The last two chapters, while offering specific effective tactics for
fire attacks and using intelligence agents, echo the opening chapter
by emphasizing great caution in using destructive tactics such as
incendiary attacks. ‘‘The enlightened sovereign approaches the ques-
tion of war with utmost caution and the good commander warns
himself against rash action.’’ To Sunzi, rushing into war and failing
to win is the opposite of benevolence, as war destroys lives, properties,
and resources. Employing intelligence agents is promoted as more
benevolent and effective because it obtains more accurate information
on the enemy and contributes to strategic formation and implemen-
tation. How to employ and reward intelligence agents is therefore
an essential part of warfare. He concludes: ‘‘only the enlightened
sovereign and wise commander who are capable of using the most
intelligent people as agents are destined to accomplish great things.’’
In summary, theArt of waropens with an overview of the mission
of war and the general parameters for assessing the potential for
winning or losing, goes on to the discussion of strategies and tactics
for dealing with complex and varying war situations, and ends with
a chapter on the importance of intelligence.
A leadership perspective on theArt of war
TheArt of warhas long been known to Westerners as well as to the
Chinese as a classic of military strategy. It has also been applied to
marketing and interfirm relationships by business and management.
Researchers taking a pure perspective of strategy typically study
military commanders or business executives in the context of conflict
and competition in which rivals maneuver to defeat, overpower, or
gain advantage over each other. In this chapter we approach the work
from a leadership perspective, one in which we make a closer connec-
tion to the context of general organization and management. While
conflict and competition is certainly part of the reality of leadership
in the business environment, there are other issues that go beyond,
such as the relationship between the sovereign and the military leader-
ship and between the commanders and the soldiers, and issues of how
to organize, coordinate, control, and motivate the army. While the
strategic perspective has the enemy or opponent as the major target, a
leadership perspective gives more attention to the leader, the follower,
and their interactions with the surrounding environment.
Strategic leadership of Sunzi in theArt of war 151