To understand opportunities, we first have to understand that we can only take advantage of opportunities created by the forces within our competitive environment. In strategy, "an advantage" means a position that is favored by the forces in the environment. An opportunity is an opening that allows us to move into a position of advantages.

This article about the current financial crisis brilliant summarizes the skepticism about Sun Tzu in this quote from Lorelei Gilmore, a fictional character on the long-running “Gilmore Girls” sitcom:

“It’s a classic Sun Tzu ‘Art of War’ maneuver. If you’re being attacked from the east, attack whoever’s to your west, and you were the west. I never read the book. It’s full of crap like that.”

Just loved this video because we too often lose our perspective in seeing the real nature of human progress. ~Gary Gagliardi

Note: This article is inspired by the work of Maj. Donald E. Vandergriff's in his book, Raising the Bar, Creating and Nurturing Adaptability to Deal with the Changing Face of War.)

The original concepts of traditional strategy were not so much forgotten as buried. We think of strategy today as planning because linear thinking is what we have been taught for several generations in school.  This didn't happen by accident.

An understanding of the strategic decision making grows more important everywhere every day both for individuals and at every level of every organization. Globalization and the communication revolution are reshaping how we work and how we relate to one another. Our world is emerging the industrial age into the information age world. The industrial world was defined by hierarchical organizations and preplanned processes. The networked world is defined by interconnected organizations and adaptive processes.

Something I attempt to explain in my programs TIME as it relates to Planning for possible critical incidents and day to day operations (time is plenty and risk is low) and TIME as it relates to in the moment decision making based on a rapidly unfolding situation (time is short and risk is high). Gary Gagliardi of the Science of Strategy Institute explains this concept perfectly.

Fred

A great article from the Science of Strategy Institutes founder and leader Gary Gagliardi. Short and to the point on how strategy and Sun Tzu’s Adaptive Response System helps in all aspects of our lives personally and professionally.

Fred

October 13, 2008 - 9:12am — GaryGagliardi