Summary
In this essay, it is intended to analyze the current status of the work "The Art of War", the work of Chinese Sun Tzu, from the perspective of the administration of the XXI century, the intention is to review some of the most relevant concepts of the book and Compare them with some of the current administration theorists, who therefore have a great influence on the lives of current and future administration professionals in Mexico and the world, who run public or private companies, as well as non-profit organizations. It seeks to emphasize the relevance of this oriental thinker, in the life of the organizational strategists of the world today, many of whom are governed by strategic management.
introduction
The present work, tries to reflect on a topic little or nothing considered in the field of higher education in the field of administration and management of organizations, whether they are business or social.
Through the various programs offered by various university institutions in the country and abroad that offer administration courses, a common element is to address many topics supported by some ideas that do not have much new, because as we intend to point out in the following pages, they are taken from the work called "The Art of War", therefore in this work we propose to analyze the real value for the administrator of the XXI century, of the work carried out by General Sun Tzu. We will try to analyze the key question What is the current validity of the work "The Art of War" from the perspective of the administration of the XXI century?
II. Historical background
Talking about biographical data of Sun Tzu, is somewhat complex and diffuse, according to the website Famous people (2000, p. 1), it is known that he lived in China, between the years 722 to 481 BC, who was a military man and reached the rank of general, who participated in various battles, many of which were not always fortunate for him. It is known that his work "The Art of War" also known as "The Thirteen Chapters", was written approximately around 500 BC, in which he talks about military tactics and strategies, this work was the first known attempt about war and strategy lessons. In it, the author shows us with great intelligence and skill, his knowledge in battle, as well as preparations for war; according to the few historical references.
This essay can be pointed out that it is a study of an essentially exploratory nature, since as pointed out in his work Rafael Hernández Sampieri "Exploratory studies are normally carried out when the objective is to examine a topic or research problem that has been little studied or has not been addressed before. That is, when the literature review revealed that there are only unresearched guides and ideas that are loosely related to the study problem. ” (Hernández S., 2002, p. 70). Having said this, we only have to delve into the work material, a very attractive book and above all, written with a simplicity that is only exceeded by the depth of the concepts. As we have already pointed out, the intention to address this issue arises, after a review of various programs and authors of works of administration.
This study seeks to respond to a specific information gap in the review of Sun Tzu's work, on topics such as are in common use in the administration, such as: Strategy, leadership, action, negotiation, direction and ethics.
III. Development
Throughout the work, the author presents his various conclusions on the management of the military organization in a clear, simple and fluid manner. The author is a great observer and a better analyst, his prose is powerful as well as precise.
In today's business organization, life is immersed in a permanent and aggressive competition, of not knowing how to do it they can die, the globalized world has only increased the levels of competition; This gives validity to the concept of this Eastern thinker, who in the first Chapter, called "On evaluation", the author points out that "war is of vital importance to the State; it is the domain of life or death, the path to the survival or loss of the Empire… ”(Tzu, 2001, p. 3). The previous topic has marked the concern from Frederic Taylor to Peter Drucker.
In another part of his work, this oriental thinker points out another relevant point of administration teaching, which is present in almost all university educational programs; Ethics. In his book he states that “The art of war is based on deception” (Tzu, 2001, p. 4), although monstrously current, we consider that from an ethical point of view, this concept should no longer have a place, although it does not We can ignore that there will be leaders of little or no concern for social and human responsibility, just read a work by the American Robert Kiyosaki or shop around any hotel in this tourist pole and approach the timeshare vendors; Unfortunately, there are still many administrators for whom what Sun Tzu says is usual and valid. In that direction, authors such as the English Peter A.Singer, point out that ethics "… is a branch of philosophy that deals with the rational study of morality, virtue, duty, happiness and good living" (Singer, 1979).
In the same sense of the word, but with a more informal tone, but with greater impact on the modern Spanish-speaking community, the Spanish philosopher Fernando Savater mentions to us that “… men can invent and partly choose our way of life. We can choose what seems good to us, that is, convenient for us compared to what seems bad and inconvenient to us… That knowing how to live, or the art of living if you prefer, is what they call ethics ”(Savater, 1991, p. 32-33). It is clear that the ethical considerations between Singer and Savater are not similar to those of Sun Tzu and Kiyosaki, but hopefully the way to see the ethics of the former, was the way to see business competition. Undoubtedly our base author is still current and there are many followers who have paid for the practical relativity of ethics.
