A collection of highly specialized and newly translated selections of the Clausewitz classic, On War, constituting about one-sixth of the total material. Encompasses Clausewitz's ideas on strategic thought and behavior to expound on the nature of strategic genius, strategy as an outgrowth of the clash of wills, and other ideas. DLC: Military art and science.



From the Inside Flap

What can a nineteenth-century Prussian general teach a twenty-first-century executive or entrepreneur about business strategy? Everything! When alliances are made, broken, and reconstituted at dizzying speed; when experience is left helpless in the face of unprecedented events; and when rules, principles, and how-to prescriptions no longer apply?these, says Carl von Clausewitz, are the times during which the true strategist thrives. Certainly present in times of war, these conditions are virtually endemic to today?s economy.



Clausewitz on Strategy speaks loudly and clearly to both reflective practitioners of business and emerging strategists about how to proceed during periods of instability, uncertainty, and rapid change.



With a fresh translation and editing that carefully selects one-sixth of the original material, these highly focused selections from Clausewitz?s classic On War present a philosophy of strategy that fuses logical analysis, classical dialectics, historical understanding, psychological insight, and sociological comprehension into an encompassing exposition of strategic thought and behavior.



Clausewitz expounds on the nature of strategic genius, strategy as an outgrowth of the clash of wills, tactics and strategy, offensive and defensive strategies, the elements and dynamics of strategy, the virtues of the commander, and more. His purpose is to prepare leaders for fundamental insights into the nature and characteristics of strategic interaction.



Supplemented with a thoughtful critical essay by The Strategy Institute of The Boston Consulting Group, historical notes, and related excerpts from the writings of other notable thinkers, this challenging and rewarding volume is important reading for anyone interested in understanding the fundamentals of strategy in any field involving competition and uncertainty.



About the Author

THE STRATEGY INSTITUTE OF THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP (BCG) was formed to enrich the Group?s thinking by collecting insights into the nature of strategy from various academic fields and transferring them to strategy in business and society.

TIHA VON GHYCZY is a faculty member at the University of Virginia?s Darden School of Business. He is a Fellow of The Strategy Institute of The Boston Consulting Group. As a former partner of BCG, he was engaged in the practice groups for manufacturing/time-based competition and high technology.

BOLKO VON OETINGER is a Senior Vice Presi-dent of The Boston Consulting Group and Director of the firm?s Strategy Institute. He is a member of BCG?s Technology and Communications practice and has published several articles and books on strategy and innovation.

CHRISTOPHER BASSFORD is Professor of Strategy at the National War College in Washington, D.C. A former U.S. Army artillery officer, he is the author of several books, including Clausewitz in English: The Reception of Clausewitz in Britain and America and The Spit-Shine Syndrome: Organizational Irrationality in the American Field Army.