Competition

Creating the illusion of competition by establishing or funding a secondary entity that competes with your own offerings.

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Goals it supports

Change the narrativeDefend your positionShape the market

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbentCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • Regulators or customers question whether they truly have choice.
  • A challenger brand emerges that could redefine the category narrative.
  • You control multiple channels or assets that could support a parallel brand.

First momentum moves

  • Design the secondary brand with distinct positioning but complementary economics.
  • Coordinate go-to-market plays so the proxy competes visibly while sharing infrastructure.
  • Maintain plausible independence by separating governance and messaging teams.

Watch outs

  • Regulatory discovery that both brands share ownership.
  • Creating internal cannibalisation that confuses customers.
  • Underinvesting in the proxy so real challengers still break through.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Brand and Marketing

Using traditional marketing and brand positioning to shape user perception.

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Goals it supports

Change the narrativeAccelerate adoptionDefend your position

Landscape feels like

Customers are nervous about changeCompetitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbent

Signals to watch for

  • Customers struggle to articulate what makes you different despite feature parity.
  • Sales cycles stall because buyers lack emotional or social proof.
  • Competitors own the mindshare even when your offer outperforms on value.

First momentum moves

  • Clarify the brand promise and embed it across campaigns and customer touchpoints.
  • Invest in signature experiences that make the story tangible.
  • Activate advocates and influencers who personify the brand narrative.

Watch outs

  • Overpromising in campaigns and underdelivering in the product.
  • Relying on vanity metrics instead of behaviour changes.
  • Ignoring segments that do not resonate with the chosen narrative.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Bundling

Combining products or changes together so that a less desirable item is packaged with a desirable one, encouraging adoption of the whole package.

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Goals it supports

Accelerate adoptionChange the narrativeDefend your position

Landscape feels like

Customers are nervous about changeCompetitive attack underwayLimited resources or capacity

Signals to watch for

  • Users resist a necessary change unless it comes with visible upside.
  • Adoption lags because each component is sold separately and feels fragmented.
  • Competitors succeed by offering integrated suites while you sell point solutions.

First momentum moves

  • Design bundles that solve a complete job and make the trade-off explicit.
  • Use tiered packaging to guide customers toward desired behaviours.
  • Equip sales and success teams to explain the value of the package clearly.

Watch outs

  • Bundling unrelated products that dilute trust.
  • Triggering regulatory scrutiny for anti-competitive tying.
  • Failing to monitor whether customers actually use the bundled elements.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Fast impact
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Buyer-Supplier Power

Strategically managing the power dynamics between buyers and suppliers as a market evolves to gain a competitive advantage.

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Goals it supports

Shape the marketDefend your positionSecure long-term investment

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentLimited resources or capacityCompetitive attack underway

Signals to watch for

  • Suppliers or buyers increasingly dictate terms that erode your margin.
  • Concentration analysis shows single points of failure in your value chain.
  • Competitors secure long-term deals that could lock you out.

First momentum moves

  • Map dependency flows to reveal where leverage truly sits.
  • Diversify or consolidate suppliers to rebalance bargaining power.
  • Invest in capabilities that make you indispensable to the ecosystem.

Watch outs

  • Pursuing leverage without considering relationship consequences.
  • Overcommitting to a chokepoint that can disappear as the market evolves.
  • Ignoring antitrust and fair-dealing obligations.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Carbon & ESG Arbitrage

Using carbon pricing gaps, incentives, and supply-chain transparency to outmaneuver competitors.

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Goals it supports

Outcompete peersReduce compliance frictionUnlock preferential demand

Landscape feels like

Regulatory change is acceleratingProcurement requires verified emissions dataCarbon costs vary across regions

Signals to watch for

  • Major customers are adding carbon disclosure and low-carbon sourcing clauses to contracts.
  • Carbon pricing differences or tax credits make certain geographies structurally cheaper.
  • Regulators are tightening disclosure timelines faster than competitors can respond.

First momentum moves

  • Map where carbon costs, credits, and subsidies shift the true unit economics.
  • Build auditable supply-chain emissions data to meet procurement thresholds.
  • Re-price offers or reroute sourcing to capture the most favorable regulatory lane.

Watch outs

  • Overstating ESG claims without evidence invites enforcement and reputational damage.
  • Procurement teams reject bids when emissions data is incomplete or unverifiable.
  • Savings vanish if incentives expire or carbon rules converge.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Center of Gravity

Building a focal point of talent, expertise, or activity that attracts the best resources and shapes the direction of an industry or ecosystem.

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Goals it supports

Build ecosystem leverageDefend your positionShape the market

Landscape feels like

Talent scarcityFacing dominant incumbentEcosystem fragmentation

Signals to watch for

  • Your teams already attract thought leaders or influential contributors.
  • Partners prefer to launch or integrate with you first.
  • There is no clear hub for the topic and stakeholders seek an anchor.

First momentum moves

  • Invest in flagship programmes, events or research that showcase excellence.
  • Create pathways for external contributors to plug into your ecosystem.
  • Codify rituals and narratives that make belonging visible and desirable.

Watch outs

  • Assuming gravity persists without constant renewal.
  • Over-centralising decisions, leading to bureaucratic drag.
  • Neglecting diversity of thought, which erodes credibility.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Channel Conflict and Disintermediation

A strategy of deliberately creating tension between distribution channels to gain control, reshape value flows, and own the customer relationship.

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Goals it supports

Build ecosystem leverageShape the marketUnlock new growth

Landscape feels like

Ecosystem fragmentationFacing dominant incumbentCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • Intermediaries block access to customer data or slow your go-to-market.
  • Customers complain about inconsistent experiences across channels.
  • Partners resist experimenting with new offerings you want to bring to market.

First momentum moves

  • Launch a direct channel pilot that proves superior experience and economics.
  • Re-negotiate partner agreements with incentives tied to shared data and standards.
  • Invest in systems that unify pricing, inventory, and service across every route to market.

Watch outs

  • Alienating partners without a plan to replace their coverage.
  • Underestimating the operational complexity of running multiple channels.
  • Sending conflicting messages that confuse customers and sales teams.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Circling and Probing

Testing competitor territory with small experiments to gather intelligence before committing heavy investment.

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Goals it supports

Unlock new growthShape the marketDefend your position

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentCompetitive attack underwayNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • You lack real data on how competitors respond to new offerings.
  • Senior leaders debate offensive moves without evidence from the field.
  • Maps highlight attractive spaces but confidence is low about demand.

First momentum moves

  • Launch low-risk experiments in adjacent segments to observe reactions.
  • Instrument probes to capture competitor response time and customer feedback.
  • Use findings to refine larger plays or decide where not to invest.

Watch outs

  • Treating probes as vanity experiments with no learning loop.
  • Provoking competitors without the capacity to follow through.
  • Misinterpreting noisy signals and drawing the wrong conclusions.
Effort: Lean ExperimentTime horizon: Fast impact
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Co-creation

A strategy of actively involving customers or users in the product development process to create more valuable and user-centric solutions.

