Following are some of the indexes that some of our associates have utilized to assess the state of the Big Tangible Picture (BTP) of the information economy:
The # of packages that are being delivered around our globe offer the trend state of the world's economy. I saw a story somewhere between 2007 and 2008, where the the state of the logisitic business (FedEx , UPS, DHL, etc) predicted the immediate slowdown of the global economy because of the declining quantity of freight shipments during the previous year or the previous three consecutive quarters for that year.
Google Trends This index monitoring the day to day flow of the information economy
Without stirring abroad One can know the whole world; Without looking out the window One can see the way of heaven. The further one goes The less one knows. Therefore the sage knows without having to stir, Identifies without having to see, Accomplishes without having to act. DDJ 47 So how does he know the world?
"The Strategist observes signs from the movements of Heaven and Earth and knows its principles. He observes the movement of the sun and the moon and understand their seasonal activity. He follows the cycles of day and night, taken them as his constant. All things have life and death in accord with the principles of Heaven and Earth. Thus it is said that if one fights before understanding the situation, even if he is more numerous, he will certainly be defeated."
"One who excels at competition will await events in the situation without making any movement. When he sees he can be victorious, he will arise; if he sees he cannot be victorious, he will desist. Thus it is said that he does not have any fear, he does not vacillate. Of the many harms that can beset an organization, indecision is the greatest. Of disasters that can befall an organization, none surpasses doubt."
"One who excels in competition will not lose an advantage when he perceives it or be doubtful when he meets the opportunity. One who loses an advantage or lags behind the time for action will, on the contrary, suffer from disaster. Thus the wise follow the time and do not lose an advantage; the skillful are decisive and have no doubts. He strikes like a sudden clap of thunder, which does not give time to cover ears; strike like a flash of lightning, which does not give time to close the eyes. Advance as is suddenly startled; employ your team as if deranged. Those who oppose you will be destroyed; those who come near will perish. Who can defend against such an attack?"
"Now when matters are not discussed and general preserves their secrecy, he is superior. When things are not manifest but he discerns them, he is wise. Thus if superior and wise, no enemies will act against him in the field, nor will any state stand against him."
Our friends at Cook Ding's Kitchen have asked us whether we have followed through with our annual strategy book reading and reviewing session. ... We quietly followed it as usual. The Compass Strategy Tradition Unlike the emotional-provoked people who liked to read the trendy "idea" books at any time of the day, the smart strategists preferred to focused their time on honing their craft or expanding their influence. During the winter season, they would spend a day or one weekend to read the various strategic classics for the purpose of reflecting on what is strategy. Therefore, he/she will be strategically prepared when the spring season arrives. (This is one of the many psychological preparation tactics of the Wudang martial arts section.) ... It is recommended that one chooses a cold day that would propel him/her to stay indoors.
Following is an abridged list of books that some of us have reread:
Peter L. Bernstein's Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
Boston Consulting Group's Perspective on Strategy
Thinking Visually: Business Applications of Fourteen Core Diagrams;
Weinberg's books on consulting, system thinking and individual effectiveness
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Dr. Sawyer's books on ancient Chinese history and translations of strategic classics (especially The Strategies for the Human Realm)
This specific tradition reminds the reader to be aware of the relevant fundamentals that could guide him or her toward solving a problem. Being the readers of the classics, we believed in the philosophical view that there are no real new ideas. The new ideas of the information economy are just an re-integration of classic ideas, with a new focus and a different message ( In terms of software, it could be a cleaner user interface.). Regardless of one's profession, it is important to follow the "arcane" traditions that remind the smart strategists to strengthening their strategic foundation while being mindful of their goal. /// updated on March 21st.
Our friends at Cook Ding Kitchen reminded us to follow good pragmatic traditions. During the winter season, some of the group are currently practicing this tradition and other unique strategic customs that will enables them to hone their skills as a strategist. ... One of the following weekends, some of the group will be re-reading some of the following books:
Against the Gods;
Dao De Jing;
The Protracted Game;
The Tao of Deception;
The Tao of Physics;
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms; and
other unique strategic classics.
