The Strategy Toolkit - The light
Welcome to the September 2023 edition of the Strategy Toolkit. In this newsletter issue, you will find a new chapter on strategy & geography. Insights from the worlds of EV batteries, software, superconductivity, and Apple. And a case study on cross-cultural leadership strategy. Interested in more than this introduction? Become a paid subscriber to The Strategy Toolkit for exclusive, first-reader access to insights on strategy from the most diverse, wide-ranging source out there. Plus provocative commentary for the strategist community. Plus behind-the-scenes case studies from the field. Only available here, from The Strategy Toolkit. Excerpt: Strategy & Geography According to the Association of American Geographers, geography “is the study of the complex, unfolding relationships between people and the land they live on.”* Or, as the writer Adam Gopnik pithily observes, the study of “faces, places and spaces.”** * https://www.aag.org/about-us/ ** Gopnik, A., “Faces, Places, Spaces,” The New Yorker (October 29 & November 5 2012): 108-116 Most people, when first introduced to the study of science, are exposed to the trio of physics, chemistry and biology. Similarly, with the study of social sciences, they first meet the duo of history and geography. And although there exist sub-disciplines known as the geography of history and the history of geography, the main distinction remains that history is about time and geography is about place. The physicality of geography therefore will be our guide in this chapter on strategy and geography. People recognise the importance of place in survival and inevitably have developed strategies and tactics to identify, understand, acquire, and maintain place in many ways, at many levels. The iconic representation of geography is the simple, humble map, an illustration of places in relation to others. So innocent. So powerful. Just look at the geopolitically strategic use to which China puts its version of the map of the South China Sea. Or Russia its version of its boundary with Ukraine. Or the border between Peru and Bolivia. And so on throughout the post-colonial regions in Africa, the Middle East, and southern and south-east Asia. As Edward Tufte has shown*, mastering and using the techniques of visualising data conveys strategic advantages. When applied to mapmaking, these techniques allow the powerful to convey power. * Tufte, E., “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information,” Graphics Press 1983; https://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_vdqi As one reviewer aptly put it, “there is no such thing as an objective map.”* * Anonymous review of “A History of the World in Twelve Maps” by Jerry Brotton (Allen Lane 2012), The Economist (September 1 2012): 82 In his book, Jerry Brotton, of Queen Mary University of London, describes the complex history of mapmaking through analysis of a few exemplary maps, from those of Ptolemy in 150 AD through the Mappa Mundi in the British medieval era, through to the present-day digital geographic information systems (GIS) such as Google Earth. “Mapmakers operate in environments of subjective knowledge. Their work is influenced by politics and patrons, regional assumptions and religious beliefs, all of which jostles with the science in determining what a map looks like and what it is used for. Mapmakers may be geographers and cartographers, but they can also be artists and imperialists, storytellers and propagandists.”* * Ibid... Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to The Strategy Toolkit to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.A subscription gets you:
|
Older messages
From the archives: The strain of civilisation
Sunday, September 17, 2023
The Strategy Toolkit - October 2020 edition
How to Get Ahead and Gain a Corporate Strategy Advantage to Drive Growth
Thursday, September 7, 2023
Guest appearance on the Predictable B2B Success podcast, with host Vijay Koshy
Narrative
Monday, August 21, 2023
The Strategy Toolkit - August 2023 edition
Oranges and lemons
Friday, July 21, 2023
The Strategy Toolkit - July 2023 edition
Of mice and men
Thursday, June 22, 2023
The Strategy Toolkit - June 2023 edition
You Might Also Like
Do what others can’t
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Scale ads profitably Most businesses can't scale their ad spend profitably. Or within the guardrails of success confidently. After all, how do you know how aggressive or conservative your
Load-bearing / Career-minded / Act Two rationales @ Irrational Exuberance
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Hi folks, This is the weekly digest for my blog, Irrational Exuberance. Reach out with thoughts on Twitter at @lethain, or reply to this email. Posts from this week: - Load-bearing / Career-minded /
A Different Type of Buried Treasure
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
It's not gold, but it's worth a lot of money!
One decision that changed my life ✨
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Yesterday was my 40th birthday. If you'd have told me that, at age 40, I'd have less stress, less anxiety, and feel more alive and fulfilled than I did at age 30, I wouldn't have believed
Ends Tonight 📌 Double Days Sale 📌 Promo Pins for Authors for a Limited Time
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Advertise on Pinterest boards that get thousands of views/month Enable Images to See This PINTEREST PROMOS FOR AUTHORS & PUBLISHERS Enable Images to See This $30 for 30 Days of Pins! & ORDER BY
Portfolio news: Our latest investment…
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
This company is on track to become an essential marketing tool for small businesses In case you missed it: beehiiv, a CT Capital portfolio company, recently announced a $33M Series B, led by NEA with
SEO How-To: Finding Keywords on Any Website
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Check out 6 easy ways you can find keywords on any website, including those of your competitors Hi Reader, Looking for profitable keywords? Get them from your competitors in search! Here are 6 ways you
eBook for Many Devices • Southern Shadows' Veil's of Twilight by June Calva • Paperback • Audiobook
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Many formats from different booksellers. Check it out! Welcome to ContentMo's Book of the Day
The $95,093.35 Fake Check That Became A Big Headache
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
I kind of wish they let him keep the money
How to Hustle The Right Way
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Your weekly 5-minute read with timeless ideas on art and creativity intersecting with business and life͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