Repeatability: Build Enduring Businesses for a World of Constant Change

An argument for simplicity from the bestselling authors of Profit from the Core

Is radical reinvention the key to winning in today’s fast-paced world? Not judging by the results of some of the world’s best-performing companies.

In Repeatability, Chris Zook and James Allen—leaders of Bain & Company’s influential Strategy practice—warn that complexity is a silent killer of profitable growth. Successful companies endure by maintaining simplicity at their core. They don’t stray from, or regularly discard, their business model in pursuit of radical renovation. Instead, they build a “repeatable business model” that produces continuous improvement and allows them to rapidly adapt to change without succumbing to complexity.

Based on a multiyear study of more than two hundred companies, the book stresses the value of repeatability in business, showing how the “big idea” today is really made up of a series of successful smaller ideas driven by a simple and repeatable business model. Zook and Allen show how some of the world’s best-known firms combine a core differentiation model with speed, adaptability, and simplicity to land them at the top for long periods of time. These firms include: Apple, Danaher, DaVita, IKEA, Nike, Olam, Tetra Pak, Vanguard, and others.

CEOs, senior executives, managers, and investors all need to read this book. It’s the new blueprint for reaching the top—and staying there.

Chris Zook is a partner at Bain & Company and co-head of Bain’s Strategy practice, where his work focuses on helping companies find their next wave of profitable growth. He is the author of the best-selling business books, Profit from the Core, Beyond the Core, and Unstoppable. James Allen is a partner in Bain & Company’s London office and co-head of Bain’s Global Strategy Practice. He is co-author of Profit from the Core and is a frequent speaker at the World Economic Forum and other conferences.