I’m reading Simon Sinek on Infinite Games at the moment. If you haven’t read it he draws on the idea of finite versus infinite games. A finite game is one where the rules are clear and it’s easy to tell if you are winning. An infinite game is one where the game itself changes over time.
That’s where I’m going to leave Simon and go off in a different direction.
I was working with a manufacturer of commercial vehicles yesterday. He was moaning about he was being out competed by lower cost Chinese manufacturers. We’d been talking about the problems of industry assumptions and it was a small jump to the idea of the infinite game.
His company has been playing a finite game for the last few decades. Do X, do Y and sales grow and shareholders are happy.
The Chinese, in this case, are playing a different kind of game It’s a low cost finite game. Imagine the confusion that happens on the pitch when one team is playing football and the other is playing rugby (I’d put my money on the rugby players – they can pick up the ball and run with it. The football players can’t tackle then without fouling).
We didn’t find an answer in the session to my truck manufacturer’s problems. The strategic direction was clear though. Either start playing an infinite game so that whatever game the competitors are playing becomes irrelevant, or come up with a new game that makes them as vulnerable and as helpless.
What I do know is that when you need to change the game looking at the business models is a great way to start understanding the rules of the game. No, not understanding, making them explicit so that they can be challenged.
That is the first step in the process of getting out there and screwing with their heads as we start to play a new game.
A couple of things – I’m now doing my webinar series in house for corporations and business groups. If you’d like me to come and speak let me know. (At a recent talk for Vistage.com CEOs 100% of attendees took away valuable insights and I got a 9.2/10 rating for the quality of my content!)
Secondly – I’m mulling ideas for a book. Here are my two ideas – but welcome to hear other suggestions
- Strategy for beginners – a step by step guide to making better business decisions
- Strategy for start-ups – how to build a start-up on the basis of sound strategy and validated assumptions
What do you think?
Finally I always come back to the amazing quote by Nietzsche “We must have chaos within us to give birth to a dancing star!”. Hold your chaos close but don’t let it overwhelm you
Denis
If you haven’t already been to one of our business model innovation webinars do come and join us.
Every other Tuesday (next is on 27th October)
New York 8 am;
London 12 pm;
Singapore 8 pm.
