Principle of War #4 – Maneuver
Maneuver: Move and position resources in a way that furthers the accomplishment of the objective.
- Objective
- Offensive
- Mass
- Maneuver
- Intelligence
- Concerted action
- Unity of command
- Simplicity
- Security
- Economy
- Surprise
- Exploitation
You can think of maneuver as the principle of creativity. Maneuver and Mass are also closely connected, if you are going to mass resources at a specific time and location, you will have to maneuver those resources.
Strategic plans and more specific Hosin Kanri policy deployment are ways organizational leaders attempt to guide the actions (Maneuver) of departments. Every company or organization exists in a dynamic, ever changing environment. Companies that can behave as one entity and adapt to their environment are the one who are most likely to survive.
To help determine the optimal maneuver there is an entire field of study known as Systems Thinking. In systems thinking we recognize departments, process, data, etc. does not exist in isolation, rather they are all part of a larger system that has certain characteristics. Understanding how the system functions can lead to more innovative, creative solutions. Increased creativity alters how the organization maneuvers. When determining what actions to take, we (Lean Six Sigma folks) prefer the low effort, high impact actions…yea, we are lazy that way.
Get creative.