What I Didn't Learn in Business School ─ How Strategy Works in the Real World

Meet Justin Campbell. He's a newly minted MBA who's landed a coveted job in consulting. He's headed to Chicago to serve HGS, a large client with an intriguing new technology its executives haven't yet decided how to exploit. Constrained by a short timeline and limited information, Justin and his team use state-of-the-art strategy tools to analyze various possibilities.

Justin is energized by this challenging assignment, but soon finds the application of his strategy toolkit isn't as straightforward as he'd expected. The political and organizational forces swirling within HGS complicate his analyses and test his fundamental understanding of important strategic concepts.

Justin and his cohorts aren't "real"---What I Didn't Learn in Business School is a business novel. But they're realistic: they're just like us. They are humans, not human resources, and they each have their own personality, motives, and skills. Their story reveals both the strengths and the limitations of common strategy tools. And it demonstrates tactics for navigating the messy organizational dynamics that can make or break a company's efforts to craft successful strategies.

This engaging book uses the power of story to present potent lessons for anyone seeking to excel at strategy management. The action moves quickly, and at the end of each chapter, you'll find provocative questions that help you tease out vital insights that you can apply in your own work.

What I Didn't Learn in Business School is a compelling read---whether you're a recent business school grad struggling to apply your new knowledge or an experienced leader who already knows that no strategy is created in a vacuum.

Jay B. Barney is a professor of management at The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business. He has published numerous articles in strategy and management journals, as well as five books on strategy.
Trish Gorman Clifford has consulted for The L.E.K. Partnership and McKinsey & Company and teaches MBAs and executives at Columbia, Wharton, and other corporate and academic institutions. Her private practice blends consulting and capability building.