Strategy: A History

Lawrence Freedman's book, "Strategy: A History," provides a comprehensive exploration of strategy throughout various contexts, from ants and monkeys to human history. The author emphasizes the importance of resources in determining the outcome of battles, highlighting the notion that the party with superior resources typically prevails. Napoleon serves as a prominent figure in the discussion of strategy, offering valuable lessons from both his successes and failures.

One crucial takeaway is the necessity of understanding the opponent and forming coalitions. Napoleon's downfall resulted from his inability to adapt as his adversaries recognized and countered his strategies. Additionally, the failed invasion of Russia demonstrates the significance of stretching an opponent's supply lines, ultimately weakening their forces. Freedman also delves into strategy for underdogs, emphasizing the importance of patience, survival, and gradual growth of influence.

The book covers strategic approaches beyond the realm of war, examining examples such as the civil rights movement and the strategic use of nonviolent resistance by figures like Gandhi and King. These leaders strategically cultivated respect, focused on challenging unjust laws, and staged peaceful demonstrations that garnered attention for their causes.

Freedman introduces game theory in the section on "The Theory of Strategy," acknowledging its limitations when applied to real-life scenarios. While game theory provides insights into strategic decision-making, it fails to account for the ongoing consequences that follow after the game ends. The author suggests that life resembles an infinite game of tit-for-tat, where cooperation is generally the optimal strategy, but occasional disruptions must be anticipated and dealt with accordingly.

Throughout the book, Freedman includes several thought-provoking quotes that further illuminate key concepts. These quotes touch on themes such as the limitations of planning and the importance of adapting to changing circumstances. The author emphasizes the need for strategy to evolve continuously and navigate complex real-world situations rather than relying on rigid action plans.

In conclusion, "Strategy: A History" offers a comprehensive exploration of strategy across various domains. Lawrence Freedman delves into the lessons learned from historical events and presents valuable insights into strategic thinking. The book emphasizes the role of resources, the significance of understanding opponents and forming coalitions, and the importance of adaptability in the face of evolving circumstances.

Quotes...

"Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth." --Mike Tyson

"Tolstoy's' contempt for the "new science" of strategy was a warning against the "erroneous idea that the command which precedes the event causes the event. Though thousands of commands would be issued, historians only focused on the few executed that were consistent with events while forgetting "the  others that were not executed because they could not be." This was a challenge to a strategic approach that generated plans and issues orders for actions that could affect few of the many factors in play and was based on ignorance about the actual state of affairs."

"But part of strategy was to understand what battle could and could not achieve. In this regard, Russia's fate was determined by strategy as much as any elemental forces beyond human comprehensions."

"Theories charted and also exemplified the process of bureaucratization and rationalization, offering strategies of efficient design and implementation, explaining why even revolutionary politics required professionalism and sound organization. This became one of the touchstone issues of political life, especially on the left, for it posed sharply the issue of whether it was possible to avoid the bad habits of the powerful while staying effective."

"By and large, strong organization triumphed over the integrity of spontaneous action."

"Merely raging against the system resulted in largely unproductive consequences for the people on whose behalf the activists claimed to be raging."

"Consequences: there's no getting away from them. How disconcerting that ideals and passions are compatible with gross miscalculation." - Saul Alinsky

"It was was to plan before doing, but  that did not mean that different people needed to be involved, with some giving orders and others doing what they are told."

"If middle managers are excluded from goal formation, they would be less committed to goal implementation."

"His (McNamara) approach was derided for its relentless focus on what could be measured rather than what actually needed to be understood-- criticisms that McNamara in later life accepted."

"Strategy is not a lengthy action plan. It was the evolution of a central idea through continually changing circumstances ... Any cookbook approach is powerless to cope with the independent will, or with the unfolding situations of the real world."

"Since Drucker first introduced management by objectives, certain techniques had been introduced that might once have been considered fads but were now considered generally helpful, such as SWOT analysis, the Boston matrix or quality circles. Even with BPR, the problem was in excessive radicalism, demanding too much at once and overstating the benefits."

"Rather than a determined, long-term perspective, he pointed to the ability of an organization to learn from experience and show agility in the face of unexpected opportunities."

"Bad strategy flourishes, Rumelt suggested, because it floats above logic analysis and choice. held aloft by hope that one can avoid dealing with these tricky fundamentals and the difficulties of mastering them."

"The world of strategy is full of disappointment and frustration, of means not working and ends not reached."

"The dramatacist knows from the start whether she is writing a comedy or a tragedy: the strategist aims for a comedy but risks tragedy."