ABSTRACT
People have always been fascinated with strategy. It implies a degree of mastery – of the ability to outwit others and influence outcomes, to determine the future. There is the appeal of intellectual challenge, the competitiveness of playing to win, the exercise of power, the satisfaction of achievement – it’s like a game of chess (although the pieces are far from wooden) or deploying the forces at your disposal to win the war. Lessons derived from military strategists from Sun Tzu to Bonaparte, von Clausewitz and Montgomery are consumed avidly by organisational leaders in their search for insights, and the language of seeking advantage permeates many boardroom discussions about strategy.
