Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 8, 2013

Many CIOs are of course already well aware of all this. Market leaders and fast followers seek transformational change; cautious adopters and laggards dip their toe into incremental change. Market leaders and cautious adopters proactively seek change; fast followers and laggards take a reactive approach.

CIO 8

CIO Succession Fast Follower Chief Information Officer 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 10, 2011

There is still a debate in strategy circles about whether it is better to be the first mover or a fast follower, and whether missing out on the first wave of disruptive innovation means falling behind forever. But they remain on course, focused on the next play, and working hard to do it better the second time.

Wireless 15

Wireless Suri Power Long-term 15

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Even when Bezos appears to be a fast follower, he's attempting to generate leapfrog momentum. Opportunities multiply as they are seized," Sun Tzu observed. Amazon's smart — and newly threatened — competitors will no doubt rapidly raise their games. Both approaches can work. We are firmly in the second camp.".

Innovation 10

Innovation Technology Software Fast Follower 10

Harvard Business Review

JULY 27, 2015

But Samsung’s new mobile wallet strategy may be a sign that they are finally becoming a true leader and shedding their image as a fast follower. Of course, there are some risks looming in the payment market horizon. Its foray into this industry comes on the heels of product entries by Google and Apple.

Technology 8

Technology Retail System Industry 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 3, 2017

Of course, Where to Play and How to Win has to link with and reinforce an inspiring Winning Aspiration. Despite what many think, there are not generically great ways to win — e.g., being a first mover or a fast follower or a branded player or a cost leader.

First-mover Advantage 12

First-mover Advantage Retail Strategy Pharmaceuticals 12

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

Durk Jager's tumultuous 17-month effort to inflict hard and fast change at P&G led to the steadier tempo of A.G. Of course, the congealing critical consensus is that current P&G CEO Bob McDonald isn't moving fast enough. Being a "fast follower" is much easier to manage than being a "fast transformer."

Consensus 8

Consensus Welch Retail CEO 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 23, 2014

Dave didn’t advocate any particular design model, just one the leader knows how to employ and one flexible enough to be applied to the range of organizational situations a leader faces in the course of a career. A better course is devoting time to considering what organizational functions truly bring the value proposition to life.

Ulrich 8

Ulrich Cost Efficiency Consultative 8