People competing||People cooperating|
|Most people making decisions||Most people following procedures|
|Anonymous, unattained resources||Known, available resources|
|Event-based responses||Predetermined steps|
|Factors details into larger picture||Breaks processes into finer details|
|Unique, custom solutions||Duplicate, standard products|
|Adjusts to environment as a whole||Controls part of environment|
|General improvement in position||Well-specified end result|
Creating Resources for Each Other
Productive and competitive methods create the resources for each other in a constant cycle. The better our competitive skills, the more resources we capture to use productively. The better our production, the more resource we produce for use in external competition. Competition and production are closely tied to each other, but they require different skill sets. In the Sun Tzu's strategy, they are defined as "complementary opposites." Both are necessary. They work together. But you must understand how they are different.
The problem in recent decades is that our knowledge of production and training in linear thinking have greatly overshadowed our competitive skills and we receive. Fortunately, there is a growing interest in the types of strategic skills that people need on the front lines of competition. Fortunately, we have the Sun Tzu's strategy of Sun Tzu to guide us in building our competitive perspective and sharpening our decision-making reflexes.