The Strongest Rope:

Strategic Principles for Effective Human Action

David R. Cross, Ph.D.∗

Texas Christian University†

June 27, 2010

Never mistake motion for action.Ernest Hemingway

This is an extended, annotated outline to go with my presentation, “TheStrongest Rope,” prepared initially for the TCU-in-Scotland study abroad pro-gram, Summer of 2010. This presentation is based on on my experiences devel-oping and teaching a course, The Tao of Strategy, which has been taught forthe past several years in two different versions, a “Fort Worth” version and an“Edinburgh” version. The guiding metaphor for the presentation—ropes beingstronger than the individual cords they are woven from—comes from one ofthe expert interviews on a History Channel video about Sunzi’s Art of War.1

This expert, a military historian (I need to track down his name) said that thestrategic principles found in Sunzi’s Art of War (or Bingfa in pinyin Mandarin)are like the cords in a rope: The individual principles are not that strong, butif they are woven together into a single rope, it is the strongest rope of all. Mysincere wish is that by explicating Sunzi’s strategic vision, my audience will bemore strategic—and hence more effective—in living their lives, both personallyand professionally.

In what follows, the bulleted items correspond to one or more slides in thepresentation; the correspondences should be transparent. This document is notmeant to be used as a handout during the presentation, since it would give awaythe numerous dramatic twists found in the presentation (think Shakespeare).Instead, it is designed to be a carry-away, that will stand in for the presentationlong after it has been given. My hope is that it will soon become a book, makingthis document obsolete. In any case, I hope you enjoy and benefit from “TheStrongest Rope.”

∗www.davidcross.us†www.tcu.edu1See http://shop.history.com/detail.php?p=104545

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Introduction

• Like a good rope, a good strategy is stronger than the principles it is wovenfrom . . . but the strongest strategy cannot be woven from weak principles.2

• Seven principles for the strongest strategy:

1. How things work.

2. Less is more.

3. Know yourself.

4. Know the situation.

5. Solve for pattern.

6. Embrace paradox.

7. Assume command.

• But what is “strategy” anyway?

What do you want to achieve or avoid?The answers to this question are objectives.

How will you go about achieving your desired results?The answer to this you can call strategy.

William E. Rothschild

• Whence come the seven principles?

– Daoist Classics (see http://www.vl-site.org/taoism/index.html)

– Complexity Sciences (see http://www.santafe.edu/)

– My working assumption is that these are two sides to the same coin.3

• The Daoist Classics (preferred translations):

– Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall. Daodejing: “Making this lifesignificant”—A philosophical translation. Ballantine Books, New York,2003

– John Minford. Sun-tzu: The art of war. Penguin Books, New York,2002

– Burton Watson. Zhuangzi: Basic writings. Columbia UniversityPress, New York, 2003

2Source for the ship photo: http://www.lankhorstropes.com/news.php?id=123In language that will be used later in the presentation, the Daoist Classics and the Com-

plexity Sciences are two different epistemologies for understanding the same ontological phe-nomena.

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• The Complexity Sciences (selected texts):

– Robert Axelrod and Michael D. Cohen. Harnessing complexity: Or-ganizational implications of a scientific frontier. Basic Books, NewYork, 2000

– John Gribbin. Deep simplicity: Bringing order to chaos and complex-ity. Random House, New York, 2005

– Melanie Mitchell. Complexity: A guided tour. Oxford UniversityPress, Oxford, UK, 2009

How Things Work

• Core structure of Daoist philosophy:

– dao (道) “Way-making”

– de (德) “Virtue or inner power (efficacy)”

– ziran (自然) “That which is so of itself (spontaneously so)”

– wuwei (無為) “Noncoercive action in accordance with the de of things”

• These concepts can be arranged in a fourfold table:dao ←→ del l

ziran ←→ wuwei

Spontaneously So (ziran)

• ziran (自然) — Daodejing, Chapter 25 (last four lines):

Human beings emulate the earth,The earth emulates the heavens,The heavens emulate way-making (dao),And way-making emulates what is spontaneously so (ziran).

• An approximate (modern) synonym for ziran (自然) may be autopoeisis

– For a definition, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autopoiesis

– For the argument, see Hans-Georg Moeller. The philosophy of theDaodejing. Columbia University Press, New York, 2006 (pp. 50–51).

• Autopoietic systems are self-regulating and self-organizing; autopoieticsystems can be characterized by complexity and emergence.4

4See, for example, Evan Thompson. Life and mind: From autopoiesis to neurophenomenol-ogy. A tribute to Francisco Varela. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 3:381–398,2004.

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• Examples of autopoietic systems include:

– Stem cells

– Planets

– Families

– Organizations

– Ontogeny & Phylogeny5

Noncoercive Action (wuwei)

• wuwei (無為) — Daodejing, Chapter 43:

The softest things in the world run roughshod over the hardestthings.

Only the least substantial thing can penetrate the seamless.This is how we know that doing things noncoercively (wuwei)

is beneficial.Rare are those in the world who reach an understanding of the

benefits of teachings that go beyond what can be said, andof doing things noncoercively.

• The wu–forms (see Ames and Hall [2003, pp. 36–54]):

– wuwei “noncoercive action that is in accord with the de of things”

– wushi “to be non-interfering in going about your business”

– wuxin “unmediated thinking and feeling”

– wuyu “objectless desire”

– wuzheng “striving without contentiousness”

– wuzhi “unprincipled knowing”

• Abraham Lincoln reflects on the wu–forms:6

Force is all-conquering, but it’s victories are short-lived.

Abraham Lincoln

• The antithesis of wuwei — Coercive Family Process — we will have moreto say about this later in the presentation.7

5See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontogeny_and_Phylogeny_(book)6Book cover: Doris Kearns Goodwin. Team of rivals: The political genius of Abraham

Lincoln. Simon & Schuster, New York, 20057See http://www.oslc.org/scientists/popups-scientist/patterson-gerald.html

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• The Fish Trap Passage (cf. wuxin and wuzhi):

“The fish trap exists because of the fish; once you’ve gottenthe fish, you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists becauseof the rabbit; once you’ve gotten the rabbit, you can forget thesnare. Words exist because of meaning; once you’ve gotten themeaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a manwho has forgotten words so I can talk to him?” 8

• Ludwig Wittgenstein reflects on the wu–forms:9

Philosophy is a battle against the bewitchmentof our intelligence by means of language.

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Less Is More

• In his Translator’s Introduction to the Art of War, Thomas Cleary re-counts a well-worn parable of ancient China:10

According to an old story, a lord of ancient China once askedhis physician, a member of a family of healers, which of themwas most skilled in the art.

The physician, whose reputation was such that his namebecame synonymous with medical science in China, replied, “Myeldest brother sees the spirit of sickness and removes it beforeit takes shape, so his name does not get out of the house.”

“My elder brother cures sickness when it is still extremelyminute, so his name does not get out of the neighborhood.”

“As for me, I puncture veins, prescribe potions, and massageskin, so from time to time my name gets out and is heard amongthe lords.”

