Mini strategy series @soerenbax: The #ThirtySixStratagems, a collection of ancient Chinese military thought and experience.
Characters of the Thirteenth of Thirty-Six Stratagems: 打草惊蛇(打草驚蛇) – Dǎcǎojīngshé. 打, dǎ: beat, fight. 草, cǎo: grass. 惊, jīng: shock, surprise, be frightened. 蛇, shé: snake.
Meaning: Test the opponents reaction with smaller strikes and attacks. Provoke the enemy to reveal his strength and intentions.
Business example: Sometimes it is necessary to take an incremental approach to strategic change, in order to test the grounds and gather more competitive intelligence. Thus beating the grass to scare the snake. Simply put: Test the situation and find out how all the other players may behave, without the risk of large scale confrontation or damage to the own strategic position.
This is a very common approach to change management and development in China. It is often preferred to take action, make smaller steps and then see how it goes. Or as I always used to tell my employees in China: 计划还不如变化 (Jìhuà hái bùrú biànhuà) Change supersedes planning.
Author Archives: SBX
Twelfth of #ThirtySixStratagems: Lead away a sheep in passing. 顺手牵羊 (順手牽羊) – Shùnshǒuqiānyáng.
Mini strategy series @soerenbax: The #ThirtySixStratagems, a collection of ancient Chinese military thought and experience.
Characters of the Twelfth of Thirty-Six Stratagems: 顺手牵羊 (順手牽羊) – Shùnshǒuqiānyáng. 顺, shùn: along, smooth. 手, shǒu: hand. 牵, qiān: pull, lead along. 羊, yáng: sheep.
Meaning: Hide the attack in an unthreatening motion.
Business example: This stratagem is about seizing opportunities when the competitor is not paying attention to the threat. One cooperation may be focussing in one direction and the competitor is stealing something, they are not paying attention to.
Eleventh of #ThirtySixStratagems: The plum tree dies for the peach tree. 李代桃僵 (李代桃僵) – Lǐdàitáojiāng.
Eleventh of #ThirtySixStratagems: The plum tree dies for the peach tree. 李代桃僵 (李代桃僵) – Lǐdàitáojiāng.
Mini strategy series @soerenbax: The #ThirtySixStratagems, a collection of ancient Chinese military thought and experience.
Characters of the eleventh of Thirty-Six Stratagems: 李代桃僵 (李代桃僵) – Lǐdàitáojiāng. 李, lǐ: plum. 代, dài: replace. 桃, táo: peach. 僵, jiāng: stiff, remain stiff.
Meaning: The plum gets the insects while the peach remains stiff and strong. The plum dies to save the peach. When loss can not be avoided, sacrifice may be necessary for the benefit of whole.
Business example: See the big picture and long term trends. In order to stay in business in the long run, it may be necessary to sacrifice a successful business unit now, in order to promote a new business unit for long term success.
This is what is currently happening at SAP. The cloud business is growing, while the traditional software license business is under thread. SAP is sacrificing the plum, to harvest the peach.
Kaisa Holding – will they pay?
Yuan Forwards Near Three-Week High on China Stimulus Optimism – Bloomberg
Tenth of #ThirtySixStratagems: Hide the dagger behind a smile. 笑里藏刀 (笑裡藏刀) – Xiàolǐcángdāo.
Mini strategy series @soerenbax: The #ThirtySixStratagems, a collection of ancient Chinese military thought and experience.
Characters of the tenth of Thirty-Six Stratagems: 笑里藏刀 (笑裡藏刀) – Xiàolǐcángdāo. 笑, xiào: smile. 里, lǐ: inside, behind. 藏, cáng: hide, conceal. 刀, dāo: knive.
Meaning: Pretend to be friendly and peacefully, but secretly preparing and waiting for an opportunities to strike at the opponent.