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Goals it supports

Build ecosystem leverageAccelerate adoptionUnlock new growth

Landscape feels like

Ecosystem fragmentationMarket is nascent or undefinedLimited resources or capacity

Signals to watch for

  • Users already hack together workarounds or share their own enhancements.
  • Your roadmap lags behind demand because insight and capacity are limited.
  • Communities form around the product without formal support from you.

First momentum moves

  • Create structured programmes where users can submit ideas and prototypes.
  • Provide tooling, APIs, and documentation that lower the barrier to contribution.
  • Highlight co-created wins publicly to celebrate contributors and attract more.

Watch outs

  • Ignoring contributor feedback once the programme launches.
  • Allowing governance gaps that let a few voices dominate the community.
  • Failing to integrate co-created work into your core offering.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Co-opting

A strategy of adopting or mimicking a competitor's features, standards, or messaging to neutralize their advantage and attract their users.

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Goals it supports

Build ecosystem leverageDefend your positionAccelerate adoption

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayEcosystem fragmentationFacing dominant incumbent

Signals to watch for

  • Users churn because a rival feature or standard feels indispensable.
  • Partners demand integration with the competitor’s ecosystem to stay relevant.
  • You can deliver the copied capability faster or at greater scale than the originator.

First momentum moves

  • Prioritise replication of the rival feature while improving onboarding to your platform.
  • Announce interoperability or compatibility that removes switching friction.
  • Use marketing to reposition the feature as table stakes available everywhere.

Watch outs

  • Copying without understanding the underlying user job-to-be-done.
  • Neglecting to differentiate once parity is achieved.
  • Triggering IP disputes if you ignore legal boundaries.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Community Governance and Co-Ownership

Share decision rights and asset ownership with ecosystem members to deepen commitment and stickiness.

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Goals it supports

Build ecosystem leverageAccelerate adoptionSecure long-term investment

Landscape feels like

Ecosystem fragmentationTrust deficit with partnersPlatform risks losing legitimacy

Signals to watch for

  • Partners contribute critical modules but hesitate to deepen investment.
  • The ecosystem needs a neutral home to sustain shared infrastructure.
  • You rely on shared standards, shared IP, or joint funding to scale.

First momentum moves

  • Identify which assets require shared governance versus proprietary control.
  • Draft a lightweight charter covering voting rights, dispute resolution, and IP stewardship.
  • Stand up an interim council with clear accountability and time-boxed decisions.

Watch outs

  • Governance becomes symbolic while control remains centralized.
  • Ownership structures create legal or tax complexity that deters participation.
  • Decision-making slows to the point that the ecosystem loses momentum.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Confusion of Choice

Overwhelming customers with too many options or complex choices so that making a rational decision becomes difficult.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionChange the narrativeStabilise operations

Landscape feels like

Customers are nervous about changeCompetitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbent

Signals to watch for

  • Customers default to your legacy offer when presented with too much detail.
  • Churn spikes whenever rivals present simple comparisons.
  • Your catalogue already contains numerous variants with minimal differentiation.

First momentum moves

  • Design option sets intentionally to anchor buyers toward preferred choices.
  • Train front-line teams to guide conversations without revealing easy comparisons.
  • Continuously monitor competitor messaging to adjust the complexity dial.

Watch outs

  • Frustrating customers to the point they seek simpler alternatives.
  • Creating operational overhead managing SKUs nobody understands.
  • Drawing regulator attention for deceptive or confusing practices.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
Read the full play

Cooperation

Working with others, even competitors, to achieve a goal.

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Goals it supports

Accelerate adoptionBuild ecosystem leverageSecure long-term investment

Landscape feels like

Limited resources or capacityMarket is nascent or undefinedFacing dominant incumbent

Signals to watch for

  • The work is too risky or capital intensive to pursue alone.
  • Your map reveals complementary players around the same user need.
  • Speed to establish a de facto approach matters more than owning everything.

First momentum moves

  • Map mutual value exchanges and publish the shared intent.
  • Pilot a narrow collaboration to build trust and working rhythms.
  • Create a lightweight governance forum that keeps decisions transparent.

Watch outs

  • Misaligned incentives that turn collaboration into competition.
  • Sharing differentiating capabilities without a plan to protect them.
  • Cultural friction or slow decision cycles between partners.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
Read the full play

Creating Artificial Needs

Generating demand by inventing or amplifying a need that did not previously exist.

Explore this play

Goals it supports

Change the narrativeAccelerate adoptionUnlock new growth

Landscape feels like

Customers are nervous about changeCompetitive attack underwayMarket is nascent or undefined

Signals to watch for

  • Organic demand plateaus despite healthy satisfaction scores.
  • Cultural trends hint at aspirational identities your product could attach to.
  • Competitors capture imagination with stories rather than functional claims.

First momentum moves

  • Develop a compelling myth or movement that reframes the product as essential.
  • Use scarcity, rituals, or social proof to reinforce the newly created need.
  • Align product roadmaps so experiences deliver on the promise the story sells.

Watch outs

  • Manufacturing needs that conflict with your values or social expectations.
  • Overhyping benefits and disappointing early adopters.
  • Ignoring real customer problems while chasing manufactured desire.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Creating Constraints

Purposefully introduce new bottlenecks to constrain competitors by shaping market, legal, or technical environments.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionShape the marketSecure long-term investment

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbentRegulatory or policy leverage available

Signals to watch for

  • Suppliers warn that capacity is tightening around components everyone needs.
  • Regulators consider new rules that could redefine access to critical inputs.
  • Competitors rely on the same fragile distribution or manufacturing channels.

First momentum moves

  • Lock in contracts or investments that give you preferential control of the bottleneck.
  • Co-design standards or certification schemes that raise compliance expectations.
  • Coordinate messaging that frames the constraint as necessary for quality or safety.

Watch outs

  • Creating constraints you cannot sustain operationally.
  • Inviting regulatory scrutiny for anti-competitive behaviour.
  • Alienating partners who feel trapped by your manoeuvre.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Data Sovereignty & Localization

Turning data residency and jurisdictional compliance into a trust and market access advantage.

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Goals it supports

Protect market accessBuild trustShape the market

Landscape feels like

Regulatory changes create uncertainty about data handling.Customers demand local processing and residency guarantees.Cross-border data transfers increase legal or reputational risk.

Signals to watch for

  • Enterprise buyers are asking for country-specific data residency clauses.
  • Public sector or regulated industries treat localization as a procurement gate.
  • Competitors are launching regional clouds or sovereign offerings.

First momentum moves

  • Map data flows, dependencies, and jurisdictions to expose compliance gaps.
  • Design localized processing and storage patterns for high-risk data.
  • Build a compliance narrative that ties residency to user trust and resilience.

Watch outs

  • Treating localization as a purely legal checkbox without operational readiness.
  • Underestimating the cost of running parallel regional stacks.
  • Overpromising sovereignty while relying on foreign dependencies.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Defensive Regulation

A defensive strategy where an incumbent company uses government regulation and lobbying to create barriers to entry and hinder competitors.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionSecure long-term investmentShape the market

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayRegulatory or policy leverage availableCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • New entrants threaten to bypass safeguards you spent years building.
  • Policy makers ask for clarity on safety, compliance, or consumer protection.
  • Lobbyists or trade groups invite incumbents to shape upcoming rules.