Among the tales of ancient China, none captures more beau-tifully than this the essence of The Art of War, the premiereclassic of the science of strategy in conflict. A Ming dynastycritic writes of this little tale of the physician: “What is essen-tial for leaders, generals, and ministers in running countries andgoverning armies is no more than this.”

8See Watson [2003, p. 141]; Ames and Hall [2003, p. 189]9See http://wittgenstein-news.org/

10Thomas Cleary. Sun tzu: The art of war. Shambhala, Boston, illustrated edition,1988/2004, p. 9

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• Daodejing, Chapter 63 (this theme is continued in Chapter 64):

Do things noncoercively (wuwei),Be non-interfering in going about your business (wushi),And savor the flavor of the unadulterated in what you eat.

Treat the small as greatAnd the few as many.

Requite enmity with character (de).

Take account of the difficult while it is still easy,And deal with the large while it is still tiny.The most difficult things in the world originate with the easy,And the largest issues originate with the tiny.

Thus, it is because the sages never try to do great thingsThat they are indeed able to be great.

One who makes promises lightly is sure to have little credibility;One who finds everything easy is certain to have lots of difficul-

ties.

Thus, it is because even the sages pay careful attention to suchthings

That they are always free of difficulties.

• The Art of War, “The Way of Victory,” [Minford, 2002, pp. 21–23]:

To foreseeThe ordinary victoryOf the common manIs no trueSkill.

To be victorious in battleAnd to be acclaimedFor one’s skillIs no trueSkill.

To lift autumn furIs noStrength;

To see sun and moonIs noPerception;

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To hear thunderIs noQuickness of hearing.

The Skillful Warrior of oldWonEasy victories.

The victoriesOf the Skillful WarriorAre notExtraordinary victories;They bringNeither fame for wisdomNor merit for valor.

His victoriesAreFlawless;

His victory isFlawlessBecause it isInevitable;

He vanquishesAn already defeated enemy.

The victorious armyIs victorious firstAnd seeks battle later;The defeated armyDoes battle firstAnd seeks victory later.

The Skillful StrategistCultivatesThe WayAnd preservesThe law;Thus he is masterOf victory and defeat.

• The question is, How? These three (lengthy) quotes give us a powerfulvision of effective strategy, but how do we get there?

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• Part of the answer is preparation, as Joe Paterno recognized:

The will to win is important,but the will to prepare is vital.

Joe Paterno

• And part of the answer is getting it right, as Honore de Balzac recognized:

Power is not revealed by striking hard or often,but by striking true.

Honore de Balzac

• But the most far-reaching answer has to do with “How Things Work,”and this is fundamentally about complexity:

I think the next century will be the century of complexity.

Stephen Hawking

January, 2000

• Complexity itself is fundamentally about how simple rules can yield com-plex behavior; about how small inputs can yield large effects. An impor-tant demonstration of complexity was Craig Reynolds’ computer program,Boids, which simulated the flocking behavior of birds with three simplerules:11

1. Separation—avoid crowding neighbors (short range repulsion)

2. Alignment—steer towards average heading of neighbors

3. Cohesion—steer towards average position of neighbors (long rangeattraction)

• One of the pre-eminent evolutionary biologists working in this area wasProfessor Brian Goodwin, who wrote several books, including How theLeopard Changed Its Spots: The Evolution of Complexity and Signs ofLife: How Complexity Pervades Biology.12

• An important concept found in the complexity sciences is that of attrac-tor; preschool teachers, for example, create attractors—attractive andfunctional activity areas—in their classrooms, which then organize thechildren’s activity; with appropriate attractors, there is little need forcentralized “command and control.”13

11See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flocking_(behavior)12See http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/bios/goodwin.html13This example also illustrates the key concept of affordance, which can be linked concep-

tually to attractors, ziran and wuwei—see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordance.

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• Some interventions capitalize on complexity, turning small inputs intolarge benefits; one of these is “Kangaroo Care,” which comes in two fla-vors (not mutually exclusive): One version involves a parent holding theirinfant (often a preterm infant) on their chest, with skin-to-skin contact;the other version involves a parent carrying their infant against their chest,using a cloth carrier. Both versions entail important, cascading benefitsfor infant and parent.14

• Another complexity-based intervention is T. Berry Brazelton’s “Touch-points,” which is based on two unusually profound insights:15

1. Families with infants and young children are developing systems,and these systems—driven by developmental milestones such walkingand talking—become destabilized at certain times, and it is at thesepoints of instability (i.e., touchpoints) that the system can easily beinfluenced.16

2. Parents are most receptive to intervention when the intervention isdelivered indirectly as opposed to directly (e.g., “Ask or show, don’ttell”)—we will return to indirect and direct later in the presentation,under Embracing Paradox.

• The three pen and ink figures illustrate some of the core ideas found inthe Touchpoints model of intervention:17

1. The therapist (nurse, doctor, counselor) provides an encouraging andguiding context for the infant-parent transactions that produce de-velopment.

2. There are three sources of energy for infant development: maturationof the central nervous system, internal feedback systems, and externalfeedback systems.

3. As the child develops, these systems become destabilized at pre-dictable times, based on transitions in child development (e.g., walk-ing and the associated motivation for independence); it is at thesetransitions—touchpoints—that the parent-child system is most opento external feedback (as in point number one).

• Interventions such as Kangaroo Care and Touchpoints can be thought ofas “Trojan Mice;” notice also that they reflect the core Daoist concepts ofziran and wuwei.18

14See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_care15See http://www.touchpoints.org/16It is worth noting that this insight is based on two forms of deep understanding: Knowing

the intricacies and milestones of infant development, and knowing that human developmentproceeds according to principles of dynamic systems.

17See T. Berry Brazelton. In response to Louis Sander’s challenging paper. Infant MentalHealth Journal, 21(1–2):52–62, 2000.

18I just discovered a website called “Trojan Mice,” which may be the origin of this term.I heard about it from a fellow I met on the Isle of Skye in summer of 2008, and I am not

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Know Yourself

• Daodejing, Chapter 33 (this theme is continued in Chapter 71):

To know others is wisdom;To know oneself is acuity (ming).To conquer others is power,To conquer oneself is strength.To know contentment is to have wealth.

To act resolutely is to have purpose.To stay one’s ground is to be enduring.To die and yet not be forgotten is to be long-lived.

• The Art of War, “Strategic Offensive,” p. 19 (last three stanzas):

Hence the saying“Know the enemy,Know yourself,And victoryIs never in doubt,Not in a hundred battles.”

He who knows selfBut not the enemyWill suffer one defeatFor every victory.He who knowsNeither selfNor enemyWill failIn every battle.

