Operations Is Strategy

Competitive advantage is found in operations, and in the operations leaders who build resilient, adaptive, and intelligent businesses.

The relentless waves of disruption in the turbulent 2020s—from the Covid-19 pandemic to AI breakthroughs and so much more—have made operations the nerve center of business survival. The companies thriving in today's volatile world are those that have transformed operations from a "silent function" into a strategic engine of resilience, innovation, growth, and competitive advantage. In this practical book, you learn how it's done.

Professor of Strategy and Supply Chain Management Carlos Cordon joins the former head of operations at Nestlé, Magdi Batato, to show leaders why operations is the CEO's secret weapon and how the COO has emerged as one of the most strategically important roles in modern business.

Drawing on interviews, case studies, and real-world lessons from global leaders at companies including Nestlé, Apple, Carlsberg, Danaher, and Novo Nordisk, the authors reveal how modern executives are rethinking the supply chain to be something more flexible and nonlinear; how they're reimagining manufacturing, sustainability, technology, talent, and customer responsiveness in an era when disruption is constant and adaptability is everything.

From nearshoring and AI-powered decision-making to sustainable sourcing, consumer-driven operations, and resilient ecosystems, the book provides a practical framework for building operations that can withstand shocks while continuing to innovate and grow. It will guide CEOs, COOs, supply chain leaders, strategists, and anyone responsible for steering organizations through an increasingly unpredictable world.

Operational resilience is now inseparable from long-term success. Operations is strategy.