Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works

In Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works A.G. Lafley (former CEO of Procter & Gamble) and Roger L. Martin (strategic consultant) get to the heart of strategy. Do you play just for fun, or do you play to win? Strategy is not complicated, but it is difficult. Because it forces people and organizations to make specific choices about their future; something that doesn’t happen in most businesses.

In ‘Playin to Win’ the writers explain what strategy is for, how to think about it, why you need it and how to get it done. And they use their own success story to do so: together they have doubled P&G’s sales, quadrupled its profits and increased its market value by more than $100 billion in just ten years.

Based on their years of experience, in this book they show how leaders in organizations of all sizes, can drive daily actions with larger strategic goals. Lafley and Martin have created a set of five essential strategic choices that will give you an edge over your competitors:

• What is our drive to win?
• Where are we going to play?
• How are we going to win?
• What capabilities must we have to win?
• What management systems are needed to support our choices?

‘Playing to Win’ describes a proven method that has worked for many of the most successful brands and products.

Why This Book Matters

Unlike many other business books, Playing to Win doesn’t rely on vague theories or abstract models. Instead, it delivers a sharp, actionable strategy framework that helps leaders make focused decisions and follow through.

The emphasis on discipline is key: strategy is about making choices — and sticking to them. This makes the book especially useful for companies scaling up or redefining their direction.

The Five Strategic Questions

At the core of the book is a simple but powerful framework built on five interrelated questions:

• Winning aspiration: What does success look like?
• Where to play: What markets, customer segments, or geographies will we focus on?
• How to win: What differentiates our offer from the competition?
• Capabilities: What do we need to be able to deliver consistently?
• Management systems: How will we reinforce, track, and adapt our strategy?

This framework is especially valuable when defining a go-to-market strategy, providing the clarity needed to align product, sales, and delivery.

Applying It in Fast-Moving Markets

In digital-first industries like SaaS and technology, strategic clarity makes or breaks momentum. This book helps teams stay focused amid constant change — whether you’re launching a new platform, shifting pricing models, or entering a new vertical.

The five questions act as anchors, helping teams prioritize actions and avoid distractions that don’t contribute to long-term goals.

Relevance for AI and Innovation

Playing to Win is also highly relevant when planning AI adoption. Many AI projects fail because they focus on tech before strategy. This framework ensures that innovation is guided by clear choices about value, differentiation, and delivery.

By starting with “where to play” and “how to win,” you set up AI initiatives to deliver measurable outcomes — not just experiments.

How We Use It at GlobalOrange

At GlobalOrange, we help our clients apply strategy in real, tangible ways — from product-market fit and go-to-market planning to platform modernization and AI roadmaps. We use the Playing to Win framework to sharpen focus and accelerate execution.

The five questions serve as a starting point for deep strategic alignment. They help product, marketing, and tech teams move in sync — faster, and with greater confidence.