the art of war is not the art of the deal

It seems especially appropriate that I should have discovered this listing through the "Products in Search of Opinions" feature. I write for the sake of the expression rather than the trickle of pennies or any sort of recognition, but if I did approach Epinions as a commercial endeavor, reviewing this topic would be an example of effective strategy. As a popular subject with little existing commentary, it is analogous to a populous and prosperous town with a light garrison. Certainly such a prize would be a worthy goal during a long campaign. Recognizing the value of such an objective is one example of sound strategic thinking. Thus I might qualify as a "wise general" for having taken the time to produce these paragraphs.

The strengths and weaknesses of that comparison illustrate the application of The Art of War to life the modern world. Clearly there is some genuine insight involved in my analysis of this situation. On the other hand, it strains credibility to compare my planning to the work of a general, and it would be just plain idiotic for me to assault rival reviewers with either rhetorical or physical violence. Some of what Sun Tzu has to say about warfare may inspire revelations about essentially peaceful activities. However, if that metaphor is uncritically embraced, the result may be a foolish and destructive reliance on completely inappropriate methods.

For example, when Sun Tzu speaks about the right way to regard soldiers, he is talking about conscripts who were often little more than slaves compelled to serve their feudal warlords. It is right for him to advise against listening to every minor complaint of the men or feeling sentimental about their welfare, since those distractions will ultimately draw energy away from the task of developing an effective military strategy. A general who tries to insure that his soldiers are personally fulfilled by their work is likely to get them and himself killed through poor planning. However, a corporate executive who neglects the well being of his subordinates or refuses to actively solicit feedback, including complaints, will encourage a dispassionate and inefficient approach to the work at hand. There is a vast difference between the role of a foot soldier in ancient China and the role of modern worker. Failure to appreciate that difference will make it impossible to be truly effective as a professional manager.

Although a literal application of The Art of War to business is as foolish as attempting to establish a national government with Plato's Republic as the charter document, I do not mean to imply that all its wisdom is irrelevant to the modern world. Twenty-five centuries after it was written, this book remains the single best source of fundamental knowledge for anyone involved in actual military command as well as related activities such as wargaming. Also, for those who are capable of selective and critical analysis of profound matters, it is possible to adopt elements of Sun Tzu's philosophy in order to better understand a wide variety of situations that involve establishing and achieving goals.

To get the most of out this ancient text, it is important to understand that it is simultaneously a practical guide to the conduct of a military campaign and an extraordinary example of sagacity from the ancient Orient. Each of its thirteen chapters is a brief series of statements about a particular topic. Just about every one of those declarations has both an obvious and straightforward application to bona fide warfare as well as a subtle and cryptic insight with a less specific scope. The dual nature of the writing can be seen clearly in this excerpt . . .

Military formation is like water -- the form of water is to avoid the high and go to the low, the form of a military force is to avoid the full and attack the empty; the flow of water is determined by the earth, the victory of a military force is determined by the opponent.

On one level, this is a description of the behavior of troops during a heated battle. Sun Tzu is explaining that a group of fighting men will tend to apply the greatest pressure at the weakest points in an enemy line. From this it is possible to reach several useful conclusions, such as the fact that it is possible to manipulate an enemy by creating the appearance of weakness where there is none. However, military forces are not the only entities where this comparison to water is informative. Most people and nearly all groups allow the circumstances around them to channel their actions. For example, it is natural for a legislative committee to deal with formalities and address issues of general consensus before moving on to tackle serious controversy. Understanding this aspect of human nature may help a participant in the group to make a sound strategic decision about when and how to introduce a specific proposal to the others.

Insofar as The Art of War is applicable to professional, social, and recreational activities, it is because of these bits of universal wisdom. It might make sense for a general to intentionally circulate misinformation about the poor performance of a certain military unit in order to cause enemies to underestimate the capabilities of those soldiers. By contrast, intentionally circulating misinformation about the poor quality of a particular product would certainly not be a good business strategy. The damage done to consumer confidence would surely outweigh any advantage that might be achieved by misdirecting a rival to compete aggressively in that particular niche. The concept that organizational behavior has a distinctly fluid quality remains true, but non-military organizations function in a different context, and this understanding may have radically different ramifications.

If you have what it takes to engage in a deep reading of this text or you are simply curious what a 2,500 year old military manual has to say, then you would do well to spend some time reading through The Art of War. Although it remains a popular item in book stores, quality translations are also freely available online such as the one produced by the Gutenberg project. The various translations often feature extensive commentary discussing possible interpretations of ancient idioms or relating the material to its historical context. If you are a scholar of the Chinese language, then this is certainly a worthy research project, since it is one of the most enduring works of Chinese literature ever composed. Though The Art of War may only qualify as words to live by if you are a military commander, it is certainly full of words worthy of contemplation by anyone willing to adapt Sun Tzu's ancient wisdom to their own circumstances.

Incidentally, if this turns out to be your kind of book I would also like to recommend further exploration of classic Asian literature, especially The Book of the Five Rings written by the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi. It considerably more abstract than Sun Tzu's work, and it contains a broader array of philosophical jewels. Like many samurai, Musashi found himself essentially jobless when the Tokugawa Shogunate eliminated feudal warfare in Japan. Musashi reacted to this predicament by wandering the land in pursuit of samurai ideals. As he aged he mastered many art forms and eventually wrote about his understanding of the warrior's craft. I find this sort of literature to be wonderfully thought-provoking, and The Book of the Five Rings is unmatched in that regard.