• A good way to capture the Daoist perspective on “Know Yourself” isthrough the modern concept of Mindfulness, which has roots in Zen Bud-dhism, but which is receiving considerable attention from cognitive andclinical psychologists today (for a good read on this topic, see Ellen J.Langer. Mindfulness. De Capo Press, New York, 1990). Mindfulnessseems to have a phenomenological component (see, for example, Daniel J.Siegel. The mindful brain: Reflection and attunement in the cultivationof well-being. W. W. Norton, New York, 2007), as well as an experien-tial component (see, for example, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Flow: Thepsychology of optimal experience. HarperPerennial, 1991). From all theseperspectives, ancient and modern, mindfulness is seen as the foundationfor optimizing thought and action.

sure whether he invented it or heard it from someone else. In any case, here is the website,although I am not sure it is still active: http://www.trojanmice.com/index.htm

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• How can we be more mindful? The Daoist sages have some answers: jing(精), ming (明), and the “Story of Cook Ding.”19

Equilibrium (jing)

• jing (精) — Daodejing, Chapter 16:

Extend your utmost emptiness as far as you canAnd do your best to preserve your equilibrium (jing).

In the process of all things emerging togetherWe can witness their reversion.Things proliferate,And each again returns to its root.Returning to the root is called equilibrium.Now as for equilibrium—

this is called returning to the propensity of things,And returning to the propensity of things is common sense.Using common sense is acuity (ming),While failing to use it is to lose control.And to try to do anything while out of control

is to court disaster.

Using common sense is to be accomodating,Being accomodating is tolerance,Being tolerant is kingliness,Being kingly is tian-like,Being tian-like is to be way-making,And the way-made is enduring.To the end of one’s days one will be free of danger.

• The Art of War, “The Five Pitfalls,” p. 50:

There are Five PitfallsFor a general:

Recklessness,Leading toDestruction;

Cowardice,Leading toCapture;

A hot temper,Prone toProvocation;

19There is a short, insightful discussion of these ideas in [Ames and Hall, 2003, pp. 39–40.]

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A delicacy of honor;Tending toShame;

A concern for his men,Leading toTrouble.

These Five ExcessesIn a generalAre theBane of war.

If an army is defeatedAnd its general slain,It will surely be because ofThese Five Perils.

They demand the mostCareful consideration.

• Ulysses S. Grant—the finest general of the U. S. Civil War, and perhapsfinest general of all America’s wars—was famous for his composure underfire. On one of several occasions when a bomb burst nearby, Grant’s nearlycomplete disregard for danger prompted an observer, a private soldier ofthe 5th Wisconsin, to remark, “Ulysses don’t scare worth a damn” (JohnKeegan. The mask of command. Penguin Books, New York, 1987, p. 210).Such composure—equilibrium or jing—is crucial to command not only inmilitary situations, but in almost all leadership situations.

• By all accounts Robert Bruce, king of Scots, was equally cool under fire;the well-known incident where Bruce slays Sir Henry de Bohun, at theonset of the Battle of Bannockburn, is but one instance where Bruce’sequilibrium (jing) manifests itself:20

It was now [after the riders had crossed the space betweenthe English and Scottish armies] that an unbelievable opportu-nity of glory came to Sir Henry de Bohun, Hereford’s21 nephew,and endowed him with immortality. In front of him was oneof the enemy soldiers, separated from his fellows, clad in mail,armed with a hand-axe, and mounted on a small sturdy grey.His helmet, covered by a leather crest, was surmounted by ahigh crown. To vanquish the king of Scots himself in singlecombat: such a feat of chivalry did not often come the way ofan ambitious knight. Henry de Bohun rode at Bruce, lance atrest. Bruce pulled himself out of the path of oncoming lance,

20G. W. S. Barrow. Robert Bruce and the community of the realm of Scotland. EdinburghUniversity Press, Edinburgh, 4th edition, 2005, pp. 284–285.

21Hereford was one of two English Marshalls at the battle.

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so that, in Barbour’s22 memorable line, “Schir Henry myssitthe nobill kyng.” As he drew level, Bruce raised himself up inhis stirrups and with a mighty effort swung his axe downwardso fiercely that the blade pierced Bohun’s helmet and split hishead in two. Bohun’s body fell to the earth beside him, andBruce was left holding the stump of his axe-shaft, shattered bythe tremendous impact. The Scots, gathered at the edge of thewood and witnessing this extraordinary scene, exulted in theirking’s prowess, still more in his safe emergence from the en-counter. But their leaders rebuked him severely for risking hislife and their whole cause in this reckless fashion. They wereright, of course; but Bruce himself turned aside their rebukes,ruefully lamenting his broken axe-shaft. By rights, the incidentought never to have occurred; yet its effect on the highlanders,islesmen and others in the king’s brigade can be imagined, andthe story, as it spread back through the rest of the army, wouldlose nothing in the telling. The Scots at the “entry” surgedforward to meet and repulse the oncoming English horsemen.

• Another “cool cat” is Sgt. Brad Colbert, from Generation Kill (seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Kill). One scene in thebook/film stands out, which is when Colbert’s platoon is settling downfor the evening in their field tent, when a fierce desert wind storm blowsup. Mayhem (chaos) ensues, until Colbert steps outside the tent, coolyassesses the situation, and begins issuing orders. Colbert, a veteran ofAfghanistan, where he distinguished himself in battle, is legendary for hisequilibrium (jing), and as a result is given the nickname “Iceman.” Thisis not only a fine example of equilibrium, but also of leadership within achaotic situation, which is a topic that will come up later in the presenta-tion, in the section on “Know the Situation.”

Acuity (ming)

• ming (明) — Daodejing, Chapter 52 (last stanza):

Making out the small is real acuity (ming),Safeguarding the weak is real strength.Taking into account the way things reveal themselves,If you go back again and rely upon your acuity,You will stay clear of calamities.

This is what is called according with common sense.

• The Art of War, “Signs,” pp. 54–59; the passage is too long to reproducehere, instead I will quote commentary by Lionel Giles:23 “Here begin

22John Barbour was a contemporary Scottish poet.23See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Giles

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Master Sun’s remarks on the reading of signs, much of which is so good itcould almost be included in a modern manual like General Baden-Powell’sAids to Scouting” [Minford, 2002, p. 236.]

• There are several scenes in Generation Kill that demonstrate Sgt. Col-bert’s acuity; perhaps most dramatic is the scene where others have mis-taken a town for an advancing column of Iraqi tanks (it is night time),but Colbert correctly recognizes this apparition as an autokinetic illusion,stimulated by a nearby Iraqi village.

• This slide could be labeled “Child Whisperers I Have Known;” one thingthat these two talented people—Dr. T. Berry Brazelton and our own Dr.Karyn Purvis—have is real acuity (ming); they see things in children thatothers simply miss, and this is the foundation for their achievements onbehalf of children and their families.

Cook Ding

• Thus far in the section on “Know Yourself,” we have emphasized equilib-rium (jing 精) and acuity (ming 明), using the Laozi Daodejing and theSunzi Bingfa (Art of War) as sources. We can add to this picture usingthe Zhuangzi, which through the story of Cook Ding, teaches us about thenature of skill, and its development.24 As you read this passage, take no-tice of the distinction between intuitive action (emphasizing subconciousprocessing) and deliberate action (emphasizing conscious processing); thisis an important distinction in any consideration of acquired skill. Thispassage appears in the section “The Secret of Caring for Life” [Watson,2003, pp. 45–7.]

