Competitors · Reading their strategy · Component
The inferred intent
What they appear to be trying to become, and what they must believe about the market for their behaviour to make sense.
The deliverable
What it is
Porter’s framing asks what a competitor is trying to achieve and what they believe. Both are inferable, and the second is where opportunity usually sits.
A competitor operating on a mistaken assumption about the market will keep operating on it until something forces a revision, which gives a well-informed rival a durable opening.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The goal
What they appear to be trying to achieve.
3 attributes: Inferred goal · Source · Confidence
LearnThe assumptions
What they must believe for their behaviour to make sense.
3 attributes: Assumption · Agrees with ours · If they are wrong
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A competitor’s constraint they cannot escape is more durable than any advantage you could build.
The other components in reading their strategy
The signals
Hiring, investment, pricing moves and withdrawals — the observable behaviour that describes a competitor’s intent.
LearnThe prediction
What is expected next, recorded so the reading can be checked — because an unchecked inference is a story.
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