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Summary
This blog discusses various problem-solving methods in “Problem Solving Methods, Thinking and Design of Experiments. Among them, “KPI KGI OKR” describes a quantification method for problem solving, and “Concrete and Abstract – Semantics and Explanation of Natural Language” uses an abstraction step to extract the essential problem of the issue.
Such an approach to problem solving was actually compiled by a man called Sun Tzu some 2,500 years ago. In the previous article, I described what Sun Tzu was based on “NHK’s 100 Minutes de Meitaku: Lao Tzu x Sun Tzu“. This time, I would like to discuss Sun Tzu’s specific approach.
Sun Tzu’s ideas are considered to be the root of various approaches to problem solving today. Although the subject matter is war, if we replace it with problem solving, we can see that “the objective is important, not the means (war),” “before solving a problem (war), quantification and consideration should be made from various perspectives,” “the goal of problem solving (war) should be made clear and when to stop should be made clear,” “the goal of problem solving (war) should be made clear and when to stop should be made clear,” “the goal should be made clear and when to stop should be made clear,” and “the goal should be made clear and when to stop should be made clear. The current consultants’ ideas such as, “We must not just do it for now, but must be in such a state that we are 80% ready at the pre-planning stage, and we must not fight without a plan or without a chance of victory,” are scattered throughout the book. The following is a specific description of the contents of Sun Tzu’s book.
What is war?
The following words are found at the beginning of “Sun Tzu”.
According to Sun Tzu, the army is the most important part of the nation. The land of life and death, the road of existence and death, must be understood.
(Sun Tzu said. War is a matter of national importance. It is the place where death and life of the people are decided, and it is the path between existence and death of the nation, so it must be pondered deeply).
Sun Tzu was the first to declare that war is a matter of national importance, and the reason for this recognition is that war is no longer a game with aesthetics, but has become so large that victory or defeat is directly related to the existence of the nation. Such wars are costly. Moreover, once a war is started, both the nation and its people are exhausted on a daily basis, both materially and spiritually. Here, Sun Tzu says that war is basically “work that is not worth the cost.
Although “Sun Tzu” is a military book, it does not recommend fighting or saying that we should aim for value at all costs. Rather. Rather, it tells us that it is better not to start wars if possible. This is the view of war that runs through the entire “Sun Tzu”.
And even if it is unavoidable to start a war, he recommends to cut it short as much as possible.
According to Sun Tzu, the general rule of warfare is: “When you have a thousand four-wheeled vehicles, a thousand ridden vehicles, a hundred thousand armored vehicles, and a thousand thousand thousand miles to feed your army, you must spend a thousand gold a day in domestic and foreign expenses, in the use of guests, in the use of glue and lacquer, in the manufacture of armored vehicles, and in the feeding of your army. After that, a hundred thousand masters will be raised.
(Sun Tzu said. The principle of war requires a thousand chariots, a thousand transportation vehicles, and a hundred thousand armed soldiers to transport food for a thousand miles, as well as internal and external expenses, diplomatic expenses, materials such as glue and lacquer, and the supply of chariots and armor. In other words, one can move an army of 100,000 men only after spending a thousand gold pieces per day.)
It is only after spending an enormous amount of “1,000 gold” that an army of 100,000 can be mobilized. In other words, war, once started, can seriously damage a nation’s economy.
Furthermore, Sun Tzu said
Therefore, a soldier may be slow to act, but he will not yet be skillful enough. There has yet to be a man who has benefited his country by having a long military career. Therefore, those who do not know the harm of using military force to the fullest extent cannot know the benefit of using military force to the fullest extent.
(In war, it is better to win the battle as quickly as possible, even if you are not very good at it. There is no such thing as a “skillful battle. Even if your tactics are excellent, there is no guarantee that they will last.)
The term “poor speed” is used today in the unfavorable sense of being fast but rough, but Sun Tzu intended something different. Sun Tzu’s intention is different: it is better to end a war quickly, even if it is a little bad. The longer the war drags on, the weaker the morale of the troops and the greater the economic damage to the country. A quick victory is the ideal, and a prolonged war is undesirable.
Sun Tzu thus asserts that “military conflict should be avoided as much as possible” and that “victory without fighting is the best.
Point your forces before you fight.
Win without fighting. To achieve this, it is important not to start a war easily. Then, what should we do to be cautious in starting a war?
In this regard, Sun Tzu explains the importance of analysis in the “Miao-masu” . The leaders of a nation gather for a meeting in a building called a mausoleum, where the spirits of kings are enshrined. During the meeting, the most important five indicators, called “five matters and seven plans,” and seven more specific indicators are analyzed, and the difference in the war potential between the enemy and the allies is pointed out.
Therefore, to determine the course of events, we must use the five matters, and to learn the course of events, we must use the seven measures. First, the Way; second, the heaven; third, the earth; fourth, the general; and fifth, the law.