First momentum moves

  • Document public-interest arguments that justify higher standards.
  • Build coalitions with partners and regulators around shared safeguards.
  • Invest in compliance capabilities you can later turn into market differentiators.

Watch outs

  • Appearing self-serving and triggering regulatory backlash.
  • Stifling your own innovation while freezing competitors.
  • Assuming regulation alone will protect you without ongoing delivery excellence.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Designed to Fail

Intentionally launching flawed initiatives to poison a potential market before rivals can benefit.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionChange the narrativeShape the market

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbentMarket is nascent or undefined

Signals to watch for

  • An emerging market threatens to redefine your core business before you're ready.
  • Analysts and investors chase hype despite weak evidence of viability.
  • You can influence early adopters or standards before they consolidate.

First momentum moves

  • Craft a plausible offer that sets unrealistic expectations for the space.
  • Seed the initiative with messaging that emphasises unresolved risks.
  • Monitor uptake closely so you can retire the play once momentum stalls.

Watch outs

  • Damaging your brand if the failure is traced back to you.
  • Inadvertently validating the market if users hack the flawed offer into success.
  • Distracting your teams from real strategic priorities.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Fast impact
Read the full play

Differentiation

Creating a unique value proposition by focusing on unmet user needs in less-evolved market spaces.

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Goals it supports

Unlock new growthChange the narrative

Landscape feels like

Market is nascent or undefinedCompetitive attack underwayCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • Users complain that all existing offers feel interchangeable.
  • Your mapping uncovers underserved segments with unique needs.
  • You can prototype rapidly to show a better way before rivals respond.

First momentum moves

  • Run discovery work directly with users to surface sharp, emotional needs.
  • Prototype the signature experience and test with target segments.
  • Tell the story of the new value repeatedly so the market remembers it is yours.

Watch outs

  • Trying to differentiate on commodity features where price wins.
  • Confusing novelty with usefulness and chasing gimmicks.
  • Scaling before the operating model can deliver the promised experience.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Directed Investment

Making a targeted, venture-capital-style investment in a future change or emerging area to outpace rivals and seize first-mover advantage.

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Goals it supports

Accelerate adoptionUnlock new growthShape the market

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentCompetitive attack underwayNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • Your mapping reveals an impending shift where incumbents lack a credible response.
  • Capital is available but incremental projects keep diluting strategic focus.
  • You can assemble the specialist talent or assets required before rivals can react.

First momentum moves

  • Ring-fence a skunkworks team with clear executive sponsorship.
  • Define staged funding milestones tied to evidence of traction and learning.
  • Co-design early pilots with lead customers to validate the new direction.

Watch outs

  • Spreading investment thin across pet projects instead of doubling down.
  • Failing to transition validated ideas into mainstream delivery.
  • Betting on hype cycles without evidence of user demand.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Education

Educating the market or users to overcome their inertia to change by informing them of benefits or risks.

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Goals it supports

Accelerate adoptionChange the narrativeStabilise operations

Landscape feels like

Customers are nervous about changeNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracyCompetitive attack underway

Signals to watch for

  • Users misunderstand the risk or value proposition and delay adoption.
  • Support teams spend disproportionate time correcting myths or misinformation.
  • Regulators or stakeholders demand proof that users know how to use the product safely.

First momentum moves

  • Develop tailored education journeys addressing the most common objections.
  • Equip trusted voices—partners, community leaders, frontline staff—to deliver the message.
  • Measure behaviour change to refine the curriculum, not just awareness metrics.

Watch outs

  • Delivering generic content that doesn’t address real barriers.
  • Educating the market for competitors who move faster on execution.
  • Ignoring feedback that the programme feels patronising or out of touch.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Embrace and Extend

A strategy to gain market dominance by first adopting a widely used standard, then adding proprietary extensions to create a lock-in effect.

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Goals it supports

Build ecosystem leverageDefend your positionShape the market

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentEcosystem fragmentationCompetitive attack underway

Signals to watch for

  • An open standard dominates but lacks advanced capabilities users crave.
  • You can ship compatible extensions faster than rivals can standardise them.
  • Developers or partners already rely on your tooling despite official standards.

First momentum moves

  • Launch a fully compatible baseline that removes friction for adopters.
  • Introduce proprietary enhancements that solve high-value pain points.
  • Invest in developer support so the ecosystem defaults to your extensions.

Watch outs

  • Breaking compatibility so early that trust evaporates.
  • Triggering regulatory scrutiny for anti-competitive tying.
  • Failing to sustain the extended platform and stranding adopters.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Experimentation

Rapidly testing ideas through hackdays, specialist groups and skunkworks to uncover and exploit opportunities.

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Goals it supports

Unlock new growthAccelerate adoptionChange the narrative

Landscape feels like

Need to go faster than internal bureaucracyMarket is nascent or undefinedLimited resources or capacity

Signals to watch for

  • You see promising opportunities but lack proof to commit fully.
  • Teams are stuck debating options instead of testing them.
  • Competitors are iterating faster and claiming the story.

First momentum moves

  • Ring-fence time and budget explicitly for discovery work.
  • Define clear exit criteria so weak experiments close quickly.
  • Share insights widely so the core organisation can absorb wins.

Watch outs

  • Zombie experiments that never end or scale.
  • Treating experiments as theatre without learning loops.
  • Failing to transition validated ideas into mainstream delivery.
Effort: Lean ExperimentTime horizon: Fast impact
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Exploiting Existing Constraint

Amplify an existing bottleneck to hinder competitors by increasing demand or restricting supply to stress their capacity.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionShape the marketAccelerate adoption

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayLimited resources or capacityFacing dominant incumbent

Signals to watch for

  • Market data highlights a bottleneck where your rival is already stretched thin.
  • You hold reserve capacity or alternate suppliers others cannot access.
  • Customers complain about long lead times from the competitor while you remain stable.

First momentum moves

  • Dial up demand-shaping offers that push more volume toward the known bottleneck.
  • Secure extra inventory or throughput so you can absorb the spillover.
  • Brief key customers on your reliability to encourage switching when the rival stumbles.

Watch outs

  • Overstressing the constraint and triggering backlash that hits you too.
  • Losing empathy with customers who experience disruption because of your play.
  • Failing to plan an exit once the pressure achieves its purpose.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Exploiting Network Effects

Leveraging tactics that increase the value of your product as more users join

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Goals it supports

Accelerate adoptionDefend your positionUnlock new growth

Landscape feels like

Market is nascent or undefinedCompetitive attack underway

Signals to watch for

  • Value per user increases as more people participate or integrate.
  • You can subsidise one side of the market to ignite participation.
  • Customers cite community, content or liquidity as the reason to stay.

First momentum moves

  • Remove onboarding friction and spotlight proof of value quickly.
  • Instrument the core loop so you can amplify the highest leverage actions.
  • Seed the network with curated supply or demand to reach critical mass.

