Each quadrant on the Strategic Dependency Map has a different risk level, timeline, and action sequence. Here’s what to do based on your position.
THE EXPOSED Playbook
Timeline: Weeks to months
- Make the bloc choice explicitly
- Build redundancy before disruption hits
- War-game decoupling scenarios with hard numbers
- Escalate to board as existential risk
Key Risk: Waiting too long. Window for proactive choice is finite.
THE PROTECTED Playbook
Timeline: Ongoing optimization
- Deepen bloc relationships with long-term contracts
- Pursue government business aggressively
- Win customers fleeing cross-bloc competitors
- Monitor for supply chain creep
Key Risk: Complacency. Safety requires active maintenance.
THE FLEXIBLE Playbook
Timeline: Quarters
- Identify backup suppliers in each bloc now
- Build contingency playbooks with specific triggers
- Monitor reclassification signals continuously
- Build relationships before crisis makes them expensive
Key Risk: Being caught flat-footed. Reclassification happens fast.
THE COMPLEX Playbook
Timeline: Varies by unit
- Map every business unit to a quadrant
- Address EXPOSED units first, then cascade down
- Create centralized tracking dashboard
- Assign clear ownership per quadrant strategy
Key Risk: Analysis paralysis. Don’t average away existential tail risks.
Get the complete framework for navigating geopolitical fracturing. Read the full Strategic Dependency Map on The Business Engineer.
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