WCRC Leaders · Reference

Leadership Library

100 essential business concepts and management theories, explained in one line each.

Business Concepts: 50; Business Concepts
Management Theories: 50; Management Theories

50 Business Concepts

From the Purple Cow to Blue Ocean Strategy: the ideas behind remarkable brands and markets.

Marketing & Brand12

01
Purple Cow
Seth Godin (2003)
Safe is risky. Build something so remarkable people talk about it.
02
Permission Marketing
Seth Godin (1999)
Earn attention from people who opt in, rather than interrupting strangers.
03
Tribes
Seth Godin (2008)
People want to belong. Brands that lead a movement win loyalty.
04
Positioning
Al Ries & Jack Trout (1981)
Own one clear idea in the customer's mind.
05
Start With Why / Golden Circle
Simon Sinek (2009)
People buy why you do something before they buy what you sell.
06
Made to Stick (SUCCESs)
Chip & Dan Heath (2007)
Ideas stick when they are Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and told as Stories.
07
Contagious (STEPPS)
Jonah Berger (2013)
Six levers make things spread by word of mouth.
08
Lovemarks
Kevin Roberts (2004)
The strongest brands earn both love and respect.
09
Brand Archetypes
Margaret Mark & Carol Pearson (2001)
Brands borrow Jungian characters such as Hero, Rebel or Sage to create meaning.
10
1,000 True Fans
Kevin Kelly (2008)
A creator needs only a small base of devoted fans, not mass reach.
11
Zero Moment of Truth
Google / Jim Lecinski (2011)
The purchase decision happens during online research, before the store.
12
Experience Economy
Pine & Gilmore (1998)
Staged experiences command higher prices than goods or services.

Strategy & Competition12

13
Blue Ocean Strategy
W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne (2005)
Create uncontested market space instead of fighting rivals in a red ocean.
14
Five Forces
Michael Porter (1979)
Industry profitability is set by rivalry, new entrants, substitutes, buyers and suppliers.
15
Value Chain
Michael Porter (1985)
Competitive advantage lives in specific activities that add value.
16
Core Competence
C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel (1990)
Build the business on the few capabilities that are hard to copy.
17
Economic Moats
Warren Buffett; Pat Dorsey
Durable advantages protect profits over time.
18
Hedgehog Concept
Jim Collins (2001)
Focus where passion, being best in the world and your economic engine overlap.
19
Flywheel Effect
Jim Collins (2001)
Momentum builds from consistent pushes, not one big breakthrough.
20
BHAG
Jim Collins & Jerry Porras (1994)
A Big Hairy Audacious Goal aligns and energises the organisation.
21
Growth-Share (BCG) Matrix
Bruce Henderson (1970)
Stars, cash cows, question marks and dogs: allocate capital across the portfolio.
22
Ansoff Matrix
Igor Ansoff (1957)
Four growth paths: penetration, market development, product development, diversification.
23
Category Design
Play Bigger authors (2016)
Create and define a new category so you become its king.
24
Zero to One
Peter Thiel (2014)
Create something new that can become a monopoly, instead of copying and competing.

Innovation & Growth12

25
Disruptive Innovation
Clayton Christensen (1997)
Simpler, cheaper offerings start at the low end and overturn incumbents.
26
Jobs to Be Done
Clayton Christensen; Tony Ulwick
Customers "hire" products to make progress on a job.
27
Diffusion of Innovations
Everett Rogers (1962)
Adoption moves from innovators and early adopters through to laggards.
28
Crossing the Chasm
Geoffrey Moore (1991)
The hardest leap is from early adopters to the pragmatic mainstream.
29
The Tipping Point
Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
Small changes, connectors and stickiness trigger rapid spread.
30
Hype Cycle
Gartner / Jackie Fenn (1995)
New technology passes through inflated expectations and disillusionment before productivity.
31
Reverse Innovation
Vijay Govindarajan & Chris Trimble (2012)
Products built for emerging markets flow back to rich markets.
32
Jugaad / Frugal Innovation
Radjou, Prabhu & Ahuja (2012)
Do more with less through flexible, resourceful problem-solving.
33
Bottom of the Pyramid
C.K. Prahalad (2004)
The world's poorest billions are a profitable, underserved market.
34
The Long Tail
Chris Anderson (2004)
Digital shelves make niche products collectively as valuable as hits.
35
Freemium / Free
Chris Anderson (2009)
Give the core away and monetise a paying minority.
36
Razor-and-Blades
King Gillette (early 1900s)
Sell the base cheaply and profit on the refills.

