The goal of strategy: Win all without fighting

Mark McNeilly

Many city-states, countries and empires have been built by leveraging their unique history, geography and assets to control their environment. Thus, they were able to survive, achieve stability and ultimately prosper for hundreds of years.

許多城邦、國(guó)家和帝國(guó)都是通過(guò)利用其獨(dú)特的歷史、地理和資產(chǎn)來(lái)控制其環(huán)境而建立起來(lái)的。因此，他們得以生存，實(shí)現(xiàn)穩(wěn)定，并最終繁榮了數(shù)百年。

Businesses, like countries, have a unique history and a set of assets. But how does one judge whether a business has been successful? The Western view is that a business exists primarily to provide a return on investment for stockholders. In contrast, the Asian view is that a business exists primarily to provide jobs for its employees. Although both views differ, there is one constant between them: To meet either goal, a business must survive and prosper. Therefore, successful businesses, like successful countries, are those that may have started small but ended up surviving and prospering over a long period.

與國(guó)家一樣，企業(yè)也有獨(dú)特的歷史和一系列資產(chǎn)。但是如何判斷一個(gè)企業(yè)是否成功呢?西方的觀點(diǎn)是，企業(yè)的存在主要是為了為股東提供投資回報(bào)。相比之下，亞洲人的觀點(diǎn)是，企業(yè)的存在主要是為了為員工提供就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)。盡管兩種觀點(diǎn)不同，但它們之間有一個(gè)共同點(diǎn):為了實(shí)現(xiàn)任何一個(gè)目標(biāo)，企業(yè)必須生存和繁榮。因此，成功的企業(yè)，就像成功的國(guó)家一樣，可能一開(kāi)始規(guī)模很小，但最終在很長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間內(nèi)生存和繁榮。

If the goal of a business is to survive and prosper, then what is the goal of its strategy? Sun Tzu offers this advice:

如果一個(gè)企業(yè)的目標(biāo)是生存和繁榮，那么它的戰(zhàn)略目標(biāo)是什么?孫子給出了這樣的建議:

Your aim must be to take All- Under-Heaven intact. Thus your troops are not worn out and your gains will be complete. This is the art of offensive strategy.

你的目標(biāo)必須是完整地奪取天下萬(wàn)物。這樣，你的軍隊(duì)不致疲乏，你所得的也必成全。這就是進(jìn)攻戰(zhàn)略的藝術(shù)。

The goal of business strategy must be "to take All-Under-Heaven intact" — to capture your marketplace. You must define the markets you are going after and commit to achieving relative market dominance in those markets. By doing so, your company will ensure its survival and prosperity.

商業(yè)戰(zhàn)略的目標(biāo)必須是“完整地占領(lǐng)天下萬(wàn)物”——占領(lǐng)你的市場(chǎng)。你必須明確你要追求的市場(chǎng)，并致力于在這些市場(chǎng)中取得相對(duì)的市場(chǎng)主導(dǎo)地位。通過(guò)這樣做，你的公司將確保它的生存和繁榮。

There are many examples of companies that have done this. They began as seedlings, but used creative strategy to bring value to the marketplace, grew quickly, and continued doing business successfully for a number of years. They had to be able to gain a position in their industry or niche that enabled them to protect themselves and shape the forces in their industry in their favor. They achieved relative market dominance.

有很多公司都這樣做過(guò)。他們開(kāi)始是幼苗，但使用創(chuàng)造性的策略為市場(chǎng)帶來(lái)價(jià)值，迅速成長(zhǎng)，并繼續(xù)成功地經(jīng)營(yíng)了很多年。他們必須能夠在他們的行業(yè)或利基中獲得一個(gè)位置，使他們能夠保護(hù)自己，并在行業(yè)中形成對(duì)他們有利的力量。他們?nèi)〉昧讼鄬?duì)的市場(chǎng)主導(dǎo)地位。

Market dominance can appear in many forms; technology leadership, brand recognition or cost leadership are some signs of it. Market dominance can also be thought of in terms of market share. Companies with dominant market share in an industry segment or an entire industry are more able to influence the industry, direct its evolution and establish an excellent competitive position. Their powerful position allows them to set the industry's standards and define the playing field. Firms that have achieved dominant market share most likely also enjoy the advantages of higher customer loyalty, larger volumes, better economies of scale, and strong distribution capabilities. In addition, substantial data and research have shown that market share and profitability go hand-in-hand in a number of industry environments. Those same advantages tend to increase revenues and lower unit costs, thus increasing profitability. If a company can achieve relative market dominance properly, prosperity will eventually come.

