Written by Matthew S. Forner

1. THE TRUE ART OF WAR
1
Sun Tzu and Modern Business:
The True Art of War
Matthew Scott Forner
Principles of Management
Professor Reins
20 November 2015

2. THE TRUE ART OF WAR
2
Outline Page
Abstract
Quote 1 – “There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five
give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.” - Teamwork
Quote 2 – “If a general shows confidence in his men but always insists on his orders
being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.” – Trust between the company and the workers
Quote 3 – “When fire breaks out inside the enemy’s camp, respond at once with an attack
from without.” – How to handle competition
Quote 4 – “But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being;
nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.” – Dealing with change
Quote 5 – “What the ancients called, a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels
in winning with ease.” – Modesty and Humbleness in business
Quote 6 – “In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but the
indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.” – Why creativity is important
Quote 7 – ““Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know
where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.” – Knowing your competition
Quote 8 - “The general who thoroughly understands the advantages that accompany
variation of tactics knows how to handle his troops.” – Dealing with people, communication
Quote 9 – ““The stronger men will be in front, the jaded ones will fall behind, and on this
plan only one-tenth of your army will reach its destination.” – Proper planning
Quote 10 - “Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to
places where you are not expected.” – Flexibility in business
Conclusion

3. THE TRUE ART OF WAR
3
Abstract
Sun Tzu was a military general, strategist, and philosopher in the Spring and Autumn
periods of ancient China. He is noted for his superb military successes and quotes of warfare that
can be compared to multiple aspects of life, including business. His book, The Art of War is one
of the greatest resources for those who are going through their own version of “warfare” in life.
The quotes range from topics about change to teamwork to even dealing with competition. This
essay will look at ten different quotes taken directly from the book and apply it to modern
business practices. Since this paper is being written for a class at Southwestern Adventist
University it will focus on business in a Christian environment and will deal with specifically
Christian business practices which are held to higher ethical standards.

4. THE TRUE ART OF WAR
4
The Art of War is a truly inspiring book and the quotes have inspired me in my own
personal life. The first quote I chose deals with teamwork and collaboration. It is important to
remember the goals of the entire team or an “army” of individuals; “There are not more than five
musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be
heard.” This is showing that all parts must be working together for amazing work to take place.
In every business environment collaboration is important. Working with others to reach success
is vital. Teamwork allows for multiple views to be achieved and collaboration is the actual
process and synergy that teams create. The best example is that of 3M, a company whose culture
is defined by a spirit of collaboration. An international corporation like 3M embraces a spirit of
collaboration and they even go so far to say it is in their DNA. (3M) Successful innovation is
only established when multiple viewpoints and looked at and tested. Just like musical melodies
and beautiful harmonies are created when different parts work together, the same can be applied
to business.
Trust is one of the most important things, if not the most important in every relationship.
Whether it is in romantic relationships or in workplace relationships, trust is very important. Just
like how in warfare a general has a unique relationship with his troops, it is the same in the
business world with the CEO or manager having a unique relationship with the workers; “If a
general shows confidence in his men but always insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will
be mutual.” Leaders should trust his or her workers and never use overbearing authority to
receive results. It is important to remember that leaders, like generals on a battlefield, have a
unique relationship with those under their authority. There must be a two-way trust present for
success to occur. Unfortunately, micromanaging is a common practice in the business world,
both in secular and Christian world environments. Micromanaging can really damage the

5. THE TRUE ART OF WAR
5
relationship between managers/employers and the employees. It tells the employees that trust is
not present and that those above them are not confident about their work. (Wilkins, 2014) The
best places to work are the places where managers treat their workers like they want to be treated
themselves. Trust must be mutual and shared.
My favorite quote is regarding competition and when to beat them; “When fire breaks out
inside the enemy’s camp, respond at once with an attack from without.” This really is talking
about knowing when your competition is weak and when you can beat them, of course then they
are going through some sort of internal crisis. In business, competition is the other business you
want to beat and just like in warfare, each side usually wins battles, but the victor of the war can
only be one. When a competing business is struggling and has a disaster, if you want to win you
have to acknowledge that and respond by upping your game. This can be done by either
releasing a new innovative product or doing something that woos the customers to you. (Krasny,
2013) Competition in business is a powerful tool that can used to your advantage if waged
properly. It brings out the good and bad in people and in the end determines who loses and who
wins.
As humans, overall we tend to dislike change. We like the idea of change, but once it is
put into action and the change starts to take place, we tend to not like it so much. It is important
to remember that change is normal and healthy; “But a kingdom that has once been destroyed
can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.” We can’t be
nostalgic about the past and how things were. Those times have past and we should always look
forward to what the future has to bring. Many times businesses get wrapped up in the past and
don’t modernize or revolutionize their business to match the needs of the current time because
they are focused on the past. This can be a downfall and prove deadly.

