name: playing-to-win
description: "A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin's strategic framework for making integrated strategic choices."

dimensions:
domain: [strategy, business, competitive-positioning, leadership]
phase: [strategy-formulation, competitive-analysis, business-planning, scaling]
problem_type: [strategic-choices, competitive-advantage, market-positioning, capability-building]

contexts:
- situation: "defining company/product strategy"
use_when: "need structured framework for making integrated strategic choices"
- situation: "entering a new market"
use_when: "deciding where to play and how to win"
- situation: "analyzing competitors"
use_when: "reverse-engineering competitor strategy through the cascade"
- situation: "strategy feels scattered"
use_when: "testing if choices are internally consistent and mutually reinforcing"
- situation: "building organizational capabilities"
use_when: "identifying what capabilities are required to execute strategy"

combines_with:
- good-strategy-bad-strategy # complementary strategy frameworks
- zero-to-one # vision before strategy cascade
- lean-startup # validation during strategy execution
- hard-thing-about-hard-things # executing strategy through crisis

contrast_with:
- skill: lean-startup
distinction: "Playing to Win is STRATEGIC CHOICES; Lean Startup is VALIDATION PROCESS"
- skill: good-strategy-bad-strategy
distinction: "Playing to Win focuses on CASCADE of choices; Rumelt focuses on KERNEL (diagnosis, policy, actions)"

Playing to Win Strategy Framework

The Strategy Cascade

Strategy is an integrated set of choices that positions a business to win. Five choices cascade from top to bottom, each constraining and enabling the next:

1. WINNING ASPIRATION ──► What does winning look like?
         │
         ▼
2. WHERE TO PLAY ──────► Which markets, segments, channels, geographies?
         │
         ▼
3. HOW TO WIN ─────────► What's our competitive advantage?
         │
         ▼
4. CAPABILITIES ───────► What must we be great at?
         │
         ▼
5. MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ─► What processes reinforce our choices?

The Five Choices

1. Winning Aspiration

Define what "winning" means - not vague mission statements but concrete outcomes.

Good: "Be the #1 or #2 brand in every category we compete in"
Bad: "Maximize shareholder value" or "Be the best company"

Questions:
- What does winning look like for our customers?
- How will we know we've won?
- What's our purpose beyond profit?

2. Where to Play

Choices about the playing field: geographies, products, channels, customer segments, vertical stages.

Choosing where NOT to play is as important as where to play.

Dimensions:
- Geography: Which countries/regions?
- Product/Service: Which categories/offerings?
- Customer Segment: Which buyers? (demographics, needs, behaviors)
- Channel: How do we reach customers?
- Vertical Stage: Which parts of the value chain?

Warning: "Everywhere" is not a strategy. Narrow focus enables concentrated resources.

3. How to Win

The specific approach to winning in chosen markets. Only two generic strategies exist:

Being "stuck in the middle" = no strategy.

Questions:
- Why will customers choose us over alternatives?
- What's our sustainable advantage?
- Can competitors easily copy this?

4. Capabilities

The reinforcing activities that deliver the "how to win." Must be:
- Activity systems - not single capabilities but integrated sets
- Mutually reinforcing - each capability strengthens others
- Hard to replicate - competitors can't easily copy the whole system

P&G's capability system example:
- Deep consumer understanding
- Brand building
- Innovation
- Go-to-market ability
- Global scale

5. Management Systems

Processes, structures, and measures that support and reinforce choices:
- Strategic planning rhythms
- Performance metrics aligned to strategy
- Resource allocation processes
- Talent development systems

Strategic Logic Flow

When analyzing or building strategy, test the logic:

IF we have [capabilities] AND [management systems]
THEN we can [how to win]
IN [where to play]
TO ACHIEVE [winning aspiration]

Each level must logically enable the one above.

Common Strategy Traps

Reverse Engineering Competitor Strategy

Apply the cascade to competitors:
1. What's their implied winning aspiration?
2. Where are they choosing to play?
3. How are they trying to win?
4. What capabilities enable this?
5. What systems reinforce it?

Application Checklist

When developing strategy:
- [ ] Winning aspiration is concrete and measurable
- [ ] Where to play makes explicit trade-offs
- [ ] How to win is either cost leadership OR differentiation
- [ ] Capabilities form a reinforcing system
- [ ] Management systems measure and reinforce choices
- [ ] All five choices are internally consistent
- [ ] Choices are different from competitors

When evaluating strategy:
- [ ] Can articulate all five levels clearly
- [ ] Each level logically supports the one above
- [ ] Choices are genuinely hard to copy as a system
- [ ] Organization understands and executes the choices