Stalk George, Lachenauer Rob
Boston Consulting Group, USA.
Harv Bus Rev. 2004 Apr;82(4):62-71, 140.
The winners in business play hardball, and they don't apologize for it. They single-mindedly pursue competitive advantage and the benefits it offers: a leading market share, great margins, and rapid growth. They pick their shots, seek out competitive encounters, set the pace of innovation, and test the edges of the possible. Softball players, by contrast, may look good--they may report decent earnings and even get favorable coverage in the business press--but they aren't intensely serious about winning. They don't accept that you must sometimes hurt your rivals, and risk being hurt, to get what you want. Instead of running--not scared, but smart--softball players seem almost to be standing around and watching. They don't play to win; they play to play. That approach may reflect the recent focus of management science, which itself has gone soft. Indeed, the discourse around soft issues such as leadership, corporate culture, knowledge management, talent management, and employee empowerment has encouraged the making of softball players. While there are countless ways to play hardball, a handful of classic strategies are effective in generating competitive advantage. Best employed in bursts of ruthless intensity, these strategies are: Devastate rivals' profit sanctuaries, plagiarize with pride, deceive the competition, unleash massive and overwhelming force, and raise competitors' costs. But hardball isn't only about the moves you make. It's also about the attitude you bring to them. The playbook won't do you any good if you feel squeamish about using it. Do you have what it takes to play hardball?
商业领域的赢家行事强硬，且不会为此道歉。他们一心一意追求竞争优势及其带来的好处：领先的市场份额、丰厚的利润和快速增长。他们精心挑选时机，寻找竞争机会，引领创新步伐，并挑战可能的极限。相比之下，垒球选手可能看起来不错——他们可能报告收益可观，甚至在商业媒体上获得好评——但他们并非极度渴望胜利。他们不认同为了得到自己想要的东西，有时必须伤害对手并承担被伤害的风险。垒球选手不是在奔跑——不是害怕，而是明智地应对——他们似乎几乎是在原地观望。他们打球不是为了赢；他们只是为了打球而打球。这种方式可能反映了管理科学最近的关注点，而管理科学本身也变得温和了。事实上，围绕领导力、企业文化、知识管理、人才管理和员工赋权等软性问题的讨论催生了垒球选手。虽然有无数种强硬手段，但有一些经典策略能有效创造竞争优势。这些策略以冷酷无情的强度爆发时效果最佳，它们是：摧毁对手的利润保护区、自豪地抄袭、欺骗竞争对手、释放巨大而压倒性的力量以及提高竞争对手的成本。但强硬手段不仅关乎你采取的行动。还关乎你对待这些行动的态度。如果你对使用它感到不安，那么战术手册对你毫无用处。你有能力采取强硬手段吗？
