25. Measuring your strategy’s odds of success

In this episode of "Inside the Strategy Room," Sean Brown interviews McKinsey senior partners Martin Hirt, Chris Bradley, and Sven Smit about their book, "Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick." The discussion revolves around using big data analytics to improve corporate strategy and performance. The speakers address the social dynamics influencing strategic planning, the challenges of overcoming inertia, and the importance of making "big moves" to shift companies from the middle of the economic profit curve to the top quintile. They emphasize the need to understand the probabilities of success and failure in strategy, the uneven distribution of economic profit, and the concentration of investment in key business units to drive overall company performance. The conversation also touches on the reactions from executives to their data-driven approach and future research directions, including agile strategy and digital platforms for strategic planning.