Exercise 2: Strategy as Warfare
It is common to see military analogies and phrasing used to
describe strategy topics, particularly in regard to competitive
dynamics and interfirm rivalry. For example, executives often
speak about guerilla marketing, launching preemptive strikes on
rivals, or battles for market share. Al Dunlap, a former CEO of
Sunbeam, was once known as “Rambo in pinstripes” and even
posed for a business magazine photo shoot wearing machine
guns.
Military texts are often used to help understand how firms
should act in relation to their competitors. Von Clauswitz’s book
On War draws on his experience in the Napoleonic Wars. Sun
Tzu’s Art of War is a much earlier—circa 500 B.C.E.—and more
influential text, however. Sun Tzu was a Chinese general who,
according to legend, was hired by the king after a demonstration
of training using the king’s concubines.