Cook Ding was cutting up an ox for Lord Wenhui. At everytouch of his hand, every heave of his shoulder, every move hisfeet, every thrust of his knee—zip! zoop! He slithered the knifealong with a zing, and all was in perfect rhythm, as though hewere performing the dance of the Mulberry Grove or keepingtime to the Jingshou music.

“Ah, this is marvelous!” said Lord Wenhui. “Imagine skillreaching such heights!”

Cook Ding laid down his knife and replied, “What I careabout is the Way, which goes beyond skill. When I first begancutting up oxen, all I could see was the ox itself. After threeyears I no longer saw the whole ox. And now—now I go at it byspirit and don’t look with my eyes. Perception and understand-ing have come to a stop and spirit moves where it wants. I goalong with the natural makeup, strike in the big hollows, guide

24See also William A. Callahan. Cook Ding’s life on the whetstone: Contingency, action,and inertia in the Zhuangzi. In Roger T. Ames, editor, Wandering at ease in the Zhuangzi,pages 175–95. State University of New York Press, Albany, NY, 1998.

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the knife through the big openings, and follow things as theyare. So I never touch the smallest ligament or tendon, muchless a main joint.”

“A good cook changes the knife once a year—because hecuts. A mediocre cook changes his knife once a month—becausehe hacks. I’ve had this knife of mine for nineteen years and I’vecut up thousands of oxen with it, and yet the blade is as good asthough it had just come from the grindstone. There are spacesbetween the joints, and the blade of the knife has really nothickness. If you insert what has no thickness into such spaces,then there’s plenty of room—more than enough for the blade toplay about in. That’s why after nineteen years the blade of myknife is still as good as when it first came from the grindstone.”

“However, whenever I come to a complicated place, I size upthe difficulties, tell myself to watch out and be careful, keep myeyes on what I am doing, work very slowly, and move the knifewith the greatest subtlety, until—flop! the whole thing comesapart like a clod of earth crumbling to the ground. I stand thereholding the knife and look all around me, completely satisfiedand reluctant to move on, and then I wipe off the knife and putit away.”

“Excellent!” said Lord Wenhui. “I have heard the words ofCook Ding and learned how to care for life!”

• A fine complement to Zhuangzi’s story about Cook Ding, is David Whyte’sstory about the dry-stone-waller Steve Allen, and Welsh sheepdog Cymro:25

How Good Work Gets Done

We seem to have to learn about the illusions of speed individual by individ-ual, generation after generation. Yet speed itself has never been associatedwith good work by those who have achieved mastery in any given field.Speed does not come from speed. Speed is a result, an outcome, an ecol-ogy of combining factors in a person’s approach to work;26 deep attention,well-laid and well-sharpened tools, care, patience, the imagination engagedto bring disparate parts together in the whole.

Here is Michael Finkel of The Atlantic Monthly,27 describing Steve Allen,Britain’s champion stone waller, in the midst of a wall-building compe-tition in the Yorkshire moors, looking at the elements which combine toproduce speed as a marvelous by-product:

I watched Allen work. He’d stand stock-still for a momentand stare at his wall with a calculating look on his face. Then

25David Whyte. Crossing the unknown sea: Work as a pilgrimage of identity. RiverheadBooks, New York, 2002, pp. 119–122.

26In a word, speed is emergent.27See http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/2000/05/finkel.htm

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he would swiftly turn around and band down and select a stone.He’d twist it and jiggle it and flip it over and back, as if fiddlingwith prayer beads. Then he’d pick up his hammer, hold thestone to his thigh, and chip off pieces with a few sharp taps.One of the qualities that sets Allen apart from other wallers ishis feel for the hidden seams snaking through a rock. . . . WhenAllen hit a rock, it invariably fractured along a plane as smoothas a sail.

The right touch at the right time in the right place. The right word atthe right time in the right place. Effort and will used only at pivotalmoments.28 How we long for that deftness and that mastery, the abilityto tap and cleave the fault lines of our own stubborn, stonelike workdifficulties. To crack the stonelike essence of our everyday work. ButAllen’s speed seems to arise from his ability to discern emerging patterns,even when most of the other competitors are making the mistake of puttingspeed first, sweating, and having their stones into place.

If he was setting [the stone] into a space between two others,the rock would literally click into place, wedged between itsneighbors as tightly and neatly as if Allen were building withLego bricks. He’d nod, reach down and pick up the chips he’dbroken off, and pack them into the center of the wall. Then he’dstudy the next gap for a second or two, spin around, and pickup another stone.

Moments of speed and urgency but dependent on a felt perception of thelarger pattern. The ability to close on something and then let it go. Thekey seems to be to find a restful yet attentive presence in the midst of ourwork, to open up a spaciousness even in the center of our responsibility.To find some source of energy other than our constant application of effortand will. If we attempt to engage the will continually, it exhausts us andprevents us from creating something with a pattern that endures. A well-built, dry stone wall such as Allen constructs, can settle, move, adapt totemperature, and function as a good wall for hundreds of years. In thelimestone areas of Yorkshire, there are walls dating to the twelfth century;in Ireland, the remains of some dry stone field walls are 4,000 years old.

As Finkel remarks, “Cement walls do not reach old age. Cement wallsdo not move. They crack, and then they fall. ‘Cement,’ Allen says, ‘is asin.”’

We might say, as we attempt to construct something enduring in our ownlives, that speed is a sin as constraining as cement. Speed seems to speakof movement but it actually glues us into whatever immobile, unattending

28Think, Touchpoints.

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identity we have constructed. The moment we stop the constant willfulbuilding, the edifice of our work falls down.

Thinking of stone walls, I remember the long stone walls of a particularWelsh farm where I used to live and a particular old sheepdog that livedamong those walls. The farm’s name was Tanny-Garth, and the dog’sname was Cymro, which mean Welshman. Cymro was Welsh throughand through, from the tip of his black ear to end of his tail, and lookedon with deep respect as the best dog in the valley, which was sayingsomething in that endless patchwork of sheep farms, particularly as John,Tanny-Garth’s owner, was known as a trainer of the very best caliberand someone who brought along many a dog to give Cymro a run for hismoney. But Cymro never ran, he never needed to, and besides, he wasfar too old to do it. When I first came to know this, one ear up, one eardown, black-and-white genius, he was about thirteen years old, virtuallyblind in one eye, with a distinct limp in his right hind leg. While other,younger dogs took off in great curving runs up the sides of the mountainto move the sheep along, Cymro would simply limp behind the multitudeof ragged backs and lean slightly toward them, showing the flock his goodeye. With pinpoint accuracy, the sheep would pass straight through thegap in the wall where John wanted them to go. Cymro was a virtuoso, aJoe Montana of the dog world. He knew the pivotal places to stand, thepivotal ways to move;29 he occupied the center of the sheep universe andknew their collective minds even before they did; he barely ever broke intoa lope. If I ever want to slow myself, I think of old Cymro’s economy ofpresence. We might envy the energy of the young, but there is much toenvy in the learned simplicity of those who know the essential relationshipswell enough to do the job and do it with the lightest touch.

