Growth Strategies That Work--Again and Again (HBR OnPoint Collection)

Only 10% of companies enjoyed eight or more years of double-digit growth between 1990 and 2000. Typical growth strategies--international expansion, acquisitions, price hikes, product proliferation--are running out of steam. Many core businesses are stagnating, even shrinking. Clearly, we need dependable, repeatable ways to generate and sustain growth--without damaging our core businesses. The key? Making only one strategic move at a time, in a specific sequence. As this Harvard Business Review OnPoint collection demonstrates, the most successful companies first strengthen their core. Then they make considered moves into areas beyond their core--where they're confident they can excel. Some make these adjacency moves by leveraging intangible assets--customer relationships, market position, proprietary technical know-how--they built while establishing their central businesses. General Motors, for example, used its installed base of vehicle owners to launch in-vehicle services for drivers. By growing from your strong center outward, you increase your ability to surpass your rivals--and maintain your lead. The three Harvard Business Review articles in this collection: "Growth Outside the Core" (HBR reprint R0312E) by Chris Zook and James Allen, "The Growth Crisis--and How to Escape It" (HBR reprint R0207E) by Adrian J. Slywotzky and Richard Wise, and "Uncovering Hidden Value in a Midsize Manufacturing Company" (HBR reprint R0306H) by James E. Ashton, Frank X. Cook, Jr., and Paul Schmitz.