Most organizations compete in crowded “red oceans,” fighting for the same customers. Blue Ocean Strategy® helps you stop competing — and start creating new markets where the competition becomes irrelevant.
Introducing the Blue Ocean Strategy FAQ
Over the years, with over 500 workshops and hundreds of conversations, I kept finding that business leaders were stuck. They were working harder than ever — yet growth felt elusive, and competition kept closing in. When I introduced them to Blue Ocean Strategy, their first reaction was often a mix of relief and excitement, as if they were saying, “Why haven’t I heard about this before? This is the solution I’ve been looking for!”
That is why I’m introducing this FAQ blog — short, practical facts that answer the most common questions I’m asked about Blue Ocean Strategy:
- What is it, really?
- How does it work?
- How does it connect to anthropology, culture, and change?
For more than two decades, I’ve helped organizations of all sizes discover their “blue oceans” — those untapped markets and new opportunities hidden in plain sight. Through these FAQs, I’ll share insights, stories, and frameworks to help you rethink your strategy and move beyond the crowded, competitive red oceans that hold you back.
If you’ve ever wondered how to stop competing and start creating — this is for you.
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about how Blue Ocean Strategy works, what happens in our workshops, and how these ideas transform company culture.
Understanding Blue Ocean Strategy
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What is Blue Ocean Strategy?
Blue Ocean Strategy is a proven framework for finding new markets where competition is irrelevant. Instead of battling competitors in a crowded “red ocean,” we help you discover your own “blue ocean”—unexplored opportunities where you can create new demand and deliver exceptional value.
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How Does Blue Ocean Strategy Work?
Traditional strategy often focuses on outperforming competitors. Blue Ocean Strategy focuses on redefining the game. It combines analytics and creativity to reveal opportunities others overlook—where your organization can serve unmet needs, attract new customers, and unlock untapped growth.
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Who benefits from Blue Ocean Strategy?
Organizations of all sizes and sectors—from healthcare and manufacturing to technology, higher education, finance, and nonprofits—have used Blue Ocean Strategy to reignite growth. It’s ideal for teams facing intense competition, market saturation, or the need to reimagine what comes next.
You can read about eight of our client stories in our award-winning, best-selling book, On the Brink: A fresh lens to take your business to new heights. And there is a synopsis for you on our website: https://www.andisimon.com/
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What results can we expect?
Most clients experience three immediate outcomes:
- Clarity about where they are not looking; where opportunities might truly exist.
- Focus on what creates the most value by not being an imitator or incrementalist.
- Growth through innovative strategies, new markets, and energized teams.
Many go on to launch new business lines, reposition their brands, and transform how they approach customers and innovation.
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How long does a Blue Ocean engagement take?
Engagements can range from a one-day workshop to a full-scale strategic transformation over several months. We tailor each experience to your goals, resources, and readiness for change.
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What’s the first step in working with SAMC on a Blue Ocean Strategy?
We begin with a Blue Ocean Assessment—a focused conversation to understand your goals, challenges, and market position. From there, we design a process that fits your organization, whether it’s a workshop, a leadership retreat, or a long-term engagement.
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Why do you combine Blue Ocean Strategy with anthropology?
Remember, all too often, culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As corporate anthropologists, I observe how people see, feel, and think inside your organization. That insight helps us uncover hidden barriers to innovation and build strategies that align with your culture—so change actually sticks.
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What makes SAMC’s approach unique?
I have led over 500 workshops worldwide, guiding businesses and nonprofits to rethink growth. I blend the science of strategy with the art of anthropology, making innovation tangible, human, and sustainable.
Inside a Blue Ocean Strategy Workshop
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What happens inside a Blue Ocean Strategy workshop?
Workshops are dynamic, immersive sessions where participants apply Blue Ocean tools to real challenges. Using frameworks like the Strategy Canvas, Buyer Utility Map, Visual Exploring, and Four Actions Framework, teams identify where they are today—and where they could go next. The process sparks not just alignment, creativity, and clarity, but a transformative shift in how you view your business and its potential.
- Who should participate?
We encourage a cross-functional group—executives, managers, innovators, and, if appropriate, customers. The mix of perspectives fosters breakthrough thinking and shared ownership of the outcomes.
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How long are the Blue Ocean Strategy sessions?
Workshops range from:
- 3-hour executive briefings for leadership teams.