• The scientific concept which captures the skill seen in Cook Ding and SteveAllen is intuitive expertise, which is an important new area of researchcentral to strategic action. It is important because the vast majorityof real-life situations where “The Strongest Rope” would be applied aresituations requiring intuitive expertise (or its sibling, Naturalistic DecisionMaking). An important finding in this area of research is that acquiringexpertise in complex situations (e.g., fighting fires, commanding troops incombat) requires “valid learning environments:” Book learning is helpful,as is instruction, but the key to intuitive expertise is apprenticeships insituations where skill can be observed and practiced. Two key publicationsin this area are:

– Daniel Kahneman and Gary Klein. Conditions for intuitive expertise:A failure to disagree. American Psychologist, 64(6):515–526, 2009.

– Caroline E. Zsambok and Gary Klein, editors. Naturalistic decisionmaking. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ, 1997.

29Whyte’s use of “pivotal” here suggest the “Hinge of the Dao,” which we will discuss inthe next section, “Know the Situation.”

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• It is important to realize that equilibrium (jing 精), acuity (ming 明), andintuitive expertise (Cook Ding & Steve Allen) are three mutually reinforc-ing aspects of “knowing yourself.” Equilibrium promotes acuity, and viceversa, and both promote the growth of intuitive expertise, when coupledwith a valid learning environment. All three form a suitable foundationfor “knowing the situation.”

Know the Situation

• Daodejing, Chapter 14, final stanza (see [Ames and Hall, 2003, p. 96]):30

Hold tightly onto way-making in the presentTo manage what is happening right nowAnd to understand where it began in the distant past.This is what is called the drawstring of way-making.31

• The Art of War, “The Superior General,” pp. 65–68:32

AssessmentOf the enemyAnd mastery of victory;Calculating the difficulty,The danger,And the distanceOf the terrain;These constitute the WayOf the Superior General.

He who knows thisAnd practices it in battleWill surely beVictorious.He who does not know itAnd does not practice itWill surely beDefeated.

30For a series of good quotes about living in the present, see http://www.

great-inspirational-quotes.com/present-quotes.html31I just now understood this metaphor, “drawstring of way-making:”the drawstring pulls

the ends of the bow together, towards the middle way—it raises the low and brings down thehigh; the drawstring is also what gives the arrow its projective force, and the force is greatestin the middle, and the arrow’s flight most true; the drawstring is also most pliable (soft,flexible) in the middle, at the point where the force derived is greatest. This is a powerfulmetaphor, whose meaning I have missed until just now.

32Notice that this passage from Sunzi’s Bingfa reflects all aspects of the situation: Knowingoneself (including your people, if you in a command situation), knowing your enemy, knowingthe context.

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If an engagement is sureTo bring victory,And yet the rulerForbids it,Fight;If an engagement is sureTo bring defeat,And yet the rulerOrders it,Do not fight.

He who advancesWithout seekingFame,Who retreatsWithout escapingBlame,He whose one aim isTo protect his peopleAnd serve his lord,This man isA Jewel of the Realm.

He regards his troopsAs his children,And they will go with himInto the deepest ravine.He regards themAs his loved ones,And they will stand by himUnto death.

If he is generousBut cannot command,

If he is affectionate,But cannot give orders,

If he is chaoticAnd cannot keep order,

Then his menWill be likeSpoiled children,And useless.

If we know that our own troopsAre capable of attackingBut fail to see

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That the enemyIs not vulnerable,We have onlyHalf of victory.

If we know that the enemyIs vulnerableBut fail to seeThat our own troopsAre incapable of attacking,We have onlyHalf of victory.

If we know that the enemyIs vulnerable,And know that our own troopsAre capable of attacking,But fail to seeThat the terrainIs unfit for attack,We still have onlyHalf of victory.

The Wise Warrior,When he moves,Is never confused;When he acts,Is never at a loss.

So it is said“Know the enemy,Know yourself,And victoryIs never in doubt,Not in a hundred battles.”

Know Heaven,Know Earth,And your victoryIs complete.

• This idea of “Knowing the Situation” is extended to “Fitting the Situa-tion” through another Daoist metaphor, “The Hinge of the Dao,” whichis mentioned by Zhuangzi [Watson, 2003, p. 35]:33

33See also Ames and Hall [2003, p. 119], and Alan Fox. Reflex and reflectivity: Wuwei inthe Zhuangzi. In Scott Cook, editor, Hiding the world in the world: Uneven discourse on the

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Everything has its “that,” everything has its “this.” Fromthe point of view of “that” you cannot see it, but through under-standing you can know it. So I say, “that” comes out of “this”and “this” depends on “that”—which is to say that “this” and“that” give birth to each other. But where there is birth theremust be death; where there is death there must be birth. Wherethere is acceptability there must be unacceptability; where thereis unacceptability there must be acceptability. Where there isrecognition of right there must be recognition of wrong; wherethere is recognition of wrong there must be recognition of right.Therefore the sage does not proceed in such a way, but illumi-nates all in the light of Heaven. He too recognizes a “this,” buta “this” which is also “that,” a “that” which is also “this.” His“that” has both a right and a wrong in it; his “this” too hasboth a right and a wrong in it. So, in fact, does he still havea “this” and “that?” Or does he no longer have a “this” and“that?” A state in which “this” and “that” no longer find theiropposites is called the hinge of the Way. When the hinge is fit-ted into the socket, it can respond endlessly. Its right then is asingle endlessness and its wrong too is a single endlessness. SoI say, the best thing to use is clarity (ming 明).

• Zhuangzi is saying, first, that we are the “Hinge of the Way (Dao)” whenwe can experience the present moment for what it is, free of our preconcep-tions and biases, aware of the complex dynamics of “How Things Work.”And, second, that when we can be the Hinge of the Dao, we enable thingsto unfold in an optimal way—we optimize our effectiveness, our de (德).Again, the question is, How? Much of the answer has already been given,in the previous three sections—How Things Work, Less Is More, KnowYourself—here we expand on this foundation by looking at some recentscientific work that sheds considerable light on Knowing the Situation.

Situational Awareness

• The dominant model in this area is Mica Endsley’s three-level model ofsituation awareness.34 Working from a human factors-ergonomics back-ground, Endsley has created a model with strong theoretical and empiricalfoundations and great potential for application.35 Her model could alsobe seen as a modern equivalent of Zhuangzi’s Hinge of the Dao, with anemphasis on effective action in highly technical contexts.

Zhuangzi, pages 207–25. State University of New York Press, Albany, NY, 2003.34See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situation_awareness35See Mica R. Endsley. Theoretical underpinnings of situational awareness: A critical review.

In M. R. Endsley and D. J. Garland, editors, Situation awareness analysis and measurement,chapter 1, pages 3–32. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahway, NJ, 2000.

