A Clue to Using Sunzi's Five Critical Strategic Factors as a Strategic Tool

What are the Five Critical Strategic Factors (CSFs)?

• Dao (The Way) is the singularity
• Tien (Heaven) is the cyclical state 
• Dian (Earth) is the strategic situation
• Jiang (General) is the leadership qualities
• Fa (Methods, processes, etc.) is the efficacy of logistics and economics 

Based on the information relating to the Five CSF, does the chief decision maker possessed the leadership qualities and the processes to match or to exceed the strategic criteria of the singularity.  

You can read more about it on Chapter One of the Sun zi essay.

Using The Heaven Factor and The Earth Factor as a Guide

“Among the spiritual nothing is more honored than Heaven, among strategic power nothing more conductive than earth, among movements nothing more urgent than time, and among employments nothing more advantageous than man. Now these fours are the trunks and branches of the army. But they must rely the Tao before they can be implemented and attain unified employment.

Now advantages of Earth overcome season of Heaven; skillful attacks overcome advantages of Earth; strategic power conquers men. Those who rely on Heaven can be confused, who rely on Earth can be constrainted, who rely on time can be pressed and who rely on men can be deluded. Now benevolence, courage, trust and purity are attractive human attributes, but the courageous can be enticed; the benevolent can be seized, the trusting can be deceived, and the pure are easily plotted against. If the army’s commander displays any one of these attributes, he will be captured. From this perspective, it is clear that armies control victory through the patterns of the Tao, not through relying upon the talents of worthies. Only those worth form cannot be ensnared. For the reason the Sage conceals himself in the originless so that his emotions cannot be perceived. He moves in the formless so that deployment cannot be fathomed. Without tactics or appearance, he acts appropriately.  Without name or shape, he changes and creates an image. Even among those with acute victory,. Who can spy out his nature?”

Huai-nan Tzu, a Daoist-Strategist

-      Ping-luen -hsun

Understanding the Big Tangible Picture (BTP)

(updated at 16:16 hrs)

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete. …”   - Sunzi 10

Regardless of the lack of experience and insights from the field strategists, there are multiple meanings to this thought.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt;

Knowing the competition and knowing yourself is not enough.   ...  You have know the reasons behind him or her in terms of motives, methods and strategic foundation.

It could look discouraging for those who realized that the competition possesses an abundance of resources.  By knowing the state of their motive and their methods, there is always an opportunity to subvert him if one knows the why's behind the motive and the methods..

if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete. …”

There are multiple meanings to this statement

The Basic Meaning

While terrain is about the characteristics of a strategic situation, the heaven is about the rate of cyclical change that supports the current strategic situation.

The Secondary Meaning

From a geographic perspective, the terrain factor is about topographic settings to a landscape while the heaven factor is about the external influences that are affecting the terrain.

Another Perspective

“Given a knowledge of three matters—the affairs of men, the seasons of heavens and the natural advantages of earth—victory will invariably crown your battles. “ – Li Ch’uan   

More to Come

ARM: The Virtual Intellectual Property Company

source: Arm logo 

ARM is an IP company that does not manufacture anything.  They are also almost synonymous with "embedded."

The daily challenge for the competitive thinkers who are operating in the information economy is to develop that category of virtual business.  

Click here for more information on ARM's latest success. 

Assessing the Basics of Taijiquan (2)

Another variation of that earlier story where some people have claimed that the gist of Taijiquan originated from a person who observed a battle between a eagle or a magpie hawk (not a crane) and a snake. 

After watching this video, do you know what were the prevailing factors for the victor?

Assessing the Basics of Taijiquan (1)

Some people have claimed that the gist of Taijiquan originated from a person who observed a battle between a crane and a snake. 

After watching this video, do you know what were the prevailing factors for the crane?

Could you identify those same factors in the practice of Taijiquan?

Side note
From which animal, does one learns how to center oneself?

Happy Independence Day

Have a root beer and enjoy your day.  ... 

Source: Wellness Mama

The Dao of the Smart Economy

The competitiveness factor of the global economy has ascended a few notches upward since the emergence of the Internet.

Those who possessed the near-endless abundance of resources, can afford to err in their endeavor while the rest of the world who possess a finite amount of resources are usually risk-adverse.

They espoused to the masses to push, persist and persevere without telling them about their singular advantage.

How do you prevail over these crafty banshees?


The Suggestion 
Recognize the configuration of your arena before outlining the specific factors that are in play.  Comprehend the strategic state of the matrix that is behind the array of those factors by understanding the measurables behind each factor.

Out of the macro menu of tactical approaches, most people chose the one that is based on these following three points: attainability; realistic in its projected outcome and the timeline that the objective/approach must be completed by.

Based on the arrangement of those specific factors

Be smart, not stupid.