In the next chapter, whose name is "On Initiating Actions," Sun Tzu points out that "Once the battle has begun, even if you are winning… if you keep your army on campaign for a long time, your supplies will be depleted." (Tzu, 2001, p. 5) This is still valid today, any administration work indicates as elementary the planning of the resources to be used, for this they suggest the elaboration of various types of budget schemes, just to quote some author Today we refer to the North American Koontz, who points out that "Planning includes selecting projects and objectives, and deciding on the actions necessary to achieve them… closes the gap between where we are and where we want to go" (Koontz & Weirich, 2008, p. 106). It is vital to underline the importance that continues to be given to planning,in the military organization of old China and the one that continues to exist in the organizations of the modern world.
To delve into the previous topic, we find that the author mentions that "… the most important thing in a military operation is victory and not persistence" (Tzu, 2001, p. 6). In his opinion, victory is the objective, In this he will coincide with the majority of the current strategists of almost all the companies, where for them the vital thing will be the profits that his organization throws.
In chapter three, the author tells us that “Complete victory occurs when the army does not fight, the city is not besieged, destruction does not last for a long time and in each case the enemy is defeated by the use of strategy. ”(Tzu, 2001, p. 8). Here it is important to point out how vital the strategy is for this old author, who has been ratified and deepened by contemporary figures such as Michael Porter, Henry Mintzberg and Fred R. David among other relevant theorists in administration.
In another part of his work, he makes some good reflections on strategy and planning, in fact he points out that “… a victorious army wins first and fights the battle later; a defeated army fights first and tries to gain victory later. This is the difference between those with strategy and those without premeditated plans. " (Tzu, 2001, p. 11). In this sentence, the author is 2,400 years ahead of his predecessors, it is an expression that would be signed by any of the previously mentioned contemporary authors, including the students of the Doctorate in Administration of the Universidad del Sur. As an example to reinforce the above,We can mention that "… the purpose of each plan and all plans… is to promote the achievement of the organization's objectives… the efficiency of a plan is measured by how much it contributes to the purpose and objectives, offsetting the costs…" (Koontz & Weirich, 2008, p. 626). This statement confirms the relevance of the work of the oriental thinker in the world of the 21st century.
In another chapter, he tells us that "ruling over many people as if they were not enough is a matter of dividing them into groups or sectors: it is organization" (Tzu, 2001, p. 12). This statement is as modern as the administration itself, it is as powerfully current as the world of business strategy is, the organization is even one of the parts of the administrative process, only to specify the use we make of this concept in education of administrators.
Forward lines, Sun Tzu indicates what for his point of view is the competition and the vision of the competitors, since he points out that “… what drives your opponents to come to you by their own decision is the prospect of winning. What discourages opponents… is the probability of suffering damages ”(Tzu, 2001, p. 14). This coincides with what characters such as Warren Buffet pointed out at a conference before MBA students at Harvard, regarding “… building a protective fence around your company, like a medieval castle, that protects you from competition and that the more vermin and crocodiles the moat around the castle has, the stronger the company will be and the less enemy companies will be encouraged to confront them (Boyett, 1999, p. 63). Just to contextualize the global importance of Buffet,We will say that he is considered the best strategist in the world of stock trading, while he is ranked as one of the five richest men in the world.
In the subsequent topic, he throws us one of the greatest truths that he tries to transmit to the administration students and it is what has to do with the leadership and vision of the company director, when he points out that “The difficulty of armed struggle is to make long distances close and turn problems into advantages ”(Tzu, 2001, p. 18). This can be complemented by what Koontz points out, who says that “The managers of business companies need to identify and face innovation and adversity, taking risks and responding quickly, as well as absorbing important setbacks. The most effective managers seem to delight in the wild and sometimes chaotic rhythm and find it challenging and stimulating… ”(Koontz & Weirich, 2008, p. 520).
On the previous point, it is worth recognizing the enormous vision of the Chinese general, since his comments are from more than two centuries ago and coincide on many points that reveal managers or directors of all kinds of companies, from small scraps to Large multinational corporations, this has led theorists of the administration to try to find viable alternatives for these characters who in various ways govern the societies of our century.
In later pages, the author mentions that "… generals who know the possible variables to take advantage of the terrain know how to manage the armed forces" (Tzu, 2001, p. 22). I would like to contrast this with the following statement by Koontz, who states the following “… The strategy, on the other hand, refers to the direction in which human and material resources will be applied to increase the opportunity to achieve the selected objectives” (Koontz & Weirich, 2008, p. 131). In both cases there are very interesting and somehow similar elements, from the always subjective perspective of this and any essay, they seem too twinned, especially if we consider that between them there is an abyss of more than two thousand four hundred years.
