Geoffrey Moore’s new book “Zone to Win” is a strong sequel to his works “Crossing the Chasm” and “Escape Velocity“, and it solidifies his place as one of the thought leaders in corporate structure and culture for the Digital Age.
Moore’s main suggestion, supported by case studies and examples from Salesforce and Microsoft, is that to succeed in these challenging times, organizations should create separate divisions with different charters to “win” and achieve the distinct goals relevant for these times:
- Performance Zone: executing a company’s current business plan
- Productivity Zone: focused on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the current business plan
- Incubation Zone: devoted to exploring potential new business lines or ways of operating
- Transformation Zone: focused on scaling up successful projects from the Incubation Zone to become the company’s new business plan
In particular, the Incubation and Transformation Zones are key concepts which separate out the search for, and implementation of, new ideas. This structure also acknowledges that for true “transformation”, that what is developed “in the lab” must replace the company’s core business model, which has been the source of a company’s revenue and profits. These innovative ideas certainly make “Zone to Win” worth a read for business leaders contemplating or attempting Digital Transformation or similar innovations in their businesses.