Watch outs

  • Negative network effects when quality drops as the network grows.
  • Over-investing in acquisition before retention mechanics are proven.
  • Ignoring trust and safety, creating vulnerabilities for the community.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Fast Follower

Leveraging the mistakes and groundwork of pioneers to enter markets at the optimal time with improved execution.

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Goals it supports

Accelerate adoptionUnlock new growthDefend your position

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentMarket is nascent or undefinedNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • Pioneers validate demand but struggle with scale or reliability.
  • You can replicate the core experience with better distribution or pricing.
  • User research reveals dissatisfaction with early leaders despite the buzz.

First momentum moves

  • Document pioneer missteps and bake the fixes into your design and go-to-market.
  • Line up supply chain and support capabilities to absorb fast followers quickly.
  • Time your launch to coincide with public fatigue toward the pioneer’s flaws.

Watch outs

  • Underestimating switching costs once customers commit to the pioneer.
  • Copying without adding distinctive value.
  • Arriving late because internal governance slowed approvals.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt

A classic tactic of spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt to slow adoption of a competitor's innovation or to dissuade customers from switching.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionChange the narrative

Landscape feels like

Customers are nervous about changeCompetitive attack underway

Signals to watch for

  • Procurement or compliance teams already worry about switching risk.
  • You have trusted relationships with analysts, media or community voices.
  • The competitor relies on hype more than proven delivery.

First momentum moves

  • Prepare fact-based talking points that highlight unanswered questions.
  • Brief influential voices who can credibly raise concerns.
  • Offer safe migration paths back to you so hesitation favours your side.

Watch outs

  • Crossing ethical lines and damaging long-term trust.
  • Accidentally promoting the competitor by repeating their message.
  • Relying on FUD instead of addressing genuine product gaps.
Effort: Lean ExperimentTime horizon: Fast impact
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First Mover

Establishing a dominant position by industrialising or standardising a component before others.

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Goals it supports

Shape the marketAccelerate adoptionBuild ecosystem leverage

Landscape feels like

Market is nascent or undefinedFacing dominant incumbentNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • You see a component ripe for industrialisation before competitors commit.
  • You can marshal capital and talent to set the standard quickly.
  • Early customers ask for a reliable provider even if it costs more initially.

First momentum moves

  • Define and publish the reference architecture or service level everyone else will follow.
  • Secure flagship customers or partners who confer credibility.
  • Invest in scalable operations to handle demand spikes once the market tips.

Watch outs

  • Misjudging timing and industrialising before demand exists.
  • Neglecting ecosystem incentives so rivals create a better standard.
  • Overextending financially before the model stabilises.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Fool's Mate

A swift, often uncounterable strategic move that exploits a poorly understood or defended component in an opponent's value chain to cause cascading failure or commoditization.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionShape the marketAccelerate adoption

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentCompetitive attack underwayNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • Your mapping exposes a linchpin component your rival assumes will stay proprietary.
  • You can industrialise a bottleneck faster than incumbents can reorganise.
  • Customers already resent the friction created by that hidden dependency.

First momentum moves

  • Prototype an open, commoditised alternative and stress-test it with lead adopters.
  • Line up ecosystem supporters ready to switch once the component becomes abundant.
  • Sequence communications to control the reveal and deny rivals reaction time.

Watch outs

  • Misjudging the component’s importance and tipping resources into a dead end.
  • Triggering retaliation before your alternative is ready to absorb demand.
  • Underestimating the operational lift required to maintain the commoditised service.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Fast impact
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Fragmentation

Splintering a rival's market to erode their stronghold.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionShape the market

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentEcosystem fragmentationCompetitive attack underway

Signals to watch for

  • Customers complain about a monolithic incumbent that ignores edge cases.
  • Partners or regulators are open to alternatives but lack coordination.
  • You can fund or seed multiple differentiated options in adjacent niches.

First momentum moves

  • Pick the wedge segments where the incumbent under-serves users.
  • Support allies with tooling, funding or messaging so they can take share.
  • Surface success stories that normalise choosing the alternative.

Watch outs

  • Failing to capture value once the rival is weakened.
  • Backing weak alternatives that damage credibility.
  • Triggering retaliation without insulating your own core business.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Harvesting

Scaling innovation by observing a platform's ecosystem, identifying successful third-party offerings, and then acquiring, replicating, or integrating them.

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Goals it supports

Shape the marketUnlock new growthBuild ecosystem leverage

Landscape feels like

Ecosystem fragmentationLimited resources or capacityNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • Third-party offerings on your platform repeatedly solve the same user pain.
  • Customers expect native support for capabilities currently delivered by partners.
  • You struggle to prioritise innovation because evidence is scattered.

First momentum moves

  • Instrument ecosystem usage to spot breakout adoption patterns quickly.
  • Create transparent harvesting criteria that balance partner trust and platform goals.
  • Offer acquisition, revenue share, or native integration paths to successful partners.

Watch outs

  • Harvesting without rewarding partners, discouraging future investment.
  • Integrating features without matching the quality users loved originally.
  • Letting the sensing engine become bureaucratic and slow.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Industrial Policy

Aligning with or influencing government investment and policy to accelerate strategic industry evolution.

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Goals it supports

Secure long-term investmentShape the marketDefend your position

Landscape feels like

Regulatory or policy leverage availableLimited resources or capacity

Signals to watch for

  • National or regional initiatives name your domain as a priority.
  • Your map shows infrastructure or R&D too expensive to fund alone.
  • Competitors lobby for incentives that could disadvantage you.

First momentum moves

  • Map the policy landscape, timelines and key influencers.
  • Frame your proposal in terms of public outcomes and resilience.
  • Secure pilot projects that demonstrate credible momentum to funders.

Watch outs

  • Political cycles that change priorities mid-stream.
  • Reporting obligations that slow execution if left unmanaged.
  • Dependence on subsidies without a path to stand-alone economics.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Innovate, Leverage, Commoditize (ILC)

A cyclical strategy of using an ecosystem as a sensing engine to guide innovation and maintain market leadership.

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Goals it supports

Build ecosystem leverageUnlock new growthShape the market

Landscape feels like

Market is nascent or undefinedEcosystem fragmentationNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • Your platform attracts experimentation but you struggle to decide what to productise.
  • Ecosystem partners succeed faster than your internal teams can copy.
  • You lack telemetry that shows which extensions are gaining momentum.

First momentum moves

  • Instrument usage across the ecosystem to surface breakout patterns.
  • Create clear pathways for promoting partner innovations into the core platform.
  • Continuously communicate roadmap decisions so contributors see the flywheel working.

Watch outs

  • Commoditising partner innovations without rewarding or retaining them.
  • Letting bureaucracy slow the cycle until the ecosystem loses interest.
  • Failing to invest in the next wave while harvesting the current one.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Insertion

Embedding agents or narratives inside a rival’s ecosystem to steer them toward poor choices.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionChange the narrativeShape the market

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbentNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • You rely on intelligence channels that could subtly influence rival decisions.
  • Competitors chase every rumour about your moves, showing susceptibility.
  • You have trusted insiders or partners close to the rival’s planning cycles.

