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Great companies stumble and fall when they lose it. Highfliers crash when a competitor notices they don’t have it. Start-ups shut down if they can’t develop it. “It” is a strategy so powerful and an execution-driven mindset so relentless that companies use it to gain more than just competitive advantage–they achieve an industry dominance that is virtually unassailable and that competitors often try to explain away as unfair. In their “hardball manifesto,” authors George Stalk and Rob Lachenauer of the leading strategy consulting firm The Boston Consulting Group show how hardball competitors can build or maintain an enviable competitive edge by pursuing one or more of the classic “hardball strategies”: unleash massive and overwhelming force, exploit anomalies, devastate profit sanctuaries, raise competitors’ costs, and break compromises.
Based on 25 years of experience advising and observing a range of companies, the authors argue that hardball competitors can gain extreme competitive advantage–neutralizing, marginalizing, or even destroying competitors–without violating their contracts with customers or employees and without breaking the rules. A clear-eyed paean to the timeless strategies that have driven the world’s winning companies, Hardball Strategy redefines and reinterprets the meaning of competition for a new generation of business players. George Stalk and Rob Lachenauer are directors of The Boston Consulting Group. Stalk is the author of Competing Against Time, the classic work on time-based competition.
Our Top Reviews
Reviewer: jose luis gonzalez frias
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: a great reference to review your strategy
Review: Lot’s of great examples of hardball strategies in different industries in very well articulated chapters . Really handy when you changing the direction of a company or business unit. I love the high level detail of all these. Would love a bit more of recent business practices to contrast these more stablished businesses.
Reviewer: Jianfann
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A great book on how to fight battles
Review: This is a great book on the fundamentals of the business battles. Put together in a very simple and concise way.
Reviewer: Edward S. Brown
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Machiavellian Hardball
Review: “Hardball” is about doing what’s in your best interest according to the conditions of the situation. “Hardball” is a metaphor for playing in the big leagues with a “winner take all” philosophy. What’s excellent about the book is while taking a Machiavellian approach to doing what is necessary for the situation, it does not advocate bloodletting for the sake of shedding blood. If anything, it warns against it. A wounded animal could be at its most dangerous. But, like Machiavelli’s, The Prince, one could assert that if your opponent declares war on you, all means for winning should be at your disposal. An excellent book to read in conjunction with “Monopoly Rules: How to Find, Capture and Control the Most Lucrative Markets In Any Business, by Milind M. Lele.”Edward S. Brown IIICore Edge Image & Charisma Institute, Inc.
Reviewer: Douglas in Denver
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: If you don’t already know this stuff – then you are in the wrong field
Review: This book is fine. Nothing new or earth shattering here. I hear it oft cited by people who talk a good ballgame, but don’t play one. If you are just coming into the business world as a recent grad – read it – I think it coudl prove to be a good primer. If you are already in the world of sales and business in general and don’t know that we all already playing “hardball” – you’ve alreay missed the ball game – lol
Reviewer: Rebecca Clement
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: This is a business survival guide for “predator” and “prey” alike
Review: The idea that everyone likes a good loser…so long as they’re on the other team, is a tongue-in-cheek summary of business strategist George Stalk’s book titled “Hardball.” Stalk and co-author Rob Lachenauer tackle the serious issue of business competition, predicting that it will become so fierce during the next decade that short-term advantages and periodic victories will not be enough to ensure an organization’s survival. As the title suggests, the authors state that successful companies of tomorrow must develop an overwhelming competitive advantage that cripples or neutralizes rival companies. Soundview likes this book because it is a radical departure from the dozens of business books that currently tout collaboration, joint-ventures and cooperation with competitors. The authors take the contrarian view that the marketplace of hardball competition will force participants to relentlessly pursue winning in an effort to expand their market position at the expense of others in the space. Furthermore, the authors present detailed case studies of companies (from varied sectors) that ruthlessly utilize the seven hardball strategies listed in the book. Whether or not you belief in this philosophy of business, it’s important to know because your competition may be planning a pick-up game of hardball – at your expense!
Reviewer: Michael Davis
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Business is about Winning, not Playing Nice
Review: “Welcome to the real world” would be another title for this book. When you’re in business, you need to remember just that – it’s business. Many startups seem disillusioned when competition comes out of the woodwork, determined to destroy their company. It’s not a personal attack, it’s business. The focus of Hardball is on winners in business who’ve always played hardball. Winners “use every legitimate resource and strategy available to them to gain advantage over their competitors…” The reality is that business is about winning, not playing nice.Hardballers are in the game to win – again and again. It makes me think of Lance Armstrong’s recent quest for and winning of seven straight Tour de France races. Lance absolutely dominated the competition, as any athlete should. As long as you play by the rules, which in the case of business means to engage in open and free competition without deception […], companies should strive to dominate their field. Open competition forces all players to strive harder and to be the very best, which in turn benefits the customer.As a startup, you’ll do well to focus on the realities of competition. Don’t ever fall in to the trap of thinking that there is no competition for what you’re offering. Even if no close products are on the market, they’re out there somewhere. Step on the wrong toes and you’ll soon find out how wrong you are. Read hardball and learn what it really takes to become a champion!________________________________________”One can NEVER consent to CREEP when one feels an impulse to SOAR.” – Helen KellerMichael DavisFounder – Epoch Strategic Ventures (A Strategic Network)Editor – Byvation
Reviewer: John Matlock
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very good business stories.
Review: Using baseball vernacular, the authors of this book say that the most successful companies are those that keep their mind on developing strategies that gain them competitive advantage, which in turn will bring them substantial sales margins, above-average profit margins and earnings, lower-than-average debt, higher-than average credit ratings, and most important, leading market share. How can you possibly argue with that.But then they talk about drawing a bright line in what they call the caution zone. That’s the point where society clearly says stop: up say, until someone finds you’ve created a Love Canal; a Bhopal, India gas leak; or of course that lovely morning when the Justice Department’s Anti Trust Folk come calling.I could do without the sports comparisons, but the descriptions of the actions of various companies, the anecdotes of success, how the game is played in the major leagues (sorry, I had to) is quite interesting and well worth the low cost of the book. All you need is one or two good ideas to make up your cost and time.
Price effective as of Apr 06, 2025 13:26:11 UTC
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