市場(chǎng)主導(dǎo)地位可以以多種形式出現(xiàn);技術(shù)領(lǐng)先、品牌認(rèn)知度或成本領(lǐng)先是其中的一些標(biāo)志。市場(chǎng)主導(dǎo)地位也可以用市場(chǎng)份額來(lái)考慮。在某一行業(yè)或整個(gè)行業(yè)中擁有主導(dǎo)市場(chǎng)份額的公司，更有能力影響行業(yè)，指導(dǎo)行業(yè)的發(fā)展，建立良好的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)地位。他們的強(qiáng)勢(shì)地位使他們能夠制定行業(yè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)并定義競(jìng)爭(zhēng)環(huán)境。獲得主導(dǎo)市場(chǎng)份額的公司很可能還享有更高的客戶忠誠(chéng)度、更大的銷(xiāo)量、更好的規(guī)模經(jīng)濟(jì)和強(qiáng)大的分銷(xiāo)能力等優(yōu)勢(shì)。此外，大量數(shù)據(jù)和研究表明，在許多行業(yè)環(huán)境中，市場(chǎng)份額和盈利能力是密切相關(guān)的。這些同樣的優(yōu)勢(shì)傾向于增加收入和降低單位成本，從而增加盈利能力。如果一個(gè)公司能夠適當(dāng)?shù)孬@得相對(duì)的市場(chǎng)主導(dǎo)地位，繁榮終將到來(lái)。

In the 1970s and 1980s, Japanese companies, with their long-term view of strategy, emphasis on competition and survival, and belief that business is war, supported this thinking. Japanese companies were very successful at capturing market share and achieving a dominant position in many industries. Whether the industry involved automobiles, consumer electronics or office equipment, the inroads they made in US, European and Asian markets were significant. This provided these Japanese companies with the ability to influence their respective industries and ensure their survival, even when American and European firms began to successfully respond to their attacks.

上世紀(jì)七八十年代，日本企業(yè)以其長(zhǎng)期的戰(zhàn)略眼光，強(qiáng)調(diào)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)和生存，相信商業(yè)就是戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，支持了這種想法。日本公司非常成功地奪取了市場(chǎng)份額，并在許多行業(yè)占據(jù)了主導(dǎo)地位。無(wú)論該行業(yè)涉及汽車(chē)、消費(fèi)電子產(chǎn)品還是辦公設(shè)備，它們?cè)诿绹?guó)、歐洲和亞洲市場(chǎng)取得的進(jìn)展都是顯著的。這為這些日本公司提供了影響其各自行業(yè)并確保其生存的能力，即使美國(guó)和歐洲公司開(kāi)始成功應(yīng)對(duì)他們的攻擊。

In the United States, GE's John Welch charged his business units to be number one or number two in their industry or face being sold off. Microsoft's dominance of the software market for personal computer operating systems has enabled it to call the tune that other computer system companies, application software companies and PC hardware firms have danced to for the last decade. Microsoft's CEO and chief strategist, William H. Gates III, has been able to influence the industry so effectively that it is difficult for any firm to make a move without considering how Microsoft will react. Both Microsoft and GE have experienced prosperity utilizing this strategy. GE, a 60-billion-dollar company, became America's most profitable company in 1994 with earnings of 6 billion dollars. Microsoft has also done well; between 1990 and 1994, its sales grew 47 percent and its profits increased 53 percent per year.

