According to Tekedia Institute, the One Oasis Strategy is a management framework formulated by Ndubuisi Ekekwe. It focuses on aligning business innovation to favor the best product in the company on utility, value, and cost, which over time helps the firm compete better externally. It’s an inward-looking management system that offers a firm an opportunity to test strategies, models, business systems, and production processes, perfecting them before launching them to outside customers. In essence, with the One Oasis Strategy, a firm refines its process, technology, and product, positioning it for success.
In a Harvard Business Review article, Ndubuisi further explains that the One Oasis Strategy encourages businesses to focus on their strongest product or service as the core driver of value and growth. This “oasis” is the product that generates the most revenue, market share, or brand equity, and other products in the portfolio are then supported and leveraged to enhance the oasis.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
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1. Identifying the One Oasis:
The goal is to pinpoint the single product or service that is the strongest and most valuable to the business. This could be determined by factors like market share, brand recognition, or profitability. The idea is to concentrate investments around this core product to make it the absolute best it can be. For example, in the case of Amazon, the e-commerce platform is considered the “one oasis”.
2. Accelerating the Oasis:
Once the oasis is identified, the strategy focuses on investing heavily in it to further enhance its strength and dominance. This could involve expanding market reach, improving product features, or strengthening brand recognition. This involves understanding what truly creates value for the customer. Example: For a company selling precision soil sensors, the real value might lie in the farm data generated by the sensors, not just the sensors themselves.
3. Supporting Other Products:
The other products within the business portfolio are then used to support and enhance the “one oasis”. This might involve cross-selling, leveraging the brand equity of the oasis, or using resources and infrastructure to benefit the core product.
4. Monetize the value:
Finally, the strategy involves finding ways to capture the value identified.
This doesn’t necessarily mean monetizing the “one oasis” directly. Example: A logistics company might make more money through invoice financing of the supply chain than from the core transport service itself.
In essence, the strategy emphasizes leveraging existing strengths to drive growth and create new opportunities, rather than spreading resources too thinly across multiple ventures. Adopt One Oasis Strategy and thrive in your business; read my brief here.
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