First momentum moves

  • Identify decision forums in the competitor organisation you can credibly influence.
  • Plant narratives that encourage overcommitment to low-yield initiatives.
  • Establish cover stories and compartmentalise knowledge to protect the operation.

Watch outs

  • Crossing legal or ethical boundaries that expose you to severe penalties.
  • Underestimating the rival’s ability to detect and purge the insertion.
  • Becoming reliant on manipulation instead of improving your own offer.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Land Grab

Positioning early in an emerging market to capture strategic ground and shape future competitive dynamics.

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Goals it supports

Shape the marketBuild ecosystem leverageSecure long-term investment

Landscape feels like

Market is nascent or undefinedFacing dominant incumbentLimited resources or capacity

Signals to watch for

  • Scarce assets or permits will determine who can participate later.
  • Your mapping shows white space the incumbents still ignore.
  • Early adopters beg for infrastructure or standards that do not exist yet.

First momentum moves

  • Secure rights, spectrum, or real estate before prices spike.
  • Deploy visible prototypes or facilities that anchor the emerging ecosystem.
  • Forge alliances with complementors to make your footprint the default choice.

Watch outs

  • Overextending before demand proves out.
  • Ignoring local stakeholders and triggering backlash or delays.
  • Locking into technology choices that later become obsolete.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Last Man Standing

A strategy of outlasting competitors in a commoditizing market to capture remaining market share.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionStabilise operationsSecure long-term investment

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayLimited resources or capacityCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • Industry margins collapse but you still have scale advantages.
  • Competitors close plants or exit geographies while you remain solvent.
  • Customers need continuity even as suppliers disappear.

First momentum moves

  • Double down on efficiency programmes that protect cash flow.
  • Acquire distressed assets that strengthen your cost position.
  • Communicate stability to customers so they migrate before rivals fail.

Watch outs

  • Burning out teams through endless austerity without a reinvention plan.
  • Ignoring innovation and being blindsided when the market evolves again.
  • Absorbing failing competitors without fixing the structural issues.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Licensing

Using legal terms to restrict competitors and lock in an ecosystem.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionShape the marketSecure long-term investment

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbentRegulatory or policy leverage available

Signals to watch for

  • Competitors monetise your technology via permissive terms that no longer suit you.
  • Partners push for clarity on acceptable use before committing deeper.
  • You need revenue or control levers beyond pure product innovation.

First momentum moves

  • Audit existing licenses to understand loopholes and strategic exposures.
  • Design tiered or dual licensing models aligned to desired behaviours.
  • Educate partners on the value exchange behind the updated terms.

Watch outs

  • Imposing terms so restrictive that the ecosystem abandons you.
  • Failing to enforce the license consistently, undermining credibility.
  • Creating legal complexity your own teams cannot administer.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Limitation of Competition

Structurally reducing or preventing competitive pressure through regulatory, legal, or environmental barriers.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionSecure long-term investmentShape the market

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayRegulatory or policy leverage availableLimited resources or capacity

Signals to watch for

  • New entrants erode margins faster than you can respond through product changes.
  • Industry bodies debate rules that could reset who is allowed to participate.
  • Partners worry about market instability and ask for long-term commitments.

First momentum moves

  • Map the ecosystem to identify alliances that favour a stable playing field.
  • Draft shared position papers that emphasise safety, reliability, or national interest.
  • Invest in compliance capabilities that become the benchmark for others.

Watch outs

  • Relying on gatekeeping while ignoring signals that users want alternatives.
  • Alienating innovators who might have been valuable partners.
  • Creating rigidity that makes future strategic pivots harder.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Lobbying

Influencing government or regulatory bodies to shape the environment in your favour, often as a precursor to regulation or limitation of competition.

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Goals it supports

Shape the marketChange the narrativeSecure long-term investment

Landscape feels like

Regulatory or policy leverage availableCompetitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbent

Signals to watch for

  • Pending legislation or standards could redefine your competitive position.
  • Competitors visibly invest in government relations while you remain reactive.
  • Public sentiment aligns with arguments you can credibly champion.

First momentum moves

  • Map stakeholders, timelines, and decision points across the policy landscape.
  • Build coalitions that connect your goals to shared public outcomes.
  • Prepare evidence and narratives that frame your position as the responsible choice.

Watch outs

  • Appearing transactional and eroding trust with policymakers.
  • Investing in influence without aligning your operations to deliver on promises.
  • Neglecting transparency obligations that could expose conflicts of interest.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Managing Inertia

A defensive strategy focused on proactively identifying and overcoming an organization's internal resistance to change to enable adaptation and agility.

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Goals it supports

Reduce legacy dragStabilise operationsUnlock new growth

Landscape feels like

Legacy system dragNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracyCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • Critical initiatives stall because leaders cling to the old operating model.
  • Maps highlight components that should evolve, yet budgets stay locked in maintenance.
  • Employees voice fatigue from decision bottlenecks and conflicting priorities.

First momentum moves

  • Expose inertia explicitly on maps and review boards so leaders see the drag.
  • Create empowered, cross-functional cells to prove alternative ways of working.
  • Reward teams for retiring legacy processes as much as for launching new features.

Watch outs

  • Framing inertia as a people problem instead of addressing structural blockers.
  • Launching transformation theatre without sustained sponsorship.
  • Failing to give teams the skills and support needed to operate differently.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Market Enablement

Actively encouraging the growth of a competitive market around a component or service to accelerate its evolution and adoption.

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Goals it supports

Build ecosystem leverageShape the marketUnlock new growth

Landscape feels like

Ecosystem fragmentationLimited resources or capacity

Signals to watch for

  • More providers in the space would increase demand for your higher-order offerings.
  • Partners or regulators are seeking neutrality or open access.
  • Customers hesitate because they fear lock-in or lack alternatives.

First momentum moves

  • Publish tooling, reference architectures or funding to reduce entry barriers.
  • Host community forums to align language and success measures.
  • Highlight success stories from ecosystem participants to build momentum.

Watch outs

  • Creating a market that benefits competitors more than you.
  • Under-investing in governance, leading to fragmentation you cannot influence.
  • Forgetting to evolve your own value proposition as the market matures.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Misdirection

Deliberately misleading rivals about your intent to buy time or redirect them toward less valuable moves.

Explore this play

Goals it supports

Defend your positionShape the marketChange the narrative

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentCompetitive attack underwayNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • Competitors shadow your moves closely and react to every announcement.
  • You need breathing space to mature a genuine initiative without interference.
  • Market chatter easily shifts based on hints from your leadership team.

First momentum moves

  • Craft decoy narratives backed by plausible but low-risk signals.
  • Coordinate communications so every channel reinforces the misdirection.
  • Monitor competitor behaviour to ensure the feint lands before revealing your real play.

Watch outs

  • Confusing your own teams with the decoy story and slowing actual delivery.
  • Damaging trust with customers or regulators if the feint crosses ethical lines.
  • Overusing deception and training competitors to ignore your signals.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Open Approaches

Making something open—source, standards, data, or APIs—to accelerate adoption, drive commoditisation, and enable ecosystem growth.

