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
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
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Ping-luen -hsun
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