SUN TZU: THE ART OF  WAR

By: Bankole Obilanade, Huang Longgang, Gede Manggala, Mike Tain and Svetlana Vnucko (February 17, 2004)

We worked as a group, tried to provide the five best statements from Sun Tzu that relates with the current business environment. This is based on Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" that edited by James Clavell. Please read and let us know what you think!

Statement 1:

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” (p.18)

The citation above is relevant to contemporary business world describing the importance of knowing your inner strengths and weaknesses as well as competitors to stay competitive. Moreover, we can relate that citation to leadership and excellence in business. Because this is a leader’s position to make competitors following you and being confident at your position.  In addition to the above statement, there are other words from Sun Tzu that have the same meaning:

“The art of the war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.” (p.39)

“Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare against possible attacks; numerical strength from compelling our adversary to make these preparations against us.” (p.28)

Statement 2:

“Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your owned beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.” (p. 54)

This statement implies the art of leadership. In the contemporary business world, employees are soldiers for a company.  Senior managers train and exploit the skills and knowledge of these “soldiers” to achieve the company’s short-term and long-term strategic objectives. However, senior managers should think about how to motivate employees to do their best for their assigned work.  In today’s business, a company may encounter an issue on the performance of employees.  That is, some employees seem busy every day but work less efficiently than they should. They never intentionally do extra work but just do what they are told.  Obviously, this issue impedes the company to achieve their strategic objectives.

          The idea from Sun Tzu can be used to encourage and motivate employees to work efficiently and effectively. Tread employees with care and kindness.  To have a competitive and innovative workforce, the leaders of a company must create and maintain a meaningful working environment in which employees are trusted, supported, and cared.

          Sun Tzu, however, warned that

“If you are indulgent, but unable to make your authority felt; kindhearted, but unable to enforce your commands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder, then your soldiers must be likened to spoiled children; they are useless for any practical purpose.” (p. 54)

          Tzu’s warning is necessary for either a general of army or a leader of an organization in the modern world.  Leaders of a company, a division or a unit must earn respect from employees not by treating employees indulgently or over-kindheartedly but by illustrating their unique personal characteristics in the activities.  Earning real respect from employees is the key to enable each level employee to accept and execute decisions and policies made by leaders.

Statement 3:

“Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the great general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men; is foreknowledge.” (p.77)

“Foreknowledge” is referenced several times by Sun Tzu in his book, which means the importance of that terminology. The other statements contain foreknowledge are:

“Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the great general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men; is foreknowledge.”

“Now this foreknowledge can’t be elicited from spirits, it can’t be obtained inductively from experience, nor by deductive reasoning.” (p. 77)

“Knowledge of the enemy’s dispositions can only be obtained by other men.” (p.78)

This enables ordinary men to achieve extraordinary things; above and beyond expectations.  You may take advantage of a number of things if you have accurate foreknowledge available to you, including; identify weaknesses of the enemy, anticipate enemy moves and strengths.  In other words, you can set your strategy based upon knowledge of the other player’s strategy, a decided advantage.  This “foreknowledge can’t be obtained “from spirits”, nor can it be deduced or induced.  This knowledge can only be gained through men, or human intelligence, as I referenced earlier. 

          Statement 4:

          “When your weapons are dulled, and ardor dampened, your strength exhausted, and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity.” (p.13)

In the business world an organization or company should continue to be innovative and they should not allow other competitors in the same industry to over come them in the innovation and introduction of new products and services into the market.

          Statement 5:

“Now, the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who losses a battle make but few calculations beforehand.” (p.11)

The above statement is very relevant to the current business world because it shows the importance of developing a good strategy even before entering a market. A firm or an organization needs to build its strategy to achieve some specific objectives in other to win the competition. The strategy and objective must be developed thoughtfully based on a strong vision and mission. With the fierce competition in today’s environment, the winners are surely determined by how good they prepare their planning and strategies.

Work Cited

 Tzu, Sun.“The Art of War.” Ed. Clavell, James. New York: Delacorte, 1983