SunTzu´s Art of war & the ultima ratio of leadership

“In a culture where military leadership serves as a model, reading a 2 500 year old master from another culture may seem to add an almost mystical touch to one’s studies. Carefully reading Sun Tzu’s Art of War can produce a feeling of having reached into the immutable core of leadership, the essence of which has stayed uncorrupted through all times and all changes in civilizations.” (From Chapter 5) Sun Tzu (Sun Zi) lived about 2 500 years ago. His treatise The Art of War is the oldest surviving comprehensive text on strategic leadership. In recent years it has become a favourite text in commercial management. Uncritical use of war metaphors in business may, however, cause serious problems. This essay describes why, for ethical reasons, business leaders are and must be denied the use of the military strategists’ ultima ratio (war) in their daily operations.