6. THE TRUE ART OF WAR
6
An example of a company that failed because they didn’t properly modernize is
Blockbuster. Blockbuster was a major home movie and video game rental company that didn’t
have much competition throughout the early and mid 2000s. At it’s peak, Blockbuster had over
3,500 locations in North America. The transition from VHS to DVD was smooth but they failed
to modernize when digital video was beginning to be heavily pushed by Video-On-Demand
providers, primarily Netflix. Blockbuster saw the changing of the times and had the capital to
fully fund and launch a digital movie streaming rental service similar to Netflix but never
believed that it would catch on. (Graser, 2013) They failed to act and were horribly wrong. Less
than ten years later, in October 2015, Netflix reported it had 69.17 million subscribers, with 43
million of them coming from the United States. (Satell, 2014) Obviously, Blockbuster dropped
the ball and failed to modernize with the times. In 2014, the last company owned Blockbuster
store was closed. Now only 51 locations remain, all franchise owned and operated.
As Christian business students we are naturally held to higher ethical standards. When we
are successful it is important to remember that we should win with simplicity and not boast. It is
a concept that I believe is rooted in morality and if we claim to truly be Christians we will follow
the standard. The fourth quote goes along nicely with this principle; “What the ancients called, a
clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.” Humbleness and
modesty is something very powerful and it also shows security of image within the company. If
you know who you are and do not boast it shows much more power and strength that if you
always have to flexing the proverbial muscle.
Creativity is the most important factor in a successful business. It separates those who
thrive and those who just exist at the end of battle. The fifth quote goes nicely with creativity;
“In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but the indirect methods will be

7. THE TRUE ART OF WAR
7
needed in order to secure victory.” Apple is arguably the most successful technology company
of all time. With total assets totaling double that of their biggest competitor, Microsoft, Apple is
the clear-cut winner. Besides being a marketing and design genius they also eclipse their
competitors with new ideas and products. When the iPhone was first introduced in 2007 nobody
knew whether this new “smart phone” would take off or be another gimmick. Apple was right, it
revolutionized the cell phone market and their creativity and desire to make something different
and unique was shown. (Bajarin, 2012) Creativity is an open door route to success. If you have
an idea and have the drive and determination to see it through, you create or do anything!
When getting into any sort of warfare, knowing your enemy is important. It is the same
with business. Think of business as warfare, not hand to hand combat, but warfare through
information. This is the reality of everyday business in corporate America. Companies are
competing intelligence agencies like the CIA, NSA, MI6, FIS, and Interpol where they are
always trying to figure out information about the others. You have to know where the enemy has
strength and where it has weakness; “Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so
that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.” Forming a
competitive analysis is a must for any business in today’s world. (Berry, 2005) With so much
competition and so many other choices for the consumer, being able to properly compete is a top
priority. However, it must be noted that this can be taken too far and unethical practices can
occur. Companies may pay informants under the table for information or even go so far as to find
out secret, non-public information. It is important to stay within the legal, ethical practices,
because at the end of the day it’s not worth it to go to prison.
A perfect example of competition is the Adventist college market. In the United States
there are nine universities that focus a liberal-arts undergraduate system. (Association of

8. THE TRUE ART OF WAR
8
Adventist Colleges & Universities, 2015) Most of the them teach the same core degrees and the
environments, spiritually speaking, are very similar when compared to major public universities
or other private four year colleges. For an Adventist picking which university to attend the task
can be daunting. Most offer extensive financial aid and need-based scholarships and other than a
few programs offered only at one or two of them, they are all very comparable. It would be
greatly helpful for the faculty and staff of each university to recognize the strengths and
weaknesses of one another and try to build schools that can compete better both internally, in the
Adventist community, and externally.
Dealing with people is part of the business world. You must be able to properly
communicate with others if you’re going to be successful. If you’re a manager or a team leader,
being able to relate to others is very important. Knowing that different beliefs, and personalities
exist is also important to business success. If you want a well oiled machine, you must apply the
lubricant to where it is needed. Sun Tzu talks about variation of tactics, a principle that can
applied to communication and relationships; “The general who thoroughly understands the
advantages that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle his troops.” When dealing
with people you cannot use the same style or method. There are introverts, extroverts, and people
with a mixture of both. People find value in different things and value different types of rewards.
The two major types are intrinsic rewards and extrinsic rewards. One deals with internal feelings
and the other from external stimuli. (Deci, 2000) Understanding the differences and applying
them to your career are what make great communicators and successful companies.
Planning and recognizing reality is another key to success in the business world. It is
almost smart to plan for failure because at some point in either a personal professional career or a
company’s business career, failure will occur. It is part of the business cycle and life. Sun Tzu

