The 36 Stratagems for Executives

by Donald G. Krause, Jeff Carter, Rebecca Slomski (Editor)

Winning in business, political, and interpersonal competition requires combining higher-level strategy with practical tactics to produce an effective approach to competitive action. Understanding the competitive situation, evaluating the nature of alternatives which are reasonably available given the situation, and creating an effective mix of actionable strategies are the fundamental steps to success in any competition.This idea is the essence of the concepts taught by Sun Tzu in his classic text on strategy, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. However, applying Sun Tzu’s strategic methods also requires development and implementation of specific tactics. To enhance our ability to understand and apply tactics to business, political, and interpersonal competition, we turn to another classic Chinese text from the same period of history as The Art of War. The text, titled The Thirty-six Stratagems, can be considered a practical addendum to the higher-level strategic advice provided by Sun Tzu.The Thirty-six Stratagems is a short handbook of tactical methods which can be used as building blocks to develop workable alternatives for tactical action under the stress of competition. The tactics covered anticipate a wide range of competitive conditions and can be readily applied to many competitive problems, including those encountered in modern business and political situations.

39 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 5, 2012

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for a class. Does not deliver as advertised.