Summary: It's Not The Big That Eat The Small ... It's The Fast That Eat The Slow - Jason Jennings and Laurence Haughton: How To Use Speed as a Competitive Tool in Business

This work offers a summary of the book “IT’S NOT THE BIG THAT EAT THE SMALL … IT’S THE FAST THAT EAT THE SLOW: How To Use Speed as a Competitive Tool in Business” by Jason Jennings and Laurence Haughton.

Jennings and Haughton put forward a persuasive thesis: that the modern business world uses speed as the main way to differentiate themselves from their competitors. However, the companies that get this right do not have some magic formula: instead, they are strategic and self-aware enough to see the factors ahead that can slow them down. By eliminating speed bumps while simultaneously making speed an integral part of their competitive advantage, fast people and their companies learn to execute better than anyone else.

The authors suggest that the four key elements of speed as a competitive tool in business are: think fast; make decisions quickly; get to market faster than others and sustain and maintain velocity. The book takes the reader through how to achieve each objective. For example, they are concrete ways you can anticipate change round the corner, and analyse ideas effectively. There are rules which enable fast decision-making and reduction of admin. The authors also explain how to get suppliers onside in this mission, and how to retain financial viability.

It’s Not the Big That Eat the Small is a logical, compelling book, filled with very practical measures for companies to eliminate time (and therefore money) wastage.