Longtime listeners have heard Sarah and Matthew talk about ideas like “ecosystem disruption” and “adoption chain risk” and “value architecture,” all of which stem from the works of Ron Adner. Ron is a researcher, strategist, and professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University, and the author of two books, The Wide Lens and Winning the Right Game, both of which have been influential at Tenacious. 

So this week, we’re going straight to the source as Matthew sits down with Ron for a wide ranging discussion of how fundamental business strategy has changed in recent decades, and how agtech companies and investors can learn lessons from other sectors to inform their business models, go-to-market strategies, and the very way they understand the spaces where they play. 

This week, they discuss: 

• What it means to take “the wide lens” view of a market ecosystem, and how it can be critical to unlocking customers, capital, and value
• Where costs and benefits of a given product or service accumulate in a value chain, and how these nuances influence success
• How digital complexity makes it increasingly likely that leaders will identify the wrong patterns and adopt the wrong actions in response– or as Adner says, “winning the wrong game” 

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Useful Links:

• Winning the Right Game - Frameworks & Discussion Questions
• The Wide Lens - Frameworks
• Winning the Right Game - A Ron Adner Lecture
• Financial Times Case Study: The ecosystem behind innovation (Michelin Tires)
• AgTech Collaboration Through a Wide Lens (Shane Thomas, Upstream Ag Insights)

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The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.