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Hardball players pursue their aim of getting the better of their competition ferociously; the hardball mindset involves: -

• Keeping the organization focused on the issues at the heart of the company's future and it is not restricted to pursue competitive advantage but to strive for extreme competitive advantage.

• Developing truth-telling networks so one isn't sheltered from the realities of the organization and the competitive situation.

• Defining a long-term strategic intent that captures the employees' imaginations and stokes their desire for victory.

• Demanding that employees try to have the best possible information about their competitors and a sharper understanding of their competitors than the competitors have themselves.

• Never being satisfied with just being in the lead and always staying focused on taking the leadership position to the next level.

• Being strong and smart enough to enter the "caution zone" of business - but also being prepared and disciplined enough not to bend laws or compromise obligations.

Five Classic Hardball Strategies

Any strategy that provides a decisive competitive advantage is a hardball strategy. Although there are countless ways to play hardball however, there are five classic hardball strategies that have proved, over the decades, to be particularly effective in generating competitive advantage.

Unleash massive and overwhelming force.
Hardball players prefer the indirect attack, however, sometimes to overcome their competitors, they launch a full frontal assault. But in such a situation, it must be noted that this strategy should not be adopted until the company is ready to put all its energy behind it. The company must also be sure that the competitive advantage it believes it has is actually available for action. HP, after acquiring Compaq, tried to eat into Dell's share by using its direct to consumer channel, but Dell, aware of the loses that HP was incurring on its PC business, started using its profits from its PC business to fund Dell's low cost printer business in order to hit back at HP as printer business is the most profitable segment of the company.

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* Contributed by: -
Bhawna Sikka & Vaibhav Hari,
PGDBM 2006,
IMT, Ghaziabad.