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• A Google search of “situational awareness” turns up a number of de-motivational (aka unmotivational) posters. Notice that the first postershown in the slides (divers and shark) illustrates a breakdown in perception(Level 1 Situational Awareness), whereas the second poster (cat and eagle)illustrates a breakdown in understanding (Level 2 Situational Awareness).Although these posters are good for a chuckle, the topic is serious: Ithas been estimated that about 90% of all airline accidents are due tobreakdowns in situational awareness by the pilots.36

• The next slide features the German general, Heinz Guderian. Guderianwas a highly creative and forward-thinking member of the German Gen-eral Staff, and was intrumental in creating the German armoured forcesand defining their operational concepts, prior to the onset of World WarII. Guderian was a superb operational commander, who led his PanzerGroup during the invasion of Poland in 1939, the invasion of France in1940, and the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.37 One of the key oper-ational concepts of the German armed forces was Fingerspitzgefuhl, whichis literally translated as “fingertip feel” or “touch.” Fingerspitzgefuhl isconceptually very close to what I am trying to get across in this section ofthe presentation, in terms of “Know the Situation.” Guderian and othersrecognized that fingerspitzgefuhl is essential for military operations thatare highly mobile, fluid, rapidly evolving, and where commanders mightnot have ready access to their superiors. These are in essence situationsof complexity, and fingerspitzgefuhl was (in part) the operational answerto these complex situational demands. Later in the presentation I willdescribe this operational philosophy in greater detail, showing how finger-spitzgefuhl was one component of a comprehensive operational philosophy,that resembles (and substantiates) “The Strongest Rope.”

• Situational Awareness—“Fingertip Feel”—is obviously important, but it isalso important to know what kind of situation you are in at the moment.Sunzi’s Art of War is fundamentally about the power of the situation,and the need to adapt strategy to that situation.38 This is where DavidSnowden’s Cynefin Framework enters the picture.

The Cynefin Framework

• David Snowden’s Cynefin Framework is a taxonomy of situations for hu-man sense-making.39 The nature of sense-making will be fundamentally

36See Mica R. Endsley, Betty Bolte, and Debra G. Jones. Designing for situation awareness:An approach to user-centered design. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2003.

37See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Guderian38Sunzi’s Art of War is most obviously about the importance of terrain, and how terrain

affects strategy; however, Sunzi is also very much aware of the human element, and bringsa sophisticated social psychology to his treatment of strategy—for Sunzi, the “situation”includes all those elements that help decide the outcome, both internal and external, andboth human and material.

39See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensemaking

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different in each type of situation, and the nature of effective leadershipwill vary accordingly.40 The major emphasis is on Complex situations,since these are the ones most often encountered when assuming command.Most of the papers regarding the Cynefin Framework can be found on theCognitive Edge website: http://www.cognitive-edge.com/index.php.(The distinction between Second-Order Cybernetics and First-Order Cy-bernetics will be presented below.)

• This next slide shows the Cynefin Framework using graphical icons:

Simple Bicycles are predictable and simple to operate (they are ma-chines, come with a manual, and most everyone can operate them).

Complicated Aircraft are predictable, but not simple to operate (theyare machines, require extensive training, and only trained expertscan operate them).

Complex Frogs (organisms—including organizations and ecosystems) arenot predictable, and are difficult to “operate” (they are living things,do not come with a manual, and require experience to “operate”).

Chaotic Fires (crises) are inherently unpredictable, and are difficult tomanage (chaos itself cannot be managed, chaotic situations must be“moved” into one of the other quadrants, where they can be man-aged).

• This next slide describes ontology of each quadrant in terms of cause andeffect:

Simple Cause and effect relations are repeatable, perceivable, and pre-dictable.

Complicated Cause and effect separated over time and space.

Complex Cause and effect are only coherent in retrospect and do notrepeat.

Chaotic No cause and effect relationships are perceivable.

• The next four slides “unpack” Snowden’s Cynefin Framework somewhat;one aspect of the framework specifies modes of sense-making (see Fig-ure 2):

Simple Sense-Categorize-Respond (e.g., we see that the fuel indicatorreads “Empty” in our automobile, and we stop at a gas station).

Complicated Sense-Analyze-Respond (e.g., our automobile makes a strangenoise, we take it to an expert [mechanic], who diagnoses the problemand repairs the engine).

40See David J. Snowden and Mary E. Boone. A leader’s framework for decision making.Harvard Business Review, pages 1–10, November 2007.

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Complex Probe-Sense-Respond (e.g., our child’s teacher informs us thatshe is doing poorly in school, we listen, observe, probe, etc., in or-der to determine the cause of this atypical behavior—“Repairs” willbe neither “simple” nor “complicated,” they will be “complex”—see“Solving for Pattern,” below).

Chaotic Act-Sense-Respond (e.g., our child is behaving bizarrely, endan-gering herself and her siblings, we immediately take charge of thesituation so as to ensure the safety of everyone involved, as we beginto take charge, we are vigilant about how our daughter is respond-ing to our intervention, and we respond accordingly; as the situationde-escalates, we act so as to move the situation into one of the otherdomains).

• It is useful to think of the Cynefin Framework as a taxonomy of situations,and “Knowing the Situation” involves, at least in part, understandingwhere we are in the taxonomy, as a guide to our actions and decisions.

• In the modern world of human affairs, we spend most of our time insituations of complexity, as was recognized by Soren Kierkegaard:

Life can only be understood backwards,but it must be lived forwards.

Soren Kierkegaard

• Winston Churchill experienced more than his share of chaotic situations,and knew how to act:

In critical and baffling situations,it is always best to return to first principle and simple action.

Winston S. Churchill

• One way to think about living a life, is that we encounter one situationafter another, and the quality of our living (life) is determined by how wenegotiate each of these situations; perhaps this was what Elbert Hubbardhad in mind:41

Life is just one damn thing after another.

Elbert Hubbard

41Elbert Hubbard was an interesting character: Among his numerous accomplishments waspublication of A Letter to Garcia,, one of the best-selling books of the twentieth century;the story it tells, and it is a compelling story, is essentially a parable of how to operate in acomplex situation—see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Message_to_Garcia.

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Solve for Pattern

• Daodejing, Chapter 67, (see [Ames and Hall, 2003, p. 183]):

The entire world knows me as “great,”I am great, but bear a resemblance to nothing at all.Indeed, it is only because I resemble nothing at all

that I am able to be great.If I did bear a resemblance to something else,For a long time now I would have been of little consequence.

I really have three prized possessions that I cling to and treasure:The first of these is compassion,The second, frugality,And the third is my reluctance to try to become

preeminent in the world.

It is because of compassion that I can be courageous;It is because of my frugality that I can be generous;It is because of my reluctance to try to become

preeminent in the world that I am able to becomechief among all things.

To be courageous without compassion,To be generous without being frugal,And to take the lead without holding back—This is courting death.

Compassion will give you victory in waging war,And security in defending your ground.