Startups & Digital9

37
Lean Startup / MVP
Eric Ries (2011)
Build, measure, learn, using a minimum viable product.
38
Customer Development
Steve Blank (2005)
Get out of the building and validate customers before scaling.
39
Business Model Canvas
Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur (2010)
Map any business model on one page with nine blocks.
40
Network Effects / Metcalfe's Law
Robert Metcalfe
A network becomes more valuable with each user it adds.
41
Platform Revolution
Parker, Van Alstyne & Choudary (2016)
Platforms orchestrate two-sided markets instead of owning inventory.
42
Aggregation Theory
Ben Thompson (2015)
Whoever owns the user relationship controls the suppliers.
43
Growth Hacking
Sean Ellis (2010)
Use rapid, data-driven experiments across product and marketing for growth.
44
AARRR Pirate Metrics
Dave McClure (2007)
Track Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral and Revenue.
45
Hooked Model
Nir Eyal (2014)
Trigger, action, variable reward and investment build habit-forming products.

Customers, Behaviour & Risk5

46
Net Promoter Score
Fred Reichheld (2003)
One question, "Would you recommend us?", predicts growth.
47
Nudge
Richard Thaler & Cass Sunstein (2008)
Small changes to the choice setting steer behaviour without forcing it.
48
Paradox of Choice
Barry Schwartz (2004)
Too many options paralyse buyers and reduce satisfaction.
49
Black Swan
Nassim Nicholas Taleb (2007)
Rare, unpredictable events shape markets far more than forecasts admit.
50
Antifragile
Nassim Nicholas Taleb (2012)
Build systems that gain from shocks, not just survive them.

50 Management Theories

From Maslow to OKRs: the frameworks leaders use to motivate, change and execute.

Foundations of Management9

01
Scientific Management
Frederick Taylor (1911)
Study and standardise work to raise efficiency.
02
Administrative Theory
Henri Fayol (1916)
Management means planning, organising, commanding, coordinating and controlling, guided by 14 principles.
03
Human Relations / Hawthorne Effect
Elton Mayo (1924–32)
Attention and social factors drive productivity.
04
Systems Theory
Ludwig von Bertalanffy; Katz & Kahn (1966)
An organisation is an open system of interdependent parts.
05
Organisational Contingency Theory
Lawrence & Lorsch (1967)
There is no one best structure; the right one depends on the environment.
06
Management by Objectives
Peter Drucker (1954)
Managers and employees jointly set measurable goals.
07
Mintzberg's Managerial Roles
Henry Mintzberg (1973)
Managers play ten roles across interpersonal, informational and decisional work.
08
McKinsey 7-S
Tom Peters, Robert Waterman et al. (1980)
Strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills must align.
09
Stakeholder Theory
R. Edward Freeman (1984)
Firms create value for all stakeholders, not only shareholders.

Motivation & People10

10
Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow (1943)
People satisfy basic needs before higher ones like esteem and self-actualisation.
11
Theory X & Theory Y
Douglas McGregor (1960)
Leaders assume people either avoid work (X) or seek responsibility (Y), and that assumption shapes results.
12
Two-Factor Theory
Frederick Herzberg (1959)
Hygiene factors prevent dissatisfaction; motivators create satisfaction.
13
Need Theory
David McClelland (1961)
People are driven by achievement, affiliation or power.
14
Expectancy Theory
Victor Vroom (1964)
Motivation = expectancy × instrumentality × valence.
15
Equity Theory
J. Stacy Adams (1963)
People compare their effort-to-reward ratio with others'.
16
Goal-Setting Theory
Edwin Locke & Gary Latham (1968/1990)
Specific, challenging goals with feedback lift performance.
17
Self-Determination Theory / Drive
Deci & Ryan; Daniel Pink (2009)
Autonomy, mastery and purpose beat carrots and sticks.
18
Theory Z
William Ouchi (1981)
Long-term employment, trust and collective decisions build commitment.
19
Growth Mindset
Carol Dweck (2006)
Believing ability can be developed fuels learning and resilience.

Leadership Styles12

20
Managerial Grid
Robert Blake & Jane Mouton (1964)
Leadership balances concern for people and concern for results.
21
Fiedler's Contingency Model
Fred Fiedler (1967)
A leader's effectiveness depends on how well their style fits the situation.
22
Situational Leadership
Paul Hersey & Ken Blanchard (1969)
Adapt directing and supporting to each follower's readiness.
23
Path-Goal Theory
Robert House (1971)
Leaders clear the path so followers can reach their goals.
24
Leader-Member Exchange (LMX)
George Graen & Fred Dansereau (1970s)
The quality of each leader-follower relationship drives outcomes.
25
Transformational vs Transactional Leadership
James MacGregor Burns (1978); Bernard Bass (1985)
Inspire change through vision, or manage through rewards and exchanges.
26
Servant Leadership
Robert Greenleaf (1970)
The leader's first job is to serve and grow others.
27
Level 5 Leadership
Jim Collins (2001)
Great leaders combine personal humility with fierce resolve.
28
Authentic Leadership
Bill George (2003)
Lead from your genuine values and self-awareness.
29
Adaptive Leadership
Ronald Heifetz (1994)
Distinguish technical problems from adaptive challenges that require people to change.
30
Emotional Intelligence & Six Leadership Styles
Daniel Goleman (1995/2000)
EQ drives leadership; switch between coercive, authoritative, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and coaching styles.
31
Multipliers
Liz Wiseman (2010)
Some leaders amplify their team's intelligence; others diminish it.

