June 21, 2024

two by two

2x2

Long time readers know I love a good 2x2. After all, two of my most read blog posts feature them; one here on sippey.com, and one that’s been unceremoniously deleted from blog.twitter.com. LOL.

Which is why I absolutely LOVED Noah Brier’s deep dive into the history of the 2x2 at Why is this Interesting. From Igor Ansoff at RAND, to Boston Consulting Group to Clayton Christensen’s passionate defense of the form in 1997, Brier lays it all out.

While it may seem silly to spend this amount of time diving into the concept of the 2x2 rather than the content of some of the most famous matrices, in this case, I think the medium is the message. Strategy is far too often disconnected from execution and simple tools like 2x2 matrix attempt to make it more accessible and therefore more easily acted upon by individuals within an organization.

Emphasis mine.