How do the most innovative and agile companies develop a winning mindset throughout the organisation? Going on Offense, that’s how!
Going on Offense is a robust resource for anyone looking to recast their organisation into an enduring innovator. Established on a comprehensive seven-year study from Stanford University, Going on Offense provides an insider perspective into the drivers of success and challenges in 26 organisations.
“Going on Offense, his keen game-changing insights outline critical frameworks and blueprints for any manager or executive that wants to keep their company ahead in a rapidly accelerating world.”
DREW BENNETT, Tesla Head of Global Charging reporting to Elon Musk, 2018–2020
Tabrizi is a best-selling author, award-winning teacher, scholar and global advisor. He has served on the teaching faculty of Organizational Transformation at Stanford University and its executive programs for the past 25 years. He is the author of ten books on leading innovation and transformation and served as an advisor to many large global companies, the U.S. President, and governmental agencies.
Dr Tabrizi’s research with McKinsey & Co. on more than 100 global companies on “Accelerating Agile Innovation & Transformation” was featured in Economist, Financial Times, Forbes, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, and the San Jose Mercury News as a “pioneering work.” The book highlights the similarities and differences among their five cultures, which, interestingly, mirror the five icons of industry who are leading or led them: Steve Jobs (Apple), Elon Musk (Tesla), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), and Howard Schultz (Starbucks). The findings draw on a survey of over six thousand executives, academics, and consumers and interviews with several dozen current and former employees of most of the 26 firms.
“I anticipate Going on Offense: A Leader’s Playbook for Perpetual Innovation will quickly become required reading in boardrooms and classrooms worldwide.”
Ron Johnson, Senior Vice President of Apple and pioneer of Apple store under Steve Jobs, 2000–2011; CEO of JCPenney, 2011– 2013; Board Member of Ermenegildo Zegna Group, 2019–Present.
Study the challenges of once-innovative tech giants like Facebook and Google and the factors behind their struggles. Delve into the reasons behind an organisation’s decline through in-depth analysis and real-world examples. Going on Offense offers a practical playbook for companies and individuals looking to transform into a winning mindset. Going on Offense examines these cases and presents a valuable playbook for companies and individuals looking to transform into a winning attitude.
Behnam Tabrizi, Going on Offense is a must-read for organisations looking to stay creative and competitive in today’s rapidly changing world.
“Going on Offense brings it all together—purpose, agility, leadership, ambidexterity, and radical collaboration, presenting a treasure chest of practical insights for companies that are serious about thriving in a turbulent future.”
AMY EDMONDSON, Professor at Harvard Business School and author of Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well
My 5 burning questions for Professor Tabrizi
- Can you describe the book in 7 words only: How you and your organisation can become innovative?
2. Organisations and leaders are going through constant tumultuous times. How does your book help to support leaders and organisations? My book is a step-by-step playbook addressing the challenges above with many recent examples based on rigorous practical research.
3. In your mind, what valuable insights, strategies, tools or techniques will help the reader put your ideas into practice? For example, the chapter on existential purpose. It’s a fresh and provocative take on how to fire up yourself, your team and your organisation.
4. Why will my readers buy this book? What’s inside, and how does it look? What’s distinctive and fresh about your book? It’s a toolbox of techniques and practical steps rather than one or two ideas. The holistic and gestalt approach is what the best-in-class innovative companies like Apple, Tesla, Amazon & Microsoft and their leaders use.
5. Where have you successfully applied these ideas? I have successfully implemented these ideas with over a dozen global organisations and their leaders.
Reference Behnam Tabrizi has taught “Leading Organizational Transformation” at Stanford University’s Department of Management Science and Engineering and executive programs for over 25 years. An organisational and leadership transformation expert, he has helped thousands of CEOs and leaders plan, mobilise, and implement innovative transformational initiatives. He has written ten books, most recently Going on Offense: A Leader’s Playbook for Perpetual Innovation (IdeaPress Publishing, August 2023).