Rules of the Game

What game do you think you are playing?

What game are you playing?

What game should you be playing?

Human beings are, by nature, game players and the business world is no more than a series of sometimes interconnected and sometimes self-standing games. The team which best understands the actual game in which it is involved will prevail, and players with the most finely tuned gaming instinct will prove the most successful.

The players who have first-hand experience of the rules, structure and strategies of their own games are always the most successful. It is not enough simply to know which business you are in, you must also understand the deeper complexities of the game.

Drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as Manchester United, Kosovo and Ferrari; using individuals from Thelma and Louise, through to Michael Schumacher and Sun Tzu, the Chinese Warrior, the authors can show you why players play and how to beat everybody else at their own game.

Rules of the Game is not only about the theory of a gaming instinct but also a practical account of how to hone the game playing process and then use it for competitive advantage.

Welcome to the great game of business… you'll need a player's guide.

• Part 1: The idea
1. Why games? — Why are games important?
• Alternative realities
• Decision making
• Using analogies
• Games and reality
• The game-playing model
• Part 2: The game
2. Motivation — Why do we play?
• Why we play
• Why players play the way they do
3. Others — Who else is playing?
• Owners
• Managers
• Workers
• Supporters
• Influencers
• Competitors
4. Rules — How are games regulated
• Natural rules
• Stated and unstated rules
• Rule enforcement
5. Environment — Where are we playing?
• Atmosphere
• Mood
• Technology
6. Skill — How do we play?
• Communication
• Propaganda
• Political skills
• Team playing
• Leadership
• Technical expertise
• Luck
• Part 3: Winning
7. Knowing — What do we need to know?
• Capture
• Security
• Knowledge management
• Using the knowledge
8. Coaching — How can we what we know?
• What is coaching?
• Who delivers?
• Vehicles of delivery
• Practices
9. Exploiting — How can we use what we know?
• Identifying the game
• Identifying the key factors
• Preparing to play
• Playing the game
• Changing the game
• Part 4: Game plans
10. The glory game — Manchester United and the treble
• Assessment of the glory game
11. The expansion game — Manchester United and BskyB
• Assessment of the expansion game
12. The dirty games — NATO and Kosovo
• Game one — civil war
• Game two — humanitarian war
• Game three — the Cold War leftover
• Game four — the domestic political game
13. The crisis game — Marks & Spencer
• Assessment of the crisis game
14. The litigation game — Microsoft v the US Government
• Assessment of the litigation game
15. The brand game — BMW and Rover
• Assessment of the brand game
• Conclusion
• Further Reading

A very interesting book about what strategy really is.