Teams & Culture7

32
Stages of Group Development
Bruce Tuckman (1965)
Teams move through forming, storming, norming and performing.
33
Team Roles
Meredith Belbin (1981)
Effective teams need a balance of nine behavioural roles.
34
Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Patrick Lencioni (2002)
Trust underpins conflict, commitment, accountability and results.
35
Psychological Safety
Amy Edmondson (1999)
Teams learn when people feel safe to speak up and fail.
36
Organisational Culture Model
Edgar Schein (1985)
Culture has three layers: artefacts, espoused values and underlying assumptions.
37
Radical Candor
Kim Scott (2017)
Care personally while challenging directly.
38
Johari Window
Joseph Luft & Harrington Ingham (1955)
Feedback and self-disclosure widen what is known about oneself.

Change & Learning6

39
Unfreeze–Change–Refreeze
Kurt Lewin (1947)
Change means breaking old patterns, moving, then stabilising.
40
8-Step Change Model
John Kotter (1996)
Change starts with urgency and ends with anchoring it in culture.
41
ADKAR
Jeff Hiatt / Prosci (2006)
Individuals change through Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement.
42
The Learning Organisation
Peter Senge (1990)
Five disciplines, led by systems thinking, help organisations learn.
43
Double-Loop Learning
Chris Argyris & Donald Schön (1978)
Question the assumptions behind a problem, not just the actions.
44
Cynefin Framework
Dave Snowden (1999)
Match decision style to whether the context is clear, complicated, complex or chaotic.

Performance & Execution6

45
Total Quality Management
W. Edwards Deming (1982)
Quality comes from systems and continuous improvement.
46
Lean / Toyota Production System
Taiichi Ohno
Eliminate waste, practise kaizen and respect people.
47
Six Sigma
Motorola / Bill Smith (1986)
Cut process variation to near-zero defects using DMAIC.
48
Theory of Constraints
Eliyahu Goldratt (1984)
A system's output is limited by its bottleneck, so fix that first.
49
Balanced Scorecard
Robert Kaplan & David Norton (1992)
Measure financial, customer, process and learning perspectives together.
50
OKRs
Andy Grove (1983); John Doerr (2018)
Ambitious Objectives paired with measurable Key Results.

Leadership Studio

Brand Studio

Top Brands

Leadership Library

Marketing & Brand12

Purple Cow

Permission Marketing

Tribes

Positioning

Start With Why / Golden Circle

Made to Stick (SUCCESs)

Contagious (STEPPS)

Lovemarks

Brand Archetypes

1,000 True Fans

Zero Moment of Truth

Experience Economy

Strategy & Competition12

Blue Ocean Strategy

Five Forces

Value Chain

Core Competence

Economic Moats

Hedgehog Concept

Flywheel Effect

BHAG

Growth-Share (BCG) Matrix

Ansoff Matrix

Category Design

Zero to One

Innovation & Growth12

Disruptive Innovation

Jobs to Be Done

Diffusion of Innovations

Crossing the Chasm

The Tipping Point

Hype Cycle

Reverse Innovation

Jugaad / Frugal Innovation

Bottom of the Pyramid

The Long Tail

Freemium / Free

Razor-and-Blades

Startups & Digital9

Lean Startup / MVP

Customer Development

Business Model Canvas

Network Effects / Metcalfe's Law

Platform Revolution

Aggregation Theory

Growth Hacking

AARRR Pirate Metrics

Hooked Model

Customers, Behaviour & Risk5

Net Promoter Score

Nudge

Paradox of Choice

Black Swan

Antifragile

Foundations of Management9

Scientific Management

Administrative Theory

Human Relations / Hawthorne Effect

Systems Theory

Organisational Contingency Theory

Management by Objectives

Mintzberg's Managerial Roles

McKinsey 7-S

Stakeholder Theory

Motivation & People10

Hierarchy of Needs

Theory X & Theory Y

Two-Factor Theory

Need Theory

Expectancy Theory

Equity Theory

Goal-Setting Theory

Self-Determination Theory / Drive

Theory Z

Growth Mindset