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Goals it supports

Accelerate adoptionShape the marketBuild ecosystem leverage

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentEcosystem fragmentationCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • Users or partners avoid your offer because of licensing or integration friction.
  • You benefit more from scale and ecosystem health than from direct control.
  • Competitors lean on proprietary lock-in while sentiment favours openness.

First momentum moves

  • Choose what to open and what remains differentiating to you.
  • Establish contribution guidelines and community rituals early.
  • Pair the open asset with services or higher-order value capture.

Watch outs

  • Opening crown-jewel capabilities without a replacement advantage.
  • Community governance that lacks clarity or favours a single participant.
  • Failing to invest in documentation and onboarding for new contributors.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Patents & Intellectual Property Rights

Use patents and other IP rights to legally fence competitors and slow their technological progress.

Explore this play

Goals it supports

Defend your positionSecure long-term investmentShape the market

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbentRegulatory or policy leverage available

Signals to watch for

  • Competitors file overlapping patents that crowd your differentiation.
  • Investors question the defensibility of your innovation pipeline.
  • Standards bodies debate IP terms that could lock you out.

First momentum moves

  • Audit existing IP assets and identify gaps around critical components.
  • File continuation or defensive patents that reinforce your strategic positions.
  • Design licensing frameworks that monetise access while setting usage boundaries.

Watch outs

  • Over-aggressive enforcement that provokes countersuits or regulatory backlash.
  • Patent filings that outpace real innovation and create a false sense of security.
  • IP spend draining focus from evolving the underlying product.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Pig in a Poke

Disguising toxic assets as valuable to offload risk before their true nature emerges.

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Goals it supports

Reduce legacy dragStabilise operationsChange the narrative

Landscape feels like

Legacy system dragLimited resources or capacityCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • A business unit looks profitable only because issues are temporarily hidden.
  • Potential buyers are chasing growth stories in your sector without deep diligence.
  • Internal forecasts show the asset will turn toxic before you can fix it.

First momentum moves

  • Curate metrics and case studies that highlight short-term momentum.
  • Structure the deal to transfer future obligations or cleanup costs.
  • Plan the announcement cadence so sceptics have little time to scrutinise.

Watch outs

  • Crossing legal or ethical boundaries that invite lawsuits or regulatory action.
  • Burning trust with partners or markets you still need afterwards.
  • Selling the asset without ring-fencing dependencies that could boomerang back.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Fast impact
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Platform Envelopment

A platform provider expands its market influence by integrating or bundling functionality of another platform, or by directly competing with its own users.

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Goals it supports

Build ecosystem leverageUnlock new growthDefend your position

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayEcosystem fragmentationFacing dominant incumbent

Signals to watch for

  • Adjacent services on your platform capture outsized value from your user base.
  • Partners monetise core experiences you could deliver more seamlessly.
  • Customers ask for integrated journeys rather than stitching offerings themselves.

First momentum moves

  • Analyse platform data to spot services with the highest attachment and margins.
  • Offer native alternatives with preferential placement or pricing.
  • Provide migration paths so users can adopt the bundled service without friction.

Watch outs

  • Alienating developers or sellers whose businesses you absorb.
  • Triggering regulatory action for self-preferencing your own services.
  • Overextending operationally and degrading the core platform experience.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Playing Both Sides

Profiting from or hedging by engaging with two opposing sides in a market or standards war, so that whichever side wins, you benefit.

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Goals it supports

Build ecosystem leverageDefend your positionShape the market

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentEcosystem fragmentationMarket is nascent or undefined

Signals to watch for

  • Customers demand compatibility with rival standards you cannot ignore.
  • Ecosystem partners hedge their bets instead of committing to a single platform.
  • Regulators or buyers push for neutrality to avoid lock-in.

First momentum moves

  • Design modular offerings so shared components serve each camp without rework.
  • Establish governance that keeps data and insights firewalled between competing efforts.
  • Invest in messaging that frames you as the trusted neutral enabler.

Watch outs

  • Spreading resources so thin that neither side receives a competitive experience.
  • Accidentally leaking insight that erodes trust with one of the camps.
  • Being perceived as disloyal and getting squeezed out by both sides.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Press Release Process

Using Amazon's "working backwards" method to ensure clarity of vision and market fit.

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Goals it supports

Accelerate adoptionUnlock new growthChange the narrative

Landscape feels like

Need to go faster than internal bureaucracyCustomers are nervous about changeCompetitive attack underway

Signals to watch for

  • Teams struggle to articulate why their initiative matters to users.
  • Roadmaps sprawl because no one agrees on the user-facing outcome.
  • Competitive launches keep owning the story before your teams can respond.

First momentum moves

  • Facilitate working-backwards sessions with cross-functional teams to define the target press release.
  • Use the FAQ to expose risky assumptions and trigger discovery work.
  • Socialise the vision artefacts so enabling teams can align dependencies early.

Watch outs

  • Treating the artefacts as theatre without changing investment choices.
  • Locking the story too early and ignoring evidence from research.
  • Letting the press release drift away from actual delivery capability.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Fast impact
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Pricing Policy

Using pricing as a strategic tool to manipulate demand, shape markets, and gain competitive advantage.

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Goals it supports

Shape the marketAccelerate adoptionDefend your position

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayCustomers are nervous about changeLimited resources or capacity

Signals to watch for

  • You need to stimulate demand or throttle usage without major product changes.
  • Competitors undercut pricing narratives you historically owned.
  • Unit economics vary wildly across segments, hinting at better price architectures.

First momentum moves

  • Model elasticity scenarios that align pricing moves with strategic outcomes.
  • Run controlled experiments to validate willingness to pay across segments.
  • Align pricing, marketing, and sales playbooks to reinforce the new positioning.

Watch outs

  • Triggering a price war you cannot sustain.
  • Confusing customers with constant or opaque price changes.
  • Ignoring cost-to-serve differences and destroying margin.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Procrastination

A defensive strategy of deliberately waiting for competitors to bear the costs and risks of developing a new market or technology before entering.

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Goals it supports

Stabilise operationsSecure long-term investmentDefend your position

Landscape feels like

Limited resources or capacityNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracyCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • You lack evidence that early adopters will pay for the emerging offer.
  • Competitors absorb heavy R&D costs while unit economics remain unclear.
  • Your current portfolio still delivers returns but shows signs of future plateau.

First momentum moves

  • Instrument the market so you know when adoption crosses meaningful thresholds.
  • Prepare modular capabilities you can scale quickly once timing is right.
  • Keep exploratory teams small and focused on intelligence rather than full builds.

Watch outs

  • Waiting so long that switching costs become insurmountable.
  • Letting complacency erode skills needed for the eventual entry.
  • Underestimating the story you'll need to explain the late move.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Raising Barriers to Entry

A defensive strategy of increasing the complexity and scope of a product or service to make it more difficult for new competitors to enter the market.

Explore this play

Goals it supports

Defend your positionStabilise operations

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • New entrants offer narrow point solutions that undercut you on price.
  • Customers value the breadth and integration of your offer.
  • You can add adjacent capabilities faster than challengers can replicate them.

