For Independent Professionals Building Practice on Their Own Terms
Wisepreneurs Podcast

Peter Compo

Peter Compo Profile Photo

Author of the Emergent Approach to Strategy | Bringing Clarity to Strategy Theory and Practice | Revealing the Common Foundation

Peter Compo: Innovator in Strategy and Corporate Leadership

Peter Compo is the author of The Emergent Approach to Strategy, a book that presents a fresh perspective on how businesses can approach strategy design and execution.

During his 25-year career at E.I. DuPont, Peter held leadership roles in R&D, marketing, product management, and corporate integrated business planning, where he gained valuable insights into successes and failures of corporate strategy

Peter’s professional journey began after earning a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the City University of New York and a BA in Biology from SUNY Purchase. His unique background in music and science fueled his passion for adaptive systems—an interdisciplinary approach to blending science, the arts, and business innovation.

His work emphasises a puzzle-like, entrepreneurial approach to strategy, advocating for independence and creativity in innovation.

Today, Peter helps businesses define and implement strategies more effectively by applying the principles of complex adaptive systems. His book and research provide practical insights to help navigate and overcome common obstacles in corporate strategic planning.

Peter continues to influence the business world, helping organizations innovate in an ever-changing future.

62
Sept. 20, 2024

Peter Compo Emergent Strategy: A Design Framework for Independent Professionals Managing Uncertainty

Peter Compo spent 25 years at DuPont as a chemical engineer and business leader before leaving to write The Emergent Approach to Strategy — a book that argues the word 'strategic' should be struck from business language and that strategy is not a plan but a central rule for busting the one bottleneck standing between you and your aspiration. Peter grew up in a musical family in New York City and sees the same underlying patterns in music, science, and business: all creative endeavours follow the laws of emergence. The future cannot be planned, but it can be shaped. His framework is built on a triad: aspiration (what you want to achieve), bottleneck (what is in the way), and strategy (the central rule that directs all resources toward busting that bottleneck). The influence diagram — a V-shape with the aspiration at the narrow point and all possible actions fanning out to the left — makes visible what most strategy documents obscure: that you cannot do everything, and that without a r…
Guest: Peter Compo