Playing to Win, Expanded with Bonus HBR Articles
How Strategy Really Works
Published on 30. September 2025
Book
Hardback
320 pages
979-8-89279-228-8 (ISBN)
Description
The proven playbook for winning-now updated with a new foreword and two bonus HBR articles.
Strategy is not complex. But it is hard. It's hard because it forces people and organizations to make specific choices about their future-something few companies do well.
In this contemporary business classic, now with a foreword by former Harvard Business Review editor in chief Adi Ignatius and insightful articles from HBR, two of today's most respected business thinkers explain what strategy is for, how to think about it, and how to get it done. And they use one of the most successful corporate turnarounds of the past century, which they achieved together, to prove their point.
A.G. Lafley, former CEO of Procter & Gamble, in close partnership with strategic adviser Roger Martin, doubled P&G's sales, quadrupled its profits, and increased its market value by more than $100 billion in just ten years. Drawing from their experiences, they explain how leaders in any organization can guide everyday actions with strategic goals built around the essential elements that determine business success-where to play and how to win.
The result is a playbook for winning. At its core is a set of five integrated and essential strategic choices:
What is our winning aspiration?
Where will we play?
How will we win?
What capabilities must we have in place to win?
What management systems are required to support our choices?
The authors tell rich stories of iconic P&G brands, such as Olay, Bounty, Gillette, and more, to clearly illustrate how deciding on a strategic approach-and then making the right choices to support it-can make the difference between just playing the game and actually winning.
Strategy is not complex. But it is hard. It's hard because it forces people and organizations to make specific choices about their future-something few companies do well.
In this contemporary business classic, now with a foreword by former Harvard Business Review editor in chief Adi Ignatius and insightful articles from HBR, two of today's most respected business thinkers explain what strategy is for, how to think about it, and how to get it done. And they use one of the most successful corporate turnarounds of the past century, which they achieved together, to prove their point.
A.G. Lafley, former CEO of Procter & Gamble, in close partnership with strategic adviser Roger Martin, doubled P&G's sales, quadrupled its profits, and increased its market value by more than $100 billion in just ten years. Drawing from their experiences, they explain how leaders in any organization can guide everyday actions with strategic goals built around the essential elements that determine business success-where to play and how to win.
The result is a playbook for winning. At its core is a set of five integrated and essential strategic choices:
What is our winning aspiration?
Where will we play?
How will we win?
What capabilities must we have in place to win?
What management systems are required to support our choices?
The authors tell rich stories of iconic P&G brands, such as Olay, Bounty, Gillette, and more, to clearly illustrate how deciding on a strategic approach-and then making the right choices to support it-can make the difference between just playing the game and actually winning.
Reviews / Votes
Praise for Playing to Win:"One of the best books on strategy is Roger Martin and A.G. Lafley's Playing to Win." - Time
"Playing to Win is a rare tale from the front lines of business and from two of its smartest minds." - The Washington Post
"Lafley and Martin have artfully combined two virtues that don't often mix: rigor and brevity. Winning strategy doesn't come from inspirational happy talk; it comes from deeply substantive hard thinking, and they tell us how it's done, with many examples. The book is short, crisp, and a pleasure to read." - Fortune
"Read their book. They, in turn, are sure to inspire you." - Forbes.com
"This is a fascinating tale, featuring a cast of familiar brands, including Pampers, Tide, and Olay." - The Economist
"The many stories from one of the biggest consumer goods firms in the world, with its many successes (and some failures too) along with the framework of the strategy to win, make this an interesting read." - livemint.com (India)
"You're unlikely to find a more comprehensive guide to what strategy actually means and how to use it to your company's advantage." - HR magazine (UK)
"The book offers many inside stories about how P&G tackled strategy in various arenas, including examples of when it failed. That gives an even more practical flavour to this practical look at strategy, from two savvy strategy practitioners." - the Globe and Mail (Canada)
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
554 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-89279-228-8 (9798892792288)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
A. G. Lafley | Roger L. Martin
Playing to Win, Expanded with Bonus HBR Articles
How Strategy Really Works
E-Book
09/2025
Harvard Business Review Press
€30.99
Available for download
Previous edition
Book
02/2013
Harvard Business Review Press
€30.50
Article not available at the moment
Persons
A.G. Lafley is the former Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO of Procter & Gamble, which experienced unprecedented growth and success under his leadership. Today, he consults on business and innovation strategy, advises on CEO succession and executive leadership development, and coaches experienced, new, and potential CEOs.
Roger L. Martin is a professor emeritus at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, where he served as dean from 1998 to 2013. In 2017 he was named the world's number one management thinker by Thinkers50. He is the author of many books and is a trusted strategy adviser to the CEOs of companies worldwide, including Procter & Gamble, Lego, Ford, BHP, and Verizon.
Roger L. Martin is a professor emeritus at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, where he served as dean from 1998 to 2013. In 2017 he was named the world's number one management thinker by Thinkers50. He is the author of many books and is a trusted strategy adviser to the CEOs of companies worldwide, including Procter & Gamble, Lego, Ford, BHP, and Verizon.