A relevant aspect for the modern administrator and for the theorist of the current administration is what has to do with the strategy used to carry out the daily work and that yields the best fruits for the organization, for this reason it is pertinent to mention what Sun Tzu He tells us when he affirms that "… the enemy that acts in isolation, that lacks strategy and that takes its adversaries lightly, will inevitably end up being defeated…" (Tzu, 2001, p. 27). This can be complemented by what is stated below “Harvard University professors Gary Hamel and CK Prahalad, cited by Koontz (2008) who analyzed companies that achieved global leadership, they found that“… those companies were obsessed with winning, not only at the highest level, but throughout the organization,this obsession is called strategic intention… ”(Koontz & Weirich, 2008, p. 135). Both are sister and complementary positions, with many elements of conceptual closeness. The organization of the twenty-first century, has common features with its counterparts of the fifth century before our era, for a current administrator this closeness is not something that he usually thinks about.
To continue with the presentation of interesting findings, but now regarding the management of human resources or personnel that makes the very life of organizations possible, even from a behavioral perspective two thousand years before Ivan Pavlov or Watson, he goes the following quote “Look for your soldiers as you look for a newborn; so they will be willing to follow you to the deepest valleys; Take care of your soldiers as you take care of your beloved children, and they will gladly die with you… the rewards should not be used alone, nor should they rely only on punishments… ”(Tzu, 2001, p. 30).
The previous point of view can be analyzed in a current way with the following perspective of a current theorist, who affirms that "… employees also have needs and objectives that are especially important to them. Starting from the function of directing, administrators help people to see that they can satisfy their own needs and use their potential… Thus administrators must understand the roles assumed by people and the individualities and personalities of people ”. (Koontz & Weirich, 2008, p. 412). This position is also inscribed by the Mexican author, a graduate of the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Luigi Valdés, who in this regard mentions that “… the image of the foreman who controlled the workers becomes obsolete; the authoritarian and punishing parent is no longer effective,the teacher who educated under the premise "the letter with blood enters" is a thing of the past. The whip must give way to reason, intelligence and conviction; ignorance of knowledge and repression of freedom… ”(Valdes, 2002, p. 25). If we compare the expressions of the old oriental author against the modern and western thinkers indicated, we would have to agree that for all three, human resource management is a nodal concern, only now there is a tendency to seek improvement in the individual as premise to seek the achievement of business objectives, while for the author of Chinese origin, the deal should not go beyond the formal sphere and from the military perspective.The whip must give way to reason, intelligence and conviction; ignorance of knowledge and repression of freedom… ”(Valdes, 2002, p. 25). If we compare the expressions of the old oriental author against the modern and western thinkers indicated, we would have to agree that for all three, human resource management is a nodal concern, only now there is a tendency to seek improvement in the individual as premise to seek the achievement of business objectives, while for the author of Chinese origin, the deal should not go beyond the formal sphere and from the military perspective.The whip must give way to reason, intelligence and conviction; ignorance of knowledge and repression of freedom… ”(Valdes, 2002, p. 25). If we compare the expressions of the old oriental author against the modern and western thinkers indicated, we would have to agree that for all three, human resource management is a nodal concern, only now there is a tendency to seek improvement in the individual as premise to seek the achievement of business objectives, while for the author of Chinese origin, the deal should not go beyond the formal sphere and from the military perspective.If we compare the expressions of the old oriental author against the modern and western thinkers indicated, we would have to agree that for all three, human resource management is a nodal concern, only now there is a tendency to seek improvement in the individual as premise to seek the achievement of business objectives, while for the author of Chinese origin, the deal should not go beyond the formal sphere and from the military perspective.If we compare the expressions of the old oriental author against the modern and western thinkers indicated, we would have to agree that for all three, human resource management is a nodal concern, only now there is a tendency to seek improvement in the individual as premise to seek the achievement of business objectives, while for the author of Chinese origin, the deal should not go beyond the formal sphere and from the military perspective.the deal should not go beyond the sphere of formality and from a military perspective.the deal should not go beyond the sphere of formality and from a military perspective.
In another section, now focused on organizational rebirth, which today is something very studied and analyzed, this author points out that "… anger can become joy, and anger can become pleasure, but a destroyed people cannot be reborn, and death cannot become life. Consequently, no business organization can revive if we fail to rebuild it in time ”(Tzu, 2001, p. 34). Nowadays, the above is so valid that an administrative current called reengineering was even invented, whose main objective is to save those organizations that, if they do not do something, are condemned to death or survive with ever greater economic losses. Thus, a modern author points out that “In reengineering we stop the industrial model upside down.We say that to meet contemporary demands for quality, service, flexibility and low cost, processes must be simple. The need for simplicity has enormous consequences in terms of how to design processes and shape organizations. ” (Champy, 2004, p. 54).
