When ancient Chinese generals came together to form a code of combat, The Art of War resulted. A thirteen-chapter set of regulations, the code covered topics from the environment of battle to the use of spies. The matter that is of interest is the Art of War does not only apply to the battlefield but carries into other fields as well, namely business. When placing the code in the context of business and the business environment, it is clear the Art of War serves a versatile and timeless role. .
Leadership is incredibly important for an army as well as a corporation. Imagine an army without a general or a corporation without its executives. Clearly, both bodies cannot function efficiently as they are directionless. The need for solid leadership is an absolute necessity as rule I,ix states "The commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerety, benevolence, courage and strictness." From the solid leadership stems the trust of the bodies: "The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by danger." Now this doesn't mean that a worker for the cooperation should give their life for the company, but rather, should and will make sacrifices for the business and stick with the business through the tough times. .
There is not a clearer example of how a leader of an army is the same as the leaders of a corporation than as described in rule I,x: "By method and discipline are to be understood the marshalling of the army and its subdivisions, the graduation of ranks among officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of the military expenditure." Marshalling of the army and its subdivisions applies directly to departmentalizing a corporation into the variable sectors, marketing, accounting, investments, management etc. Graduation of ranks among the officers applies to selecting the management that will best suit the corporation.
