Section 18.1. The Origins of Strategy

18.1. The Origins of Strategy

Dictionary.com defines strategy as "the science and art of using all the forces of a nation to execute approved plans as effectively as possible during peace or war." As this definition suggests, strategy has a military history. In fact, its etymology leads us back to ancient Greece, where we find the term "strat-egos" ("the army's leader").^[] Early works such as Sun Tzus Art of War and Carl von Clausewitz's On War are still often quoted in the business world.

^[] "The Historical Genesis of Modern Business and Military Strategy: 18501950," by Keith Hoskin, Richard Macve, and John Stone, http://les.man.ac.uk/ipa97/papers/hoskin73.html.

Famous Fighting Words

"The best strategy is always to be very strong; first in general, and then at the decisive point...There is no higher and simpler law of strategy than that of keeping one's forces concentrated."

Carl von Clausewitz

"Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack."

Sun Tzu

"It is a common mistake in going to war to begin at the wrong end, to act first and to wait for disaster to discuss the matter."

Thucydides

"What is our aim? I answer in one word. Victoryvictory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however hard and long the road may be, for without victory there is no survival."

Winston Churchill

This explains why the language of business strategy is filled with military terminologypositioning the marketplace as a battlefield, competitors as enemies, and strategy as a plan that must be well executed to assure victory. It also helps to explain why the field of business strategy has been largely dominated by men who project power and confidence and who convincingly build a case that their plan or model or philosophy is the "one best way." This is a world where indecisiveness is taken as a sign of weakness.

And yet, notice the use of the term "art" in both the dictionary definition and the title of Sun Tzu's famous text. This is an acknowledgment that business strategy is not pure science. It involves a certain degree of creativity and risk taking, much like our nascent field of information architecture.