Rating: 
Summary: A business book for everyone!!
Review: This is definitely the most enjoyable business reading I've ever done. Hamel's style is clear, concise and very persuasive. The author has done an excellent job conveying a sense of urgency for companies to innovate their business models as a way to stay competitive. This is a must read for every engineer interested in business and certainly for every manager!!
Rating: 
Summary: some good stuff but here we go again.....
Review: While this book is worth reading I have to say I was a little disappointed. For one thing, I had to keep looking at the book jacket to make sure the book was written by Gary Hamel and not Tom Peters. Gary has gone to the mountain top to preach a message that is probably worth repeating but certainly not new. Innovate or die. Revolt or fail. Rebel. Be an activist. Change before it's too late. Like most "mountain-top" books, this one makes a great case for change. It's compelling. It gets you convinced to lead a revolution. In this case toward what Hamel refers to as "business concept innovation" - "the capacity to reconceive existing business models in ways that create new value for customers, rude surprises for competitors and new wealth for investors". Business concept innovation means that wealth-creating champions have unique capabilities, unique assets, unique value propositions, and unique market positioning. Simple product or marketing innovation will not do in the "age of the revolution" according to Hamel. It's a neat concept but this is where the book begins to break down for me. While Hamel claims that radical invention and radical differentiation of the business model is the answer, many of the examples cited in the rest of the book seem to be discrepant with the claim. Hamel cites IBM's Internet undertaking and Sony's PlayStation success as examples. But how could they be considered as examples of creating new business models? Aren't they really just examples of IBM and Sony adapting to clearly established trends? Another example cites (department store) Target's inviting shopping environment but isnt that simply an example of good old-fashioned store merchandising (a.k.a. marketing)? Hamel claims or implies that most companies know how to execute but not how to develop strategy but is this completely true? Sure, GREAT strategy is rare (and difficult to develop for sure) but aren't there also lots of companies that DON'T know how to serve their customers, that don't know how to turn a profit regularly and that can't implement basic systems well? WalMart is another example cited often in the book but isn't their advantage the fact that they are great implementors as well as strategists? And what about the companies over the years that simply create wealth by being great copy-cats and not "revolutionary innovators"? Office Depot, Microsoft, Burger King, ATG, Papa Johns Pizza, Excite, AOL, AMD, Bath and Body Works, E-Trade, etc. etc. etc. etc! Were/are these companies successful because of radical new business models or because of great fundamental execution? Aren't their accomplishments equally commendible if not as admirable? Do we really know? Yea, I get disturbed by all of the "hype-notic" management writing that takes place these days but in the end I'm grateful to read a book and get stimulated. Hamel's book IS STIMULATING and provides much food for thought. A bit overpackaged/overproduced but a worthwhile read anyway. So I give it 4 stars.
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