First momentum moves

  • Invest in integrations or services that are hard to replicate.
  • Bundle offerings to reset market expectations of a “complete” solution.
  • Educate customers and analysts on the total cost of switching.

Watch outs

  • Increasing complexity faster than customers can absorb.
  • Spreading teams too thin across low-value features.
  • Breeding internal inertia that slows future innovation.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Refactoring

Internally reorganising and repurposing legacy components to salvage value while eliminating toxicity.

Explore this play

Goals it supports

Reduce legacy dragStabilise operations

Landscape feels like

Legacy system dragLimited resources or capacityNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • A legacy platform soaks up disproportionate budget and attention.
  • Maps reveal components worth keeping alongside toxic ones to retire.
  • The organisation needs runway to transition without a risky big-bang cutover.

First momentum moves

  • Catalogue components, skills and data flows to inform decisions.
  • Sequence the refactor so value is released incrementally.
  • Communicate redeployment plans early to maintain morale and focus.

Watch outs

  • Letting the effort sprawl without clear governance.
  • Refactoring only the technology and ignoring process or people impacts.
  • Running dual systems indefinitely because decisions are postponed.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Reinforcing Competitor Inertia

Exploiting a rival’s reluctance to change by pushing moves that deepen their commitment to the past.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionShape the marketUnlock new growth

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentCompetitive attack underwayNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • Competitors double down on legacy offerings despite clear user migration.
  • Your discovery work shows customers ready to abandon the old model.
  • The rival dismisses new business models publicly even as metrics shift.

First momentum moves

  • Amplify customer stories that celebrate the emerging alternative.
  • Sequence launches that make switching progressively easier for the market.
  • Expose comparative data that forces the competitor to defend their old stance.

Watch outs

  • Confusing inertia with incompetence and underestimating a fast pivot.
  • Forgetting to keep improving once the competitor finally changes course.
  • Over-relying on rhetoric without delivering real user value.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Restriction of Movement

Limiting a rival’s options so they cannot adapt or expand into your territory.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionShape the marketBuild ecosystem leverage

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentCompetitive attack underwayNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • Competitors court your partners or suppliers to open new channels.
  • You see rivals experimenting in adjacencies that threaten your core.
  • There are regulatory or contract windows where exclusivity can be locked in.

First momentum moves

  • Secure exclusive access to distribution, data, or capabilities that form the bottleneck.
  • Negotiate agreements that tie key partners closer through mutual incentives.
  • Stack legal, technical, and ecosystem barriers so alternatives appear unattractive.

Watch outs

  • Overplaying exclusivity and triggering antitrust or partner backlash.
  • Blocking rivals without investing in your own evolution.
  • Boxing yourself in with the same constraints you impose on others.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Sapping

Overwhelming a rival by opening multiple simultaneous competitive fronts.

Explore this play

Goals it supports

Defend your positionAccelerate adoptionShape the market

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbentLimited resources or capacity

Signals to watch for

  • You can afford to open several initiatives while the rival is resource constrained.
  • Competitors respond predictably when pressured on more than one dimension.
  • Your portfolio has adjacent products or channels you can weaponise quickly.

First momentum moves

  • Sequence overlapping releases across price, product, and partnership fronts.
  • Coordinate messaging so each thrust amplifies the pressure on the same rival.
  • Instrument response data to double down where the competitor weakens.

Watch outs

  • Diluting your own focus and delivering mediocre moves on every front.
  • Triggering regulatory scrutiny for anti-competitive behaviour.
  • Ignoring customer impact while pursuing the attrition campaign.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Signal Distortion

Manipulating market signals to mislead competitors and influence their strategic decisions.

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Goals it supports

Change the narrativeDefend your positionShape the market

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbentMarket is nascent or undefined

Signals to watch for

  • Competitors obsess over analyst chatter rather than direct user feedback.
  • You need breathing room to launch a real initiative without immediate scrutiny.
  • Market hype swings valuations or investment flows with little substance.

First momentum moves

  • Seed stories and data points that steer analysts toward your preferred narrative.
  • Synchronise executive messaging to reinforce the distorted signal.
  • Monitor competitor responses and adjust the decoy story to keep them chasing.

Watch outs

  • Losing credibility with customers or regulators when truth emerges.
  • Confusing your own teams about what really matters.
  • Overinvesting in theatre instead of real capability.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Fast impact
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Standards Game

Driving adoption of your technology or process until it becomes the dominant standard, locking in customers and constraining competitors.

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Goals it supports

Shape the marketDefend your positionBuild ecosystem leverage

Landscape feels like

Ecosystem fragmentationFacing dominant incumbentCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • Incompatible approaches are slowing adoption or integration.
  • You already provide the reference implementation most partners copy.
  • Regulators or large buyers seek clarity on what “good” looks like.

First momentum moves

  • Publish open specifications and supporting test suites.
  • Recruit a neutral or respected body to host the standard.
  • Offer accreditation or compatibility programmes that reinforce trust.

Watch outs

  • Appearing self-serving and triggering regulatory backlash.
  • Letting the standard stagnate while competitors innovate around it.
  • Failing to resource the operational overhead of maintaining the standard.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Strategic Divestment and Disposal of Liability

Strategically restructuring by separating or selling off business units, assets, or divisions to unlock value, enhance focus, or dispose of liabilities.

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Goals it supports

Reduce legacy dragStabilise operationsSecure long-term investment

Landscape feels like

Legacy system dragLimited resources or capacityCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • Toxic assets consume disproportionate leadership attention with little upside.
  • Compliance or safety issues escalate faster than teams can mitigate them.
  • Investors or boards question why you still carry a loss-making unit.

First momentum moves

  • Map the liabilities and isolate the minimum viable operations you must protect.
  • Build a transition office to manage legal, financial, and people impacts.
  • Communicate openly with stakeholders about the future state and support offered.

Watch outs

  • Underestimating cultural grief and morale hits after divestment.
  • Disposing of capabilities that underpin differentiation elsewhere.
  • Leaving hidden liabilities behind that later reattach via warranties or guarantees.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Sweat & Dump

Outsource operation of a legacy asset to a third party, extract remaining value, and exit before the cost curve turns against you.

Explore this play

Goals it supports

Reduce legacy dragStabilise operationsSecure long-term investment

Landscape feels like

Legacy system dragLimited resources or capacityNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • Legacy systems consume capacity you need for modernization.
  • Specialist staff are hard to retain for ageing platforms.
  • Third parties express interest in operating the asset for a fee.

First momentum moves

  • Document operational run-books before transitioning to an external partner.
  • Negotiate contracts that define service levels, exit clauses, and liability transfer.
  • Redirect internal investment toward the replacement capability while monitoring the outsourced service.

Watch outs

  • Losing critical knowledge before your replacement is ready.
  • Being locked into a vendor that underinvests and harms your users.
  • Allowing the temporary arrangement to become a permanent crutch.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Talent Raid

Removing or absorbing key talent from a rival organisation.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionUnlock new growthSecure long-term investment

Landscape feels like

Talent scarcityCompetitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbent

Signals to watch for

  • Critical initiatives stall because you lack senior expertise competitors already have.
  • Retention data shows your best people being targeted by the same rival.
  • The competitor’s success hinges on a small cohort of visible specialists.