- Full-day or two-day retreats for broader innovation teams.
- Multi-session engagements over weeks or months for more profound transformation.
Each session is customized to meet your team’s readiness and strategic needs.
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What Blue Ocean tools are used?
Participants engage with core Blue Ocean Strategy tools, including:
- Strategy Canvas – visualize where you and competitors invest, and where customers receive value.
- Four Actions Framework – challenge assumptions by asking what to eliminate, reduce, raise, or create.
- Nonuser Analysis – identify who isn’t using your product or service and why.
- Visual Exploring — this is very important. You must go out into the markets, see what people are doing, listen to their stories, and explore the gaps you can solve.
These tools transform abstract ideas into actionable insights.
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What do participants take away?
Participants often say the workshop “changed how they see their business.” They leave with clear priorities, a fresh strategic vision, and a practical roadmap for innovation.
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Can workshops be held virtually or in a hybrid format?
Yes. We’ve successfully delivered virtual and hybrid workshops using interactive tools and live facilitation to maintain the same energy and collaboration as in-person sessions.
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What happens after the workshop?
Insight without action achieves little. We help teams move from ideas to implementation—guiding pilots, coaching leaders, and embedding Blue Ocean principles into your ongoing strategy and culture.
Sustaining Blue Ocean Thinking: Culture Change and Innovation
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How does Blue Ocean Strategy create culture change?
When people learn to think differently—seeing opportunity where others see obstacles—culture shifts, meetings become more curious, collaboration deepens, and innovation becomes a shared practice rather than a top-down directive.
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How can leaders embed this mindset?
Leaders sustain Blue Ocean thinking by modeling curiosity and rewarding experimentation. We help them establish simple habits—asking better questions, encouraging cross-functional collaboration, and celebrating progress—to keep innovation alive.
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How does anthropology support long-term Blue Ocean Strategic change?
Anthropology reveals the stories, rituals, and routines that shape behavior. By decoding what drives your current culture, we can design new practices that make innovation natural—not forced.
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How do you measure success?
Beyond financial results, we measure success through shifts in mindset and behavior:
- Teams are applying Blue Ocean tools independently.
- Greater cross-departmental collaboration.
- Employees feel empowered to innovate.
- Customers are noticing new value.
True transformation is visible in how people think and act.
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How can Blue Ocean Strategy strengthen sustainable innovation?
Blue Ocean Strategy values diverse perspectives as a source of creativity. It aligns naturally with innovation initiatives, helping organizations tap into broader ideas, voices, and customer needs—all essential ingredients for sustainable innovation.
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How do we keep the Blue Ocean mindset alive?
Many clients establish Blue Ocean Champions—internal leaders trained to facilitate discussions, update strategy canvases, and host refresh sessions. Others hold annual Blue Ocean retreats to revisit assumptions and explore new opportunities.
At SAMC, rethinking should be a habit, not a one-time event.
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How can we begin our own Blue Ocean journey?
It starts with a conversation.
Contact us to schedule a discovery call or a customized workshop for your team. Together, we’ll explore how you can stop competing and start creating your next Blue Ocean of opportunity.
Let’s Rethink Growth, Together
Blue Ocean Strategy is not a theory—it’s a way of seeing the world with fresh eyes.
At Simon Associates Management Consultants, we help organizations transform how they grow, innovate, and thrive in fast-changing times.
Contact us today to learn more or schedule your Blue Ocean workshop.
For over two decades, I’ve been helping organizations rethink how they grow. Blue Ocean Strategy is not about beating competitors at their own game; it’s about changing the game entirely. By identifying unmet needs, nonusers, and untapped demand, you can open new paths for innovation and growth. In today’s fast-changing markets, success doesn’t come from doing more of the same — it comes from seeing what others miss.
You might also enjoy our white paper: https://www.simonassociates.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/White-paper-10-Ways-To-Avoid-Red-Oceans.pdf
Read more about our work as Blue Ocean Strategy consultants.
- Share with a friend or colleague who’s ready to think differently
- And read our book, ““On the Brink: A fresh lens to take your business to new heights.”
We’re just getting started. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey.
Here’s to seeing, feeling, and thinking in bold, new ways — together.
#OnTheBrink #PodcastForChange #SeeFeelThink #WomenInBusiness #InnovationLeadership
