Playing to Win is a strategy framework that defines strategy as a cascade of five integrated decisions: Winning Aspiration (What does winning mean for us?), Where to Play (In which markets are we active?), How to Win (How do we create a competitive advantage?), Capabilities (What abilities do we need?), and Management Systems (What structures support the strategy?). The framework’s strength lies in treating strategy as a system of interconnected decisions rather than isolated individual questions.
A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin developed the framework based on their experience at Procter & Gamble, where it was applied at every level: from corporate strategy through individual brands to regional decisions. Each brand had its own Choice Cascade that had to be consistent with the overall strategy. The central insight: strategy means making deliberate choices about where not to play and what not to do. A strategy that covers everything is not a strategy.
The framework was published in 2013 in the book of the same name. It is suited both for developing new strategies and for reviewing existing ones: Does the Choice Cascade still fit together, or have individual elements become decoupled?
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