Bringing Strategy Back: How Strategic Shock Absorbers Make Planning Relevant in a World of Constant Change

Praise for BRINGING STRATEGY BACK "Having been exposed to business practices in the East and West over three decades of building and consolidating HCL, it was clear to me that companies in the East, which thrived in the maelstrom of change and growth that characterized the region, embraced strategies that helped absorb shocks and convert them into positive change. Bringing Strategy Back by Jeffrey Sampler is packed with new ideas. It turns strategic planning on its axis and shows why management innovation from the East can be relevant in the West." —SHIV NADAR, founder and chairman, HCL "It matters little where you are seated—every corner of business from Beijing to the Bay Area is in the eye of the storm in terms of rapid change and turbulence. Jeffrey Sampler offers prescient and prescriptive ideas for making strategic planning adaptive. An important read." —JOHN QUELCH, Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School "Jeffrey Sampler offers a new model for navigating the continuing cascade of shocks and surprises that ripple across global markets. There is no need for translation—these ideas are relevant across industries and markets around the globe." —SAEB EIGNER, chairman, Lonworld UK Ltd. "Highly readable, intensely practical lessons from a seasoned observer of fast-moving emerging markets. Sampler rightly focuses us on the need to rethink our strategy toolkit for high growth circumstances. Strategists of all sorts should embrace this and experiment with their own art." —TARUN KHANNA, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School; co-author, Winning in Emerging Markets

Foreword Vijay Govindarajan Introduction Chapter One: Strategic Shock Absorbers Chapter Two: Accuracy Chapter Three: Agility Chapter Four: Momentum Chapter Five: Foresight Chapter Six: Execution—The Strategic Shock Absorbers in Action Chapter Seven: Driven by Values—The Manager’s GPS Chapter Eight: Management Innovation—Lessons from Fast–Moving Markets Notes The Author Index

JEFFREY SAMPLER is an adjunct professor of strategy and technology at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). His work has appeared in publications such as Fortune, Journal of Management Studies , and Sloan Management Review . Dr. Sampler has served on the boards of FTSE 100 corporations and start-ups and has been an advisor to two heads of state. He is regularly featured in top media outlets like Newsweek , BBC, and CNBC.