Here is an abridged list of the current "hot" books that we are reading:
Anti-Fragile
The Signal and The Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail- but Some Don't
Turing's Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe
For those who are audio listeners, we recommended the following:
The rest of us will also be working on our Tangible Vision and our Compass Script. Read, reflect and adjust. That is the sequence of a good strategic thinker. #
Summary A strategist who succeeds with a geometric strategic process and a set of basic tools, usually becomes more effectively with the latest high-tech information systems. ... Those who connect to the Big Tangible Picture (BTP) regardless of their tool set, will possess a slight advantage for a minimum timeline. Q: What tools are currently sitting inside of your toolbox? Side note #1: Our strategic process model is based on a hierarchical order of specific principles from the Seven Strategy Classics, Military Methods and other unique strategic essays.
Click here for an interesting story on taking various macro risks in the information economy.
Regardless of the settings, one needs to be conservative, totally focused and not expand beyond their means. ... Good times and bad times can never last forever. Things always come in cycles.
During our off-hours, some of us occasionally spent some of our time observing how the "Art of War" strategic principles are being used in certain action movies (and in political-economic and social matters). In our review session, we also discussed whether the strategic implementation could have been improved.
Recently, the 13 Assassins movie was one of few films that indirectly shows how a battle is strategized and fought from the perspective of the Art of War essay.
This movie never ever mentioned anything that relates to the Art of War . We would only presumed that the chief assassin was a devotee of the Sunzi's classic. The movie quietly preached its principles without ever mentioning it. That is considered to be the way of all ways.
Serious Art of War (AoW) followers can see some of the terrain traps and the strategic leadership errors that Sunzi warned his readers about. They would also see how strategic power can be created through good strategic assessment, the positioning of the strategic power through planning and preparation and the influencing of of their power.
In this movie, the underdog prevailed over the odds of grand numbers by doing the following:
assessing the terrain;
positioning themselves ahead of the opposition; and
influencing them with their strategic power.
The Process of Assess
The protagonist and his team assessed the configuration of terrain, the behavior of the target and the many possible scenarios that could happened.
The Process of Position
Once the assessment was completed,. they built a plan and transformed their arsenal of various strategic factors toward a small but tangible state of strategic power (or strategic advantage).
The Process of Influence
Proper pre-positioning enabled them to influence their target toward a circumstance of implementing poor strategic decisions.
(from Magnet Releasing)
Yusuke Iseya and Takayuki Yamada in '13 Assassins.
Click here for a video trailer and a very good review from the Wall Street Journal. NY Times also provided a well-written reviewon this movie.
Notes from the Compass Desk
Observe how the fisherman analogy was subtly utilized in this film and how the chief assassin used it against the targeted antagonist. (This concept of baiting and luring the target into a trap is quite popular with ancient Chinese strategists and modern business practices.)
Also, observe how the chief assassins re-configured the terrain into their framework of strategic power.
To the strategy aficionados, we highly recommend this movie. Be aware that it is quite violent and bloody.
Side note: You can also find the various strategic and tactical principles embedded in the Red Cliff movie. We also highly recommended the classic movie titled Seven Samurai.
Final Notes
Whether you are in a competing or cooperating situation, always follow these three Compass rules:
Always assess the Big Tangible Picture before positioning and influencing.
Identify and comprehend the risks behind the various advantageous and disadvantageous factors within the Big Tangible Picture.
Always know the small points, the urgent points and the big points of your situation
By assessing properly, one can decide on whether "the act of subjugating the predominant paradigm" of the target is possible.
The ultimate objective of this blog is to discuss the pertinent topics of global trends, strategy, leadership, problem solving and analysis, strategic innovation, technical collaboration and competition. Some of our older posts can be found at collaboration360.blogspot.com
If you are interested in knowing more about our strategic consulting services, please contact us atwww.formspring.me/Compass360CG
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