The Art of WarSun Tzu and The Art of War exemplify the true meaning of the words entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy. Although The Art of War was written thousands of years ago, the strategy and concepts that are presented are still extremely relevant today. Military leaders, sports coaches and business managers alike have referenced this work repeatedly to gain a competitive edge, defeat their opponents strategically and create their desired outcome. This paper will illustrate Sun Tzu’s teachings, how they directly correlate to entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy, how the concepts and principles presented can be effectively applied in the 21st century as well as my opinion on its application. .
The History of the Chinese Wars: In the 17th Century, the English Civil War was raging in Eastern Europe: The War of the Roses, the Great Schism of 1814-15, and many other such rebellions occurred out of the Middle East. The British, U.S., and Japanese countries were eager to use their influence to create a better world. To counter this pressure, the Roman emperor Philip II ordered the use of military force in 1606 in a campaign against Russia’s “enemy,” the Turks. In his response to these events, Philip ordered the armies to occupy the western territories (not the British) of his newly conquered empire. The French Army of Napoleon had recently come out with its own strategy to conquer Europe’s major city-states, thus making it even easier to accomplish this goal. In the ensuing years the French and English governments began a series of internal crises and were forced into the face of the new, but less aggressive, rule by Napoleon, which they ultimately proved to be unsuccessful in, after he was overthrown in 1706.
What can we learn from this development? The French military is indeed developing an innovation-based, technological strategy, but is in fact not without flaws and many more. An analogy might be made about the situation with the Roman military; both are struggling for dominance in the field of battle while the “good guys” in the field just want to see their power up. These generals are in fact striving to dominate the world, yet their power is not necessarily tied to some single or even just group of “bad men” like the Roman army in the first place. In contrast, to achieve dominance in the field, one must achieve a particular strategic outcome in the field of battle. With that in mind, it is not surprising that the French military is struggling for dominance now on the basis of a strategic strategy that is based mostly on the use of the tactical battles and on the lack of coordination and discipline necessary to win, such as the decisive victory on 6th November 1602 at Siena, France. After many struggles against this strategic mindset, the French military is finally beginning to develop a strategy that works with a set of tactical battles and a strategic strategy. .
The American Revolution and the World War II: American Military Power is Developing and Is Not Building Towards a More Competitive International Order
The Americans were the first to establish a system of global governance in a form to match American power. This system was developed to counter the rising tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Since the start of the Cold War both of the parties have struggled for dominance in this field. Thus, it is perhaps worth focusing on four important aspects that are important to grasp and understand the emerging American challenge. A
· US National Security Policy
· Political Science
The History of the Chinese Wars: In the 17th Century, the English Civil War was raging in Eastern Europe: The War of the Roses, the Great Schism of 1814-15, and many other such rebellions occurred out of the Middle East. The British, U.S., and Japanese countries were eager to use their influence to create a better world. To counter this pressure, the Roman emperor Philip II ordered the use of military force in 1606 in a campaign against Russia’s “enemy,” the Turks. In his response to these events, Philip ordered the armies to occupy the western territories (not the British) of his newly conquered empire. The French Army of Napoleon had recently come out with its own strategy to conquer Europe’s major city-states, thus making it even easier to accomplish this goal. In the ensuing years the French and English governments began a series of internal crises and were forced into the face of the new, but less aggressive, rule by Napoleon, which they ultimately proved to be unsuccessful in, after he was overthrown in 1706.
What can we learn from this development? The French military is indeed developing an innovation-based, technological strategy, but is in fact not without flaws and many more. An analogy might be made about the situation with the Roman military; both are struggling for dominance in the field of battle while the “good guys” in the field just want to see their power up. These generals are in fact striving to dominate the world, yet their power is not necessarily tied to some single or even just group of “bad men” like the Roman army in the first place. In contrast, to achieve dominance in the field, one must achieve a particular strategic outcome in the field of battle. With that in mind, it is not surprising that the French military is struggling for dominance now on the basis of a strategic strategy that is based mostly on the use of the tactical battles and on the lack of coordination and discipline necessary to win, such as the decisive victory on 6th November 1602 at Siena, France. After many struggles against this strategic mindset, the French military is finally beginning to develop a strategy that works with a set of tactical battles and a strategic strategy. .
The American Revolution and the World War II: American Military Power is Developing and Is Not Building Towards a More Competitive International Order
The Americans were the first to establish a system of global governance in a form to match American power. This system was developed to counter the rising tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Since the start of the Cold War both of the parties have struggled for dominance in this field. Thus, it is perhaps worth focusing on four important aspects that are important to grasp and understand the emerging American challenge. A
· US National Security Policy
· Political Science
Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War in approximately 500 B.C., a time characterized as the late Spring and Autumn Period. During this time, military strategy in warfare in Ancient China did not exist. The primary method of war was to attack as fiercely as possible with little to no planning. The thought was that the largest army of men with the most weapons would win the war. Sun Tzu was ahead of his time in realizing that strategy was essential and war did not have to be as uncertain as it had been in the past. Hence, the smaller army with the better strategy could be in a better position than the larger opponent. His legendary quote “Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat. If you only know yourself but not your opponent you may win or lose. If you know neither yourself nor the enemy, you will always endanger yourself”, is a proven principle in the battles of his time and throughout history. The 13 chapters outline strategic tactics to be applied both defensively and offensively under any circumstances and in any battle to ensure with certainty that you will prevail against the opposition. Internal and external situational awareness combined with intelligent, calculated decision-making is the basis for overcoming any conflict or battle.
Sun Tzu’s philosophy is an extremely valuable tool in teaching and re-training oneself to deal with conflict and competition at a highly effective level. It seems as though I have been fighting battles my entire life, both personally and professionally, and have not been armed with the proper tools to succeed. My initial instinct in a confrontational situation is to react with emotion, immediately become defensive and take action without a concise thought process.. Over the course of the past few weeks, I have made attempts at following Sun Tzu’s teachings and have had victory. Whether it has been a struggle with my eight-year old son to clean his room properly or an attempt at changing common practices in the workplace, situational awareness, a strategy or plan of action and knowing my opposition has made the conflicts I face on a daily basis easier to resolve. Through consistent practice of Sun Tzu’s teachings, I feel that not only