A reference is made about acting intelligently in an organization using the appropriate tool or procedure, and Champy insists on the undoubted need to use simplicity to design these procedures or tools to achieve the objectives in organizations, but from the beginning to prevent them from dying, due to having neglected their markets or having lost their progress, due to external impacts and even errors in the strategy of the company itself. In other words, our old Chinese thinker opened doors for us that have looked further, thanks to his previous contributions.
Before as now, organizations must know the situation of the adversaries, to know what they do, that is why a lot of money is spent on espionage of the competition, either through marketing companies or customer surveys, it is relevant to know what What is happening with my competition and the way they see our organization, the management schools try to teach various techniques to understand the market and the competitors, this was no stranger to Sun Tzu, who on the subject mentions "Whenever you are going to attack and fight, you must first know the talents of the enemy's servants, and so you can face them according to their abilities… it is essential for a ruler to know the five kinds of espionage, and this knowledge depends on the double agents; so these must be well treated ”(Tzu,2001, p. 40).
The aforementioned can be contextualized by what a thinker of the modern administration, of Latin American origin, points out, who in this regard tells us "… the performance of the function receives many external influences, for example, consider a relationship between boss and subordinate in which the first it tries to assign a research function to the second. Companies only begin to operate when the people in charge of carrying out specific roles and carrying out required activities occupy their respective positions… ”(Chiavenato, 2009, p. 222). The intelligent use of resources is, without a doubt, the aspect that makes the difference between the success or failure of a company, since knowing how to use the capabilities and competences of these resources will allow us, as Chiavenato mentions, to optimize our functionality,whether it is to investigate to the contrary or to develop our daily work within the organization.
IV. Conclusions
This work shows us many of the interesting characteristics that it has for the current administrator, the point of view of the Chinese general Sun Tzu, his fluidity, his freshness and above all his deep look on the strategy in the activity of the organizations; by his profession, the oriental author has a military vision and for him everything refers to the organization of the army, for us the approach is on the side of business organizations, although the essence is similar, because in all cases we speak of groups of people, subject to their own dynamics and demands.
Regarding the issue of ethics, we can conclude that for this author, it does not have a great relevance, since according to him the purpose is what counts, that is, what is relevant is victory; However, in a society like the current one, where the problem derived from the mismanagement of resources of all kinds has led us to a crossroads such that we must seriously rethink changing this premise (economic success above all), since the planet is every As it becomes more polluted and resources are depleted, then ethical considerations must be different from those raised at the time by Sun Tzu; Now ethics and environmental and social responsibility must be elementary.
On the other hand, there is nothing to do but agree with the Chinese author, on issues such as the need for planning and care in the management of resources, to achieve the best results, for him as a military the expected result is the victory of the army and for the current administrator it will be the obtaining of profits and of course the achievement of company objectives, using the appropriate strategies.
His conceptual management of the strategy is remarkable, this leads him to make observations on issues such as the management of human resources (in his case, soldiers) to get the best use of them, material resources, as well as knowledge, in this it coincides with authors such as Michael Porter, Fred R. David, Koontz, Chiavenato, etc. Well, all of them have addressed in different aspects and in different ways, the topics started by the Chinese strategist, only deepening and complementing his initial observations.
Another vital issue is leadership, which is treated with a wide variety of nuances, where to cite some relevant aspects we can speak of its insistence on the leader's ability to make changes in strategy, depending on the environment, in addition to the duty of the leader to know the way of thinking of his subordinates and his enemies, to be able to lead the first well and use the appropriate strategy to prevail over the second, for my more than 20 years of administrative experience, I can affirm that this truth is worth gold By herself.
Given that the resources that the strategist or modern business leader manages are scarce, it is always good to have theories or ideas that help us plan the best way to apply them to the benefit of the company for which we provide our services, since intrinsically if the company prospers there is a greater chance that the personnel working there will have the same luck and that the country will do better. We can iconclude that the principles of Sun Tzu and its successors are applied, accompanied by serious and responsible work, which analyzes the external and internal factors of the company, to choose the strategies that best adapt to our particular situation. greater chances of succeeding in activities undertaken within an organization in the 21st century,for that reason the present time of this author in the vision of the modern administration.
V. References
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