在美國(guó)，通用電氣的約翰?韋爾奇(John Welch)要求他的業(yè)務(wù)部門(mén)成為行業(yè)第一或第二，否則將面臨被出售的局面。微軟在個(gè)人電腦操作系統(tǒng)軟件市場(chǎng)上的主導(dǎo)地位，使其能夠成為其他電腦系統(tǒng)公司、應(yīng)用軟件公司和個(gè)人電腦硬件公司過(guò)去十年的主旋律。微軟的首席執(zhí)行官兼首席策略師威廉·h·蓋茨三世(William H. Gates III)已經(jīng)能夠有效地影響這個(gè)行業(yè)，任何一家公司都很難不考慮微軟的反應(yīng)就采取行動(dòng)。微軟和通用電氣利用這一戰(zhàn)略都取得了成功。通用電氣，一個(gè)價(jià)值600億美元的公司，在1994年以60億美元的收入成為美國(guó)最賺錢(qián)的公司。微軟也做得不錯(cuò);從1990年到1994年，它的銷(xiāo)售額增長(zhǎng)了47%，利潤(rùn)每年增長(zhǎng)了53%。

One may argue that relative market dominance is not necessary for survival and prosperity, pointing to small "corporate Switzerlands" as examples. The country of Switzerland has survived hundreds of years and prospered; it has done this not by seeking expansion and domination but by creating a strong defensive position. Switzerland combines a well-trained citizen army with its forbidding terrain, thus making the costs of attacking it outweigh the benefits of conquering it. The Swiss also use their neutrality to serve the warring nations of the globe, playing a key role as a site for negotiations and a go-between for antagonists. Switzerland utilizes the assets it has been given and a unique strategy to find a defensible position in the world.

有人可能會(huì)說(shuō)，相對(duì)的市場(chǎng)主導(dǎo)地位對(duì)于生存和繁榮是不必要的，并以小型“企業(yè)瑞士”為例。瑞士這個(gè)國(guó)家已經(jīng)生存了幾百年并且繁榮昌盛;它做到這一點(diǎn)不是通過(guò)尋求擴(kuò)張和統(tǒng)治，而是通過(guò)建立一個(gè)強(qiáng)大的防御地位。瑞士將一支訓(xùn)練有素的公民軍隊(duì)與其令人生畏的地形結(jié)合在一起，因此，進(jìn)攻它的成本超過(guò)了征服它的收益。瑞士也利用他們的中立為世界上的交戰(zhàn)國(guó)家服務(wù)，作為談判地點(diǎn)和敵對(duì)國(guó)之間的中間人，瑞士發(fā)揮了關(guān)鍵作用。瑞士利用其被賦予的資產(chǎn)和獨(dú)特的戰(zhàn)略，在世界上找到一個(gè)可以防守的位置。

Likewise, companies do exist with low market share that have found defensible positions in their industry along with sustained profitability. They too have done so by understanding their strengths and weaknesses and using strategy to create a place in which they can survive and prosper.

同樣地，市場(chǎng)份額較低的公司在其行業(yè)中找到了穩(wěn)固的地位，并持續(xù)盈利。它們也是通過(guò)了解自己的優(yōu)勢(shì)和劣勢(shì)，并運(yùn)用戰(zhàn)略創(chuàng)造一個(gè)可以生存和繁榮的地方而做到這一點(diǎn)的。

However, these businesses, like Switzerland, exist at the whim of the dominant players. Like major world powers, at any time market leaders may decide that these little "Switzerlands" have served their purpose in the industry and choose to eliminate them. Although a small company might cause a lot of problems for a dominant player before going away, in the end it would be eliminated. Thus, the only true way to control your firm's destiny is to drive for relative market dominance. This must be your purpose.

然而，這些企業(yè)，就像瑞士一樣，是由主導(dǎo)玩家的心血來(lái)潮決定的。就像世界主要強(qiáng)國(guó)一樣，任何時(shí)候市場(chǎng)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者都可能認(rèn)為這些小“瑞士”在行業(yè)中已經(jīng)達(dá)到了他們的目的，并選擇消滅他們。雖然一個(gè)小公司在離開(kāi)之前可能會(huì)給一個(gè)占主導(dǎo)地位的玩家?guī)?lái)很多問(wèn)題，但最終它會(huì)被淘汰。因此，控制公司命運(yùn)的唯一真正方法就是爭(zhēng)取相對(duì)市場(chǎng)主導(dǎo)地位。這一定是你的目的。