The Power of the 2x2 Matrix: Using 2x2 Thinking to Solve Business Problems and Make Better Decisions

by Alex Lowy and Phil Hood

Book Overview

By studying the work of hundreds of the most original and effective business minds, the authors present a common architecture that illuminates exceptional analysis and creative performance. 2 x 2... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0787972924
• ISBN13: 9780787972929
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.2" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A great book !

A great book ! I really enjoy the book. This is a great book for person who looks for way to improve his/her problem solving approach. It will help your problem solving method more structure. It contains proven 2x2 Matrix ranging from Strategic framework, Organization framework and Individual framework. I strongly recommend for everybody who are preparing for the case interview with big consulting firms. Also, this is the great book for all managers.

Makes Einstein look like a chump

For years, people have thought that complex thought was the best way to address complex problems. What utter fools! Complex problems are just simple problems if you ignore enough variables. Alex Lowy and Phil Hood throw the idea of "Thinking outside the box" outside of the window! Or the Walls!

A must buy...

If you want to learn about how to go deep in strategy this is a really good book. The authors propose a method to help you define core dilemmas facing your business and then use that as a starting point for developing strategy. They say that dynamic tension and conflict are the starting point for change and growth, both in the firm and as managers. The second half of the book is devoted to 55 classic and not-so classic 2 x 2 matrices. The typical business student may be aware of many of these such as BCG portfolio grid and Stephen Covey's urgency and importance. However, the best value is the 2 x 2 models and cases in areas such as marketing, risk, and organizational processes. I think every organization will see itself in these examples. The authors include a method for each 2 x 2. You can literally begin to apply the thinking right away. I think anyone in business or a business strategy course would benefit.

A rich new approach to structuring business problems

Alex Lowy coauthored "Digital Capital," which was arguably one of the best books on the internet economy. Now teaming up with Phil Hood, "The Power of the 2x2 Matrix" has the potential to become a timeless reference. Lowy and Hood take a familiar tool, the 2x2 matrix, and turn it inside out in a book that offers a rich new approach to structuring business problems, iterating them until core dilemmas are revealed, and finding solutions that might even draw a smile from Hegel. The book is a hybrid of sorts, offering context and advice for the practitioner in the first two sections, with the final 200 or so pages devoted to an encyclopedic look at 55 different 2x2 matrices that span strategic, organizational and individual realms.While the ultimate aim of the book is to show how to use the 2x2 matrix to improve decision-making, it is apparent that the process of distilling business problems into two opposing axes is where much of the value lies. At the heart of this book is how to use 2x2 thinking to gain a better understanding of the key tradeoffs in decision-making and to identify solutions which transcend those tradeoffs.The three sections of the book are:(1) 2x2 Thinking - Discusses the Hegelian dialectic which underpins the logic and structure of the ideas behind the 2x2 framework. This includes a thoughtful analysis of the nature of the conflict between the X and Y axes in a 2x2 matrix, as well an explanation of how changing the context of the problem space helps to iterate the issues to the point where new and more powerful solutions emerge. The section closes with an examination of eight archetypal dilemmas, including Head-Heart, Cost-Benefit and Change-Stability. Interestingly enough, rethinking these dilemmas in a 2x2 manner adds depth and clarity to issues where typical thought processes tend to be restricted to well-worn paths.(2) 2x2 Practice - The second section makes the jump from theory to practice and outlines an eight step approach for how to incorporate 2x2 thinking into the course of solving business problems. The eight steps are simple enough that a novice practitioner can dive right in and have a reasonable expectation of success. The Fujitsu case study that closes the chapter, however, reveals how experience is important to help navigate the more subtle aspects of the 2x2 approach. While this case study draws upon much of the theory that precedes it, I suspect most readers will be left looking for additional examples.(3) 2x2 Frameworks Inventory - The inventory of 2x2 frameworks contains the nuggets most of us are likely to return to again and again. In fact, while the first two sections are easy to breeze through, the inventory is a conceptual thicket that readers will likely prefer to tackle bite by bite, with ample time to chew on the ideas packed into each matrix. In some respects, reading the frameworks inventory is like reading an informal history of strategic thinking through a new lens. On the other han