Competitive strategy: It's O.K. to be different by John W. Bachmann

How does any organization, small or large, gain a competitive advantage in a crowded and highly competitive marketplace? Instinct tells us to watch what our competitors do and simply try to do the same things better. Doing the same thing better, according to Harvard Business School strategy professor Michael Porter, is known as operational effectiveness. But because competitors are also try- ing to get better, one doesn't gain much from that approach. Although counterintuitive and therefore less comfortable, a more productive approach is to be different. By taking that tack, one's activities are less likely to end up as commodities, differentiated only by price.

For this week's discussion activity, you are required to read the attached article "Competitive strategy: It's O.K. to be different" and put together a summary (mini-article critique) of the essence of the article. You may be guided by a word count of a maximum of 700 words.

The objective of this week's exercise is to broaden your understanding of competitiveness in business and to help you to identify key characteristics used in the execution of strategy or strategic motivations.