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8/10/2019 On Sun Tzu
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Sun Tzus Art of War
To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence
- Sun Tzu
Mankind has been fighting wars for millennia and it has driven the evolution of the methods for
organizing, training, leading, and motivating vast numbers of people. Business, like war, is a
conflict of human interests and activities. It is in business being the reincarnation of the old
wars that we relive the battle for supremacy.
The struggle of armies in the battlefield can be likened to that of the intense competition of
business in the highly globalized corporate world. Thus, it is not surprising that an ancient
treatise of war Sun Tzus Art of War has been used extensively to create perspective for
business strategists by correlating the basic features of military strategy with the contemporary
theories and practices of business. What the business firms aim at this war is to get and
maintain a competitive advantage among the firms (i.e., to gain more customers and a better
position to manoeuvre).
In laying plans or in order for business firms to truly put themselves in a good position, they first
have to master themselves. This requires a keen awareness of ones own capabilities and
surroundings by making the necessary calculations, the ability to adjust plans to suit the
available resources, and to monitor operations against possible deviations from the original
plans. Once the ball starts rolling, subtly outwitting the competition is a must. All warfare is
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based on deception, business competition is not an exemption. Before one wages in any
business ventures, the focus must be on logistics and maintaining organizational morale while
keeping the costs down. Sun Tzu advised that one must forage and capitalize on his
competitorsweaknesses to augment his strength. Let your great object be victory, not lengthy
campaigns. Sun Tzu gave emphasis to knowing oneself and ones enemy; that the ability to
prevent defeat lies on oneself while the opportunities of victory depend on the enemy. One
must raise the standards by aiming for excellence so that no other firm would even there
compete, for the skillful leader subdues the enemys troops without any fighting.In the business
setting, dominate the market by innovating and expanding to demotivate potential
competitors. Also, Sun Tzu has warned against having insufficient vision, poor allocation of
resources, indecisiveness, and poor communication with your constituents. In energy and
direction, a firm must mask its strengths to outwit and force competitors to show their true
intentions. The firm must not rely too much on any individual but instead must focus on
encouraging synergy. The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy. After
looking for weak points of the enemy, one must expose them and hasten to do better in these
areas. One must also be aware of markets where competitors has no presence to be able to
exploit those gaps. In manoeuvring, if one is to emerge unscathed from the competition he
must maximize his tactical advantage. In doing so, ensure that everyone gets a share of the
profit or bonus, that there are clear lines of supply for sustenance, and that you have a good
working knowledge of your market. Moreover, one must be careful not enter into a partnership
until you are certain as to the motive of your partners. In the midst of difficulties we are always
ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate ourselves from misfortune.
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Sun Tzus military treatise, in all of its aspects, is superb. It can be applied into business
strategical planning fluidly and can even be expanded. The Art of War offers an array of ways to
analyse the market and competitors, which is something that business people should emulate.
In a continuously evolving, working world one must not lose focus of the basic principles.