First momentum moves

  • Identify mission-critical roles and craft tailored offers or acqui-hire options.
  • Prepare onboarding and cultural integration plans so new hires deliver impact quickly.
  • Sequence communications to respect legal boundaries while signalling strength.

Watch outs

  • Triggering talent wars that inflate compensation beyond sustainable levels.
  • Neglecting your existing teams and creating resentment or attrition.
  • Underestimating non-compete obligations or ethical recruiting standards.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Tech Drops

Surprising competitors with significant and unexpected technological advances to seize initiative and reshape the market.

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Goals it supports

Unlock new growthDefend your positionChange the narrative

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayMarket is nascent or undefined

Signals to watch for

  • You can industrialise something rivals still view as bespoke or low value.
  • Competitors publish predictable roadmaps you can leapfrog.
  • Users express fatigue with incremental improvements.

First momentum moves

  • Ring-fence a skunkworks team with clear executive sponsorship.
  • Stress test supply chain, support and marketing readiness before launch.
  • Craft a bold narrative that reframes expectations the moment you launch.

Watch outs

  • Launching before the experience or operations can handle scale.
  • Leaks that give incumbents time to respond or copy.
  • Overspending on spectacle instead of sustainable advantage.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Fast impact
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Threat Acquisition

A defensive strategy where a company acquires a potential competitor to neutralize a threat and maintain market position.

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Goals it supports

Defend your positionSecure long-term investmentUnlock new growth

Landscape feels like

Competitive attack underwayFacing dominant incumbentNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • A fast-growing rival begins eroding your core metrics.
  • Investors or partners pressure you to respond to a disruptive entrant.
  • You cannot replicate the rival’s capability quickly enough internally.

First momentum moves

  • Set clear acquisition criteria tied to strategic gaps you must close.
  • Plan integration options ranging from full absorption to independent operation.
  • Establish guardrails to preserve the acquired team's momentum post-deal.

Watch outs

  • Overpaying because the acquisition is the only strategy you prepared.
  • Crushing the acquired culture and losing the very talent you needed.
  • Inviting antitrust scrutiny by eliminating competition without delivering user benefits.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Tower and Moat

Establishing a dominant position in a future market (the Tower) and building defensive barriers (the Moat) to prevent competition.

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Goals it supports

Build ecosystem leverageSecure long-term investmentShape the market

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentMarket is nascent or undefinedNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracy

Signals to watch for

  • You can see a future bottleneck forming where no player yet dominates.
  • Your organisation has the capital and patience to invest ahead of market demand.
  • Adjacent ecosystems look for a neutral leader to set standards.

First momentum moves

  • Invest early in the infrastructure or capability that will anchor the future tower.
  • Commoditise surrounding differentiators so rivals struggle to build alternatives.
  • Design incentive programmes that attract partners to commit before the market tips.

Watch outs

  • Betting on a tower that never becomes essential.
  • Neglecting short-term performance while chasing the far horizon.
  • Building a moat that alienates partners you need for scale.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Two-Sided Markets

Creating a platform that brings together two distinct groups of users (e.g., buyers and sellers) to create value through network effects.

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Goals it supports

Build ecosystem leverageUnlock new growthAccelerate adoption

Landscape feels like

Ecosystem fragmentationMarket is nascent or undefinedFacing dominant incumbent

Signals to watch for

  • Each side of your market hesitates to join without proof the other side is present.
  • Existing intermediaries fail to match supply and demand efficiently.
  • You can subsidise one side long enough to spark a self-sustaining loop.

First momentum moves

  • Sequence onboarding so the scarcest side receives high-touch support.
  • Design incentives and trust mechanisms that keep both sides engaged.
  • Instrument the matching process to identify and fix cold-start gaps quickly.

Watch outs

  • Growing one side without ensuring quality, triggering negative network effects.
  • Treating all participants the same instead of curating for balance.
  • Failing to adapt governance as the marketplace scales.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Undermining Barriers to Entry

An offensive strategy focused on identifying and dismantling a key barrier that protects an incumbent, thereby opening the market to new competition.

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Goals it supports

Accelerate adoptionShape the marketUnlock new growth

Landscape feels like

Facing dominant incumbentCompetitive attack underwayCustomers are nervous about change

Signals to watch for

  • Customers cite prohibitive costs or licensing terms that freeze them with the incumbent.
  • Regulators or large buyers question the fairness of the incumbent’s control.
  • Emerging entrants struggle with the same bottleneck despite user demand.

First momentum moves

  • Map the barrier’s components and expose the friction with evidence users can feel.
  • Back an open alternative or shared service that collapses the incumbent’s advantage.
  • Mobilise partners or regulators to legitimise the new lower-friction path.

Watch outs

  • Neutralising the barrier without a plan to capture the freed-up value.
  • Provoking a legal or lobbying battle you are not prepared to fight.
  • Underestimating the investment required to sustain the alternative once it scales.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Medium-term shaping
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Value Chain Disaggregation and Re-aggregation

Strategically breaking down and recombining value chain components to unlock new operating models and market opportunities.

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Goals it supports

Reduce legacy dragUnlock new growthStabilise operations

Landscape feels like

Legacy system dragNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracyLimited resources or capacity

Signals to watch for

  • Monolithic services slow every attempt to evolve the business model.
  • Teams reinvent similar capabilities because the existing platform cannot flex.
  • External partners offer modular components you could integrate instead of owning.

First momentum moves

  • Map the current value chain to identify components that can be separated safely.
  • Pilot modular replacements in a contained domain before scaling across the estate.
  • Establish governance that decides which capabilities you build, buy, or partner for.

Watch outs

  • Fragmenting the experience without a clear plan to stitch it back together.
  • Creating new complexity faster than the organisation can absorb.
  • Ignoring the cultural shift needed to operate as a modular ecosystem.
Effort: Enterprise TransformationTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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Weak Signal (Horizon)

Detecting subtle economic, technological, and behavioural patterns to anticipate market shifts before they become obvious.

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Goals it supports

Shape the marketUnlock new growthReduce legacy drag

Landscape feels like

Market is nascent or undefinedNeed to go faster than internal bureaucracyLimited resources or capacity

Signals to watch for

  • Your strategy process relies on lagging indicators instead of leading ones.
  • Front-line teams spot emerging behaviours but struggle to get executive attention.
  • Competitors consistently move first when new patterns emerge.

First momentum moves

  • Establish a cross-functional sensing cadence that reviews anomalies and trends.
  • Run lightweight experiments to validate weak signals before scaling.
  • Translate signal insights into scenario plans and investment options.

Watch outs

  • Drowning in noise because criteria for meaningful signals are unclear.
  • Using sensing as theatre without committing resources when evidence appears.
  • Treating sensing as a centralised function instead of embedding it in teams.
Effort: Cross-Functional InitiativeTime horizon: Long-term positioning
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