(Therefore, to think about war, we should think based on the “Five Matters,” and to approach war, we should compare the “Seven Strategies (Matters)” and seek the actual situation of our own country and that of the enemy. The five matters are: the first is the Way, the second is the Heaven, the third is the Earth, the fourth is the Shogun, and the fifth is the Law).
The “Dao” refers to the way of politics that can make the people’s feelings about the government, and if this can be achieved, the people and the government can fight with one mind in war. Dot” refers to natural conditions such as brightness, darkness, heat, and cold, and “chi” refers to the geography of the battlefield. Shogun” refers to the general’s ability to control a group, and “law” refers to the various rules for managing an army, such as the military command system and awards and punishments.
Then, as for the “Seven Strategies
Said, Lord, is (either) worthy, general, is or is capable, heaven and earth, is or is obtained, statute, is or is performed, soldiers, is or is strong, soldier ( Shisotatsu), whether it is or not (nara ittaru), reward or punishment, whether it is clear. I know victory with this.
(Sun Tzu said. Which sovereign has the right of way, which general is more able, which nation has the advantage of the time of heaven and the advantage of earth, which law is enforced more justly and strictly, which army is stronger, which soldiers are better trained, which awards and punishments are more justly administered? (It is necessary to compare one’s own country with that of the enemy in these seven calculations). I have learned what a victory (war) is by understanding the nature of this war).
For each of these items, Sun Tzu tells us to compare the situation of our own army with that of the enemy. He then says that the one who has more points to gain is the winner.
What we should never do at this point is to be subjective or to insert prejudice. While we are objectively evaluating the situation, we should not say, “No, there will be a kamikaze,” or “Let’s just cover the rest with our strength.
Win by preserving both your own and the enemy’s forces.
While it is best to win without fighting, there are times when we are compelled to enter into battle. In such cases, how is winning most desirable? Sun Tzu states the following.
Sun Tzu says, “In general, the best military strategy is to complete the state, and defeating the state is second to that. The best military strategy is to complete the nation, and the best military strategy is to defeat the nation.
(Sun Tzu said. The law (principle) of war is to avoid losses at home, and defeating a foreign nation is the next best policy. It is a good policy not to cause losses of your army (12,500 troops), and defeating the enemy’s army is the next best policy).
Sun Tzu says that even if you win a battle and take an enemy country into your territory, if the enemy country is thoroughly destroyed, there is no use, no people, and no towns, it is meaningless to have won the war. The best way to win is to take the enemy’s economy, politics, culture, and people exactly as they are, and this is Sun Tzu’s rationalist approach, with “winning without fighting” as the highest priority. Sun Tzu’s rationalism also states the following
Therefore, the superior soldiers shall cut down the plot, the next shall cut down the crossing, the next shall cut down the soldiers, and the next shall attack the castle.
(So the best war is to defeat the enemy’s schemes, then to block and break the enemy’s alliances, then to actually wage war, and the worst underhanded strategy is to attack the castle.)
It is stated that the best way to win a war is to determine victory or defeat by spy plots and schemes, the next is to settle it through visible diplomatic negotiations, the third is to engage in war with troops, and the worst underhanded way to fight is to attack a castle in which the opponent is caged.
Advance preparation is the key to victory.
The quintessence of Sun Tzu’s Art of War is “not to fight,” and this is proclaimed in Chapter 3 of the Plotting and Offensive Arc.
Therefore (because of this), winning a hundred battles and winning a hundred victories is not the best of the good. It is the goodness of goodness to defeat a man’s army without a battle.
(From these things, 100 victories in 100 battles (fighting and always winning) is not the way of the best general. To bring the enemy soldiers to their knees without fighting is the strategy of the best general (to win by using trickery without harming one’s own country or army at all).
At first glance, it seems that fighting 100 battles and winning 100 battles is a good thing. However, Sun Tzu says that this is not the best. For example, it is always a drain on money and strength. The best way to win is not to win by fighting, but to surrender your opponent’s army without fighting.
Also, a mediocre general tries to win a battle after starting it anyway, but Sun Tzu says that this is not the way to go.
Therefore, a victorious soldier must first win and then seek battle, while a defeated soldier must first fight and then seek value.
(A victorious army is one that first wins in the mausoleum calculation stage before the war begins, and then wins the actual war. Conversely, a defeated army seeks victory by fighting without careful advance planning.)
This is to say that, no matter what you do, it is not a good idea to “just give it a try for the time being. In the pre-planning stage, you must be 80% sure that you can do it. Even so, there will be many problems when you actually start the project. If the project is unplanned, or if there is no praise at the planning stage, then the project should not be fought in the first place.
This “just give it a try” is an important stance to take when starting something new, but it is not enough; in order to start something, you must think it through beforehand. It also means that you cannot start something haphazardly.
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