Janus Strategy

Strategic orthodoxy is rightly about focus, alignment, and tough choices. Trying to achieve incompatible goals can lead to tensions, contradictions, and loss of advantage. Yet, the rules of competition are changing. There is a select group of companies around the world that have managed to transcend conventional categories and contradictions to develop strategies that deliver competitive advantage and outstanding performance. We call these "Janus strategies", after the Roman god Janus who surveys two or more directions simultaneously. These companies include Toyota, Narayana Health, Singapore Airlines, Apple Inc, and NASA. Based on in-depth case research and decades of development and advisory work with strategists this book outlines how these companies accomplished Janus strategies, while others such as Xerox failed to do so. "Janus Strategy is a gem of a book! It explores one of the eternal challenges in the field of strategy - how to manage dual and often contradictory challenges such as low cost and differentiation or centralisation and decentralisation simultaneously. Building on rigorous research and using a number of inspiring company examples, the book identifies the ingredients that need to be put together to meet this challenge. This superb book is full of fresh ideas and practical advice. It deserves to be widely read and be on the shelf of every senior executive crafting their organisation's strategy."Costas Markides, Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship, Holder of the Robert Bauman Chair in Strategic Leadership, London Business School"I have known and worked with Loizos Heracleous for many years and executive colleagues and corporate students have found his work to be both inspirational and of practical value. I trust readers will find this book equally stimulating."Richard Hill, Director of Learning and Development at Rolls Royce (retired)"If you ever wondered how to pursue promising, though contradicting objectives (efficient operations and high risk innovation for example), this is a book for you. It's both an eye-opener and practical guide helping you to build your own Janus strategy. The stories from companies having done this before, makes it a great read. No doubt you will enjoy it as much as I did."Christian Stadler, Professor of Strategy at WBS and author of Open Strategy, MIT Press"Bringing together a fascinating mix of cases, examples and thinking from refreshingly different areas, Heracleous has created a book that is as intriguing and inspiring as it is pragmatic and timely."Marcus Alexander, Adjunct Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at London Business School, Non-Executive Director and Strategy Consultant"A Janus himself as a rigorous researcher and inspiring educator at the same time, Loizos Heracleous has provided a much-needed perspective on strategy in his book Janus Strategy. Often managers shy away from trying to resolve paradoxes and conflicts in their business. This book shows us how to welcome and be comfortable with them, and more importantly, how to use them to build competitive advantage." Pinar Ozcan, Professor of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford