ABSTRACT
A Harvard Business Review article (“Tapping the Power of Analogy”) covered the idea of how strategists think with the power of analogy. But although certain analogical reasoning can be remarkable, it can also be harmful if done poorly, say the authors. They cite the supermarket model invented in the 1930s as an analogical driver for the success of Toys ‘R Us in the 1950s, and for the kanban system of replenishing inventory.1 Then they cite other examples of how certain strategic analogies have failed certain companies because “it is extremely easy to reason poorly through analogies, and strategists rarely consider how to use them well.”