When nature sets anything upIt is as if it fortifies it with a wall of compassion.

• The Art of War, “Preserving the Whole,” pp. 14–16:

Master Sun said:

In War,Better takeA stateIntactThen destroy it.

Better takeAn army,A regiment,

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A detachment,A company,IntactThan destroy them.

Ultimate excellence liesNot in winningEvery battleBut in defeating the enemyWithout ever fighting.The highest form of warfareIs to attackStrategy itself;

The next,To attackAlliances;

The next,To attackArmies;

The lowest form of war isTo attackCities.Siege warfareIs a last resort.

In a siege,Three months are neededTo assembleProtective shields,Armored wagons,And sundrySiege weapons and equipment;Another three monthsTo pileEarthen ramps.

The general who cannotMaster his angerOrders his troops outLike ants,Sending one in threeTo their deaths,Without taking the city.

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This is the calamityOf siege warfare.

The Skillful StrategistDefeats the enemyWithout doing battle,Captures the cityWithout laying siege,Overthrows the enemy stateWithout protracted war.

He strives for supremacyUnder heavenIntact,His men and weaponsStill keen,His gainComplete.This is the method ofStrategic attack.

• George Marshall was, in my opinion, the most significant person of the20th century.42 Marshall was, as Sir Winston Churchill himself admit-ted, the architect of Allied victory in World War II. Marshall was alsothe architect of the Marshall Plan, which helped reconstruct Europe andJapan after that devastating war, and helped stave off Communism. TheMarshall Plan created powerful allies, where the Treaty Versailles, endingWorld War I, created powerful enemies. I know of no better example, nor amore significant example, of “Solving for Pattern” than George Marshall’slife work in the middle of the twentieth century.

• Charlie Wilson’s War,43 to the extent that it is historically accurate, re-flects the best and worst of U. S. strategic planning. The best: The U. S.helps arm the Afghan mujahideen in their resistance against the Soviet oc-cupation of Afghanistan, and the Soviets are driven out; the U. S. spends atrifle, and garners a significant defeat against their arch rivals. The worst:The U. S. fails to support reconstruction following the Soviet exodus, theTaliban gain control of the country, and invite their friends Al Qaeda toset up shop. The U. S. has not “Solved for Pattern” because they havefocused on short-term gains, while ignoring the long-term patterns thatmatter.

• This section is named after an essay by Wendell Berry, a true American42See http://www.marshallfoundation.org/and Ed Cray. General of the Army: George C.

Marshall, soldier and statesman. Cooper Square Press, New York, 2000.43See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Wilson’s_War

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hero.44 The essay, “Solving for Pattern,” describes an approach to solv-ing problems that is reminiscent of the Daodejing, Sunzi’s “Preservingthe Whole,” and the Marshall Plan.45 “Solving for Pattern” is based onthree principles: (a) the natural world, including humans, is governed bycomplexity, (b) the goal of any problem solving endeavor should be thehealth of the system, and (c) there are natural constraints on good solu-tions (e.g., simple solutions are better than complicated solutions). In thisessay, which is a “must read” for everyone, Berry identifies three kinds ofsolutions:

– One kind of solution — governed by the “Law of Unintended Con-sequences” — entails a host of unwanted and destructive effects.46

One example is “Coercive Family Process,” referred to above, inwhich case parents’ attempts to coerce socially desirable behaviorinevitably backfire, producing children who are anti-social. Muchthe same could be said about organizations and governments: Thereis a profound failure to see the long term patterns entailed by theshort-term strategy of coercion.

– Another kind of solution — governed by the “Law of Positive Feed-back” — entails a spiral of ever-worsening outcomes.47 To continuewith the “Coercive Family Process” example, one reason why thispattern of parent-child interaction is so destructive is that parentand child get caught up in a “arms race” of misbehavior and punish-ment. As punishments get worse, so do misbehaviors, with the onlyoption being a rupture of the relationship (e.g., running away). AsGregory Bateson pointed out, positive feedback loops, which are am-plifying, can only be sustained for the short term: Eventually therewill be a correction, which is a negative feedback loop on a largertime scale.

– The third kind of solution—governed by what might called the “Lawof Intended Consequences”—entails a cascade of health-promotingbenefits for the system. Importantly, although we may not know ex-actly how the results will play out over time, we can be confidentthat the results will be beneficial. Examples are Kangeroo Care andTouchpoints, discussed above. We will discuss further examples be-low.

• Wendell Berry discusses a dozen or so criteria for good solutions, whichbear a striking resemblance to Jim Collins’ ideas about “Catalytic Mech-anisms.”48 According to Collins, catalytic mechanisms:

44See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_Berry45Berry’s essay is available at http://www.hudson.org/files/documents/Berry_Solving_

for_Pattern.pdf46See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unintended_consequences47See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeostasis48See Jim Collins. Turning goals into results: The power of catalytic mechanisms. Harvard

Business Review, pages 71–82, July-August 1999. HBR OnPoint Article 3960

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– produce desired results in unpredictable ways;

– distribute power for the benefit of the overall system, often to thediscomfort of those who traditionally hold power;

– have teeth (they bite);

– eject viruses (they cleanse);

– produce an ongoing cascade of beneficial effects.

• Notice that all of these solutions—bad and good—involve complexity;however, the good solutions involve wisdom. Where does this wisdomcome from? My contention is that the wisdom comes from the first fourlevels of The Strongest Rope: How Things Work, Less Is More, KnowYourself, Know the Situation. These strands of the rope ground the prob-lem solver (strategist) in the organic wisdom of the natural world.

• But complexity is complicated: We have to be able to understand it inorder to use it. Complexity (and emergence) arise from feedback andconnections. If we can understand these two principles, we can begin tounderstand the evolution of complex adaptive systems.

• Here I use four diagrams to illustrate the main concepts associated withComplex Adaptive Systems (CAS):49

– The first diagram shows the formal structure of a Complex Adap-tive System (CAS), showing inputs, internal processing, outputs,and feedback; the ability to process feedback makes the CAS adap-tive. Simple feedback corresponds to first-order cybernetics (self-regulation), feedback about feedback corresponds to second-order cy-bernetics (self-organization).50

– The second diagram shows how CAS are themselves constructed fromsimpler CAS: One common example is that a cell is composed of var-ious organelles, tissues are composed of cells, organs are composedof tissues, bodies are composed of organs, families are composed ofbodies, communities are composed of families, and so on. As partof this hierarchical organization, there are numerous connections be-tween CAS at the various levels, and these connections (along withfeedback) give rise to complexity and emergence.

