Comparing: Constricted Terrain

The Art of War 9:33-38 Some field positions are constricted.

This post continues our project explaining each stanza of Sun Tzu’s work. The English translation and Chinese transliterations are from my award-winning book, The Art of War and The Ancient Chinese Revealed.

Due to our member’s generous support, we will send all our articles to all subscribers. To enjoy my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This article discusses the fifth stanza of the first section of Chapter 10 of The Art of War. This chapter’s general topic is the six types of terrain on which we compete. This stanza focuses on the fourth type: constricted ground.

All six terrains are the extremes, the minimums and maximums, of three dimensions: obstacles, dangers, and distances. These dimensions are used to compare competitive opportunities. This terrain is the minimum of the dimension of distances. It is the opposite of a spread-out terrain. In marketing, these constricted terrains are known as market niches.

This post is public so feel free to share it.

We must always consider the size of the opportunity that we are pursuing. Is it too big for our resources or is it small. Pursuing small openings is seldom a bad thing. Opportunities are openings. Pursuing an opportunity that is too large is often a problem. It is easier to fill a small openings than a big one. It is easier to solve a small need than a large one.

Constricting

The goal of strategy is to move from position to position as stepping stones to improve our competitive strength. However, this doesn’t always means moving from smaller positions to bigger and bigger ones. We can also accumulate small positions to grow.

<Narrow> <form> <is>
Some field positions are constricted.

Many of us think that winning small positions is a bad thing. The problems arise, however, when these incremental positions are spread out over too large a territory, a problem we will discuss in a later article. When these small additions to our position are concentrated, that is, close by and connected to our existing positions, they are always valuable.

<I> <first> <reside> <it>
Get to these positions first.

Because they are small, these constricted positions are not always obvious. When we watch Shark Tank, the show on investing in small companies, we cannot help but notice almost all those looking for investment are in market niches. They are discovered by people who are part of the small market who have a need and solve it. Sometimes these niches are too small to support an investor like a Shark but still be very good for those working within them.

Constricted terrain allows us to move into it easily as long as it is open.

<Must> <fill> <it> <by> <means> <of> <awaiting> <enemy>
You must fill these areas and await the enemy.

When we are on constricted terrain, we must find everyone in our niche. We must develop relationships with them. The solutions we offer must address the majority of their needs. We do not want to leave an opening for a competitor to move in. By being the “market leader” in the niche, the one that everyone knows, we can easily win a comparison with any new competitor.

<Seems> <enemy> <first> <reside> <it>
Sometimes, the enemy will reach them first.

Just finding these areas first is not all that is required: people must also see their value as a building block of their positions. A constricted terrain may be found by others first, but they may fail to appreciate it. The smallness of the opportunity can seem beneath them.

<Full> <and> <yet> <do> <not> <follow>
If he fills them, do not follow him.

However, many do recognize the value of a constricted terrain and fill it completely. These areas a easy to move into if they are open, but impossible to acquire if they are filled completely. If these positions are not open, they cannot be taken away from someone who already controls them.

<Not> <full> <and> <yet> <follow> <it>
However, if he fails to fill them, you can go after him.

If a competitor is on constricted terrain, they may not fill it completely. Even though these opportunities are small, they can be too big for some to fill completely. Some may fill part of a constricted terrain without realizing the nature of the whole. In these cases, we can go into these areas and leverage them away from those who were there first.