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About the Book
What is strategy?
Why do you need it?
How do you do it?
And, how can you be more certain to succeed?
THE ART OF STRATEGY provides timeless answers to these eternal questions. It is a short introduction to strategy through the insights of three successful strategists: Sun Tzu, John Boyd and Simon Wardley. It is a modern reading of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War — the strategy classic written in China around 500 BCE — using the lenses of Boyd (OODA "loop" inventor) and Wardley (Wardley Map inventor) who were both influenced by Sun Tzu.
Each chapter gently transforms The Art of War into a modern business setting and includes material from Boyd and Wardley in separate sections to complement and clarify Sun Tzu’s terse, poetic text. In this way, strategy is served in 13 short chapters requiring 5–10 minutes of reading time each. An extensive glossary is included since many Chinese concepts are purposefully abstract and ambiguous.
You will discover new thinking patterns, e.g. OODA "loops" and situational awareness, as well as visualisation tools like Wardley Maps that will help you and your organisation succeed with your stakeholders. You will also improve your understanding of the — sometimes evil — gameplays (and countermeasures!) of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xí Jìnpíng, who are all inspired by Sun Tzu, in some cases indirectly via Boyd.
About the Author
ERIK SCHÖN is a change catalyst who has successfully led global organizations for 25 years. Hacker, software researcher and system engineer turned leader, executive and strategist, Erik is the author of the widely acclaimed trilogy The Art of Change, The Art of Leadership and The Art of Strategy.