This book had me for the first part and lost me for the second. The first half of the book explains Blue Ocean Strategies. Go where your competitors aren't sounds impossible. It is not. And being reminded in such a compelling and forceful way was well worth the price of admission. The implementation guide is clearly created by smart academics. It is too ivory tower and not nearly enough throw the computer on the ground and figure it out. Way too complicated, these are Harvard guys after all (LOL). I walked away thinking no way you could go through the exercise without a consultant (which may be the point), but it doesn't matter as there is plenty of useful, actionable stuff in the first half. ( )

How do you take your company to the next level of success? Stop trying to compete in the traditional marketspace and branch out into uncharted waters. This book is a series of examples of companies like Cirque du Soleil that have used this model to great success. A little dry at times this doesn't seem to be the scientific study that I wish it was. Could use more evidence and research to back up the theory. ( )

Interesting and thought-provoking. ( )

This was a good book, but once you understand the concept of a blue ocean strategy, the rest of the book is repetative. ( )

While not terribly robust academically, it illustrates a great framework for thinking about innovation and change in business. This is the best read on that subject that I've seen that really shows what I know to be true in practice. Really explains how to use something old like the Michael Porter structural analysis of industries for inventive creative solutions to transform boring dumb industries. ( )