The 'Betterment' Approach
by Roger Martin • Strategy Advisor & Former Dean at Rotman School of Management / Roger Martin Inc.
Professor Emeritus at the Rotman School of Management and former Global Dean. He is the co-author of the seminal strategy book 'Playing to Win' and was named the world's #1 management thinker by Thinkers50 in 2017.
🎙️ Episode Context
Roger Martin demystifies strategy by breaking it down into a practical set of choices rather than a theoretical exercise. He introduces the 'Strategy Choice Cascade,' explains why most companies fail by 'playing to play' instead of 'playing to win,' and offers a tactical 'Betterment' approach for continuous strategic improvement.
Problem It Solves
Overcomes analysis paralysis and the intimidation of creating a 'perfect' strategy from scratch.
Framework Overview
Instead of trying to solve every problem, identify the single most painful gap between current outcomes and desired outcomes. Make choices to close that specific gap, then move to the next one.
🧠 Framework Structure
Identify the Gap: Find where outcomes...
Hypothesize Choices: Use the Strategy...
Iterate Relentlessly: Treat strategy ...
Avoid Perfectionism: Don't wait for a...
When to Use
When a team feels stuck, overwhelmed by strategic planning, or when operations are misaligned with goals.
Common Mistakes
Spending months on a slide deck strategy that never gets tested; thinking strategy is only for the CEO.
Real World Example
A professor who consistently won 'Teacher of the Year' by simply cutting his worst-performing lecture (the biggest gap) every single year.
I have never met this mythical beast called a great natural strategist. Great strategists have all one thing in common, they just practice.
— Roger Martin