Clausewitz, Karl von (1780-1831): In honing his own strategic thinking, Welch drew on the strategies of the Prussian general and military writer. Clausewitz’s writings, including his classic On War, were edited and published by his widow after the general’s death. His work and writings, such as his “no system of strategy,” formed the basis for all serious study of war. Welch quoted the general, whose theories included an explanation of why a military leader could not devise a complete battle plan and then stick blindly to it: “Man could not reduce strategy to a formula. Detailed planning necessarily failed, due to the inevitable frictions encountered.” And: “Strategy was not a lengthy action plan. It was the evolution of a central idea through continually changing circumstances.” Welch’s own strategic thinking matched the general’s. He constantly reinvented GE over the years as circumstances and the competitive environment shifted.

卡爾·馮·克勞塞維茨（1780－1831年）

為了砥礪自己的戰略性思維，韋爾奇便從這位普魯士將軍兼軍事作家的戰略中采擷英華。克勞塞維茨的作品是他的遺孀在他身后整理出版的，其中包括他的經典之作《戰爭論》（On War）。他的文章著述（比如他的“戰略無系統”理論，no system of strategy）構成了一切嚴肅的戰爭研究的基礎。他的理論中解釋了為