– The third diagram illustrates how CAS are modeled, and introducesthe distinction between ontology and epistemology: Ontology per-tains to the situations we encounter—Are they simple, complicated,complex, or chaotic?—and epistemology pertains to our ways of un-derstanding those situations—Daoist philosophy and complexity sci-ence, for example. The complexity sciences are producing a new way

49These lovely diagrams were downloaded from http://www.idiagram.com/examples/

complexity.html50See Bradford P. Keeney. Aesthetics of change. Guilford Press, New York, 1983

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of viewing the world through a scientific lens, thereby opening thewhole left-hand side of David Snowden’s Cynefin Framework. Thestrengths and limitations of science are nicely illustrated in the fol-lowing “Metaphor for Science:”51

A man was walking home one dark and foggy night. Ashe groped his way through the murk he nearly tripped oversomeone crawling around by a lamp post. “What are youdoing?” asked the traveller. “I’m looking for my keys,”replied the other. “Are you sure you lost them here?” askedthe first man. “I’m not sure at all,” came the reply, “but ifI haven’t lost them near this lamp I don’t stand a chanceof finding them.”

– The fourth diagram illustrates the entire “ladder” of holonic organiza-tion; “holonic” means that the scientist (or philosopher) can recoverglobal information from local information, which means (in part)that certain characteristics of CAS will apply to all CAS, regardlessof where they are in the hierarchy.52

• The major features of CAS are nicely captured by the following twoquotes:53

Complex adaptive systems consist of a number of compo-nents, or agents, that interact with each other according tosets of rules that require them to examine and respond to eachother’s behaviour in order to improve their behaviour and thusthe behaviour of the system they comprise.

Ralph Stacey

. . . the complex whole may exhibit properties that are notreadily explained by understanding its parts. The complexwhole, in a completely nonmystical sense, can often exhibit col-lective properties, “emergent” features that are lawful in theirown right.

Stuart Kauffman

Embrace Paradox

Assume Command

• The German operational philosophy, which was extraordinarily successfulat the outset of World War II, was based on four inter-related concepts:54

51See http://www.new-paradigm.co.uk/complex-od.htm52See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holonomy53See http://www.new-paradigm.co.uk/complex-od.htm54This presentation of the German’s operational philosophy borrows heavily from H. William

Dettmer’s short paper, “Business and Blitzkrieg”—available at http://www.goalsys.com/

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– Learning from Experience.

– Einheit. The literal meaning of the term is “mutual trust.” It’sthe sense of well-being that a member of a cohesive team gains fromknowing that he or she can depend utterly on fellow team members—no matter their position in the organization chart—for help, support,or just faithfully doing what’s expected of them. Mutual trust ofthis kind cannot be mandated or imposed—it develops over time, itis earned through common experiences. Einheit is more than simplecamaraderie, although camaraderie is a by-product. It’s knowingthat other team members will be in the right place at the right time,and will do whatever it takes to achieve the goals of the mission.Later in the presentation, I will return to einheit, in the section on“Assuming Command.”

– Fingerspitzgefuhl. This “fingertip feel” is a form of intuitive expertisearising from extended experience in valid learning environments. It’sthe kind of expertise that world-class musicians such as Yo-Yo Mahave, or that world-class coaches such as the Lakers’ Phil Jacksonhave, or that world-class poets such as David Whyte have. Theirperformances unfold unconsciously, ziran-like, with a deftness thatmakes it seem easier than it really is. Because of the expert paradox,these experts are hardly even aware of what they do—their awarenessis fixed on the unfolding situation. Fingerspitzgefuhl is inextricablylinked to einheit: As a team works together over time, they becomebetter at what they do, both individually and collectively. In a teamsetting, it can be said that the fingerspitzgefuhl resides as much inthe team as in any one individual. Further, this fingerspitzgefuhlwill reflect the wu-forms, characterizing the team’s response to eachsituation it encounters.

– Auftragstaktik. This is a virtual or implied contract between superiorand subordinate, where the superior tacitly avoids ordering a subor-dinate to do something.55 Instead, he or she asks the subordinate toaccept the responsibility for getting it done (again, think wu-forms).Einheit and fingerspitzgefuhl are part of auftragstaktik: Because theteam has worked together repeatedly for a long time, they have de-veloped an intimate knowledge of and respect for each others’ skillsand capabilities. Superiors know what subordinates are capable ofand where their limitations lie. For their part of the contract, su-periors avoid asking subordinates to take on responsibilities beyondtheir capabilities without having a valid, justifiable reason. For theirpart of the contract, if they accept the superior’s charter, subordi-

systemsthinking/documents/Part-2-BusinessandtheBlitzkrieg.pdf—which in turn bor-rows heavily from Chester W. Richards. Certain to win: The strategy of John Boyd, appliedto business. Xlibris Corporation, 2004.

55Montrose was famously skilled at auftragstaktik, which was a reflection both on his acuityming, and the independence of his Highland warriors.

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nates agree to accomplish what has been asked of them, applying thesteely self-discipline that comes with einheit and fingerspitzgefuhl.The subordinate implicitly trusts the superior not to ask more ofhim or her than they are capable of doing. The superior implicitlytrusts the subordinate to deliver what he or she agreed to do withoutcontinually having to be checked or prodded.56

– Schwerpunkt. Literally, this means “hard or difficult point,” but thereal meaning is the point of focus, where the major effort is directed.For the German Panzer Groups, this was the target or main thrustof the the attack. Going hand-in-hand with the concept of schwer-punkt is the idea of nebenpunkt, or essential supporting activities.The classic military example of the blitzkrieg—and schwerpunkt andnebenpunkt as well—is the German attack on France in 1940 throughthe Ardennes Forest. With French and Belgian troops massed inthe Belgian plains against German Army Group A, German ArmyGroup B (which included Guderian’s and Rommel’s Panzer Groups)moved quickly through the narrow roads of the Ardennes toward thecity of Sedan. Thinking this approach improbable, the French de-fended Sedan with third-rate troops and reserves. As the Germansslashed through the Ardennes, the French defenders broke ranks andran, even before the panzers completed their crossing of the MeuseRiver. Army Group B wheeled around to the north and enveloped theFrench and Belgian armies from the rear. In the conquest of France,the schwerpunkt was the Ardennes penetration. The nebenpunkt wasthe supporting role played by Army Group A, whose primary func-tion was to draw the attention of French and Belgian forces (whichit did most successfully) while Army Group B circled around frombehind.57

– Leading by Intent. The immediate benefit of einheit, fingerspitzgefuhl,auftragstaktik, and schwerpunkt accrues primarily to the senior com-mander: Rather than having to specify in detail everything he or shewants each subordinate to do, the commander can lead by intent.58

The leader of a blitzkrieg-oriented organization can describe the de-sired outcome and assign the resources to trusted team members,who, by virtue of their mutual trust, intuitive skill, and complete un-derstanding and acceptance of the mission contract, can be utterlydepended on to deliver the results. Subordinates are comfortableexercising their own initiative in their pursuit of the mission, and su-periors are completely comfortable letting them do so. Once again,this appears to be a case of “Less is More.”

56It occurs to me that Grant and Sherman shared this kind of relationship, which was keyto their mutual effectiveness.

57Schwerpunkt and nebenpunkt correspond to several of Sunzi’s dialectical pairs, which willbe presented in the section “Embrace Paradox.”

58The parallel here with Taijiquan is striking.

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Y

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