Chris Zook is a business writer and partner at

Bain & Company Bain & Company is an American management consulting company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm provides advice to public, private, and non-profit organizations. One of the Big Three management consultancies, Bain & Company was fou ...

, leading its Global Strategy Practice. He currently resides in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. He is listed by ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' (London) as one of the world's top 50 business thinkers.

Education

Zook received a B.A. in mathematics and economics from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

, a M.Phil. in economics from Exeter College,

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and a MPP and Ph.D in Public Policy Analysis from the

Harvard Kennedy School The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

.Chris Zook: An interview by Bob Morris
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Books

Zook is an author of books and articles on business strategy, growth, and the importance of leadership economics, including the ''Profit from the Core'' trilogy. In 2001, he published ''Profit from the Core'', which found that nine out of ten companies that had sustained profitable growth for a decade had focused on their core businesses, rather than diversification. The sequel, ''Beyond the Core'', examines how companies that have fully exploited their core businesses can systematically and successfully expand beyond into related, or adjacent areas. ''Unstoppable'' completes the series and examines what to do when a previously viable growth formula of the past begins to approach its limits, and how companies can change their strategic focus and redefine their core. In 2010, Harvard Business School press published an updated version of ''Profit From the Core,'' subtitled "A Return to Growth in Turbulent Times." The updated edition describes how principles from the trilogy enabled companies to continue growing during the global financial crisis that began in 2008. All three books are based on a growth study, begun in 1990 at

, that involves thousands of companies worldwide. The study's findings have been expanded each year. A fourth book, "Repeatability," expands on the themes of the trilogy. It argues that complexity is a silent killer of profitable growth, while successful companies endure by maintaining simplicity at their core.

Bibliography

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References

External links

Financial Times. "The simple (but not easy) task of focusing"

* ttp://www.profitfromthecore.com ''Profit from the Core'' official website
''Beyond the Core'' official website

''Unstoppable'' official website

"Repeatability" official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zook, Chris Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American economics writers American male non-fiction writers American business writers Williams College alumni Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Harvard Kennedy School alumni