Strategy as Logic Not Analysis
Because business lives in the "can be otherwise" world of The Aristotle Distinction, strategy cannot be derived from data. It must be argued.
The strategist's job is not to process information correctly but to construct the most compelling argument for a possibility that does not yet exist, then identify what would have to be true for it to work (What Would Have to Be True) and test the pivotal conditions.
Data still matters, as evidence about conditions, never as proof of conclusions. "The data shows our strategy is right" is a category error; the data can only show what was.
This is why Martin's tools are logical structures, not analytical models: the Strategy Choice Cascade forces coherent argument; The Opposite Test checks that an argument contains a real premise; Possibility Portraits generate arguments worth having.
Related: the crux concept, every strategy has one pivotal challenge that makes it hard (The Crux). Naming it is what creates shared understanding, as in Operation CRUSH.
Our synthesis of Roger Martin’s published work, sources credited. Read the originals: they’re excellent.
Reading about method is not the same as running it. We install this system and build the capability that stays.
Turn strategy into executed strategy →