Changing the Strategy
Sun Tzu said, “How victory may be produced for them out of the enemy's own tactics--that is what the multitude cannot comprehend. All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved. Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.”
It is impossible to see how the complete battle will unfold. Decisions must be made in battle quickly. The great leader will know how to manage the confusion and make the right decisions.
In business, you can gather as much information as you like and the landscape is still uncertain. You might project stellar earnings and instead go bankrupt. There is no crystal ball to guarantee you anything. Over time a business will learn how to achieve victory. The mistake of many businesses is that they continue to repeat victory in a systematic way.
In a battle, if you know where the battle will take place and that the enemy will act the same way every time, you can prepare for them and beat them. It is the same in business. Corporations get used to business as usual. What can happen is that executives may not see the changes that are taking place in the market. They may not see the new competitors and how they are doing a better job with the customers.
The best strategy for a company is to change their strategy every time. They shouldn't always to the same thing over and over. When you are so predictable, it is easy to beat you.
The other factor is that the company gains a lot of valuable information and learns how to win in various ways. This information is invaluable.
Todays corporations are a bit cocky. They often think they are so good at what they do that nobody can ever compete with them. That is why they keep doing it the same way year in and year out without listening to customers. History has shown, that the landscape will indeed change. Someday Wal-Mart will not be around anymore. There will be a new store to take its place. Someday General Motors will lose so much money that the Federal Government won't be able to bail them out. Things change, that is one thing you really can count on.
Sun Tzu said, “ Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.”
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