9. THE TRUE ART OF WAR
9
made it clear when he talked about how to maneuver on the battlefield; “The stronger men will
be in front, the jaded ones will fall behind, and on this plan only one-tenth of your army will
reach its destination.” Planning goes hand in hand with being able to recognize the reality of
some failure. If you were to go into warfare expecting no casualties or no blood spilled, you
would be called crazy; it is the same way with business. A company that failed to properly plan
in recent history was British Petroleum aka. BP. As their infamous oil spill is now years in the
rearview mirror, the effects are still present in the gulf. Part of their failure was not having a
proper disaster plan in place. When dealing with major amounts of oil it would be logical to plan
for some sort of spill or event to occur. However, BP was ignorant and because of this the
environmental effects were tremendously bad and the company lost major amounts of money.
(Rushton, 2013) It took 87 days, almost three months, to finally successfully cap the well. If they
had properly planned for a disaster and were truthful about the real effects they were causing,
they situation wouldn’t have nearly as bad.
The last quote to look at deals with flexibility, something that every successful business
must have. In an ever-changing world, you must be able to adapt and change quickly with the
times; “Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where
you are not expected.” A company must always be on the move, trying new things, innovating,
make the competition fight hard to beat you. You can only do this when you are flexible and in
multiple places at the same time, overwhelming the competition. One example of another type of
internal company flexibility is Hilton. They move their full-time employees around on a regional
basis and when one area spikes they transfer more workers to that location, and vise-versa with
their other hotels. This not only develops and agile workforce but also ensures that workers don’t
become complacent and stagnant. (Frauenheim, 2011) This system promotes full-time

10. THE TRUE ART OF WAR
10
employment, something desperately needed in today’s world while also helping the company
achieve corporate goals.
This essay looked at quotes about warfare from Sun Tzu and transformed them into
inspirational business principles. Every company is engaged in their own form of warfare. While
one company may be struggling with understanding their competition, another may be dealing
with internal conflict between managers and the line workers. As Christian business people I do
believe we can be successful in using the principles of Sun Tzu talked about in this paper. The
principles from the Bible can be used in harmony with the writings from Sun Tzu. All were fully
ethical and talked about building a successful business. Christian business owners and workers
should set the standard for how businesses should be run, with ethical and moral standards while
also excelling and succeeding. Hopefully these quotes can help by providing ethical, realistic,
advice and inspiration for the modern world.

11. THE TRUE ART OF WAR
11
References
3M. (n.d.). Spirit of Collaboration. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from 3M Official Website:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/NA_Optical/Systems/BehindTheScenes/SpiritofC
ollaboration/
Association of Adventist Colleges & Universities. (2015, November 16). Colleges &
Universities. Retrieved from Adventist Colleges & Universities:
http://www.adventistcolleges.org/colleges-universities
Bajarin, T. (2012, May 7). 6 Reasons Apple Is So Successful. TIME .
Berry, T. (2005, July 10). Know Your Competition. Entrepreneur .
Deci, R. M. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions.
Contemporary Educational Psychology .
Frauenheim, E. (2011, March 6). Companies Focus Their Attention on Flexibility. Workforce
Magazine .
Graser, M. (2013, November 12). Epic Fail: How Blockbuster Could Have Owned Netflix.
Variety .
Krasny, J. (2013, November 11). Why Competition May Be the Best Thing for Your Business.
Inc.
Rushton, K. (2013, September 30). BP 'failed to plan' for Deepwater Horizon disaster. The
Telegraph .
Satell, G. (2014, September 5). A Look Back At Why Blockbuster Really Failed And Why It
Didn't Have To. Forbes Magazine .

12. THE TRUE ART OF WAR
12
Wilkins, M. M. (2014, November 11). Signs That You’re a Micromanager. Retrieved November
15, 2015, from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2014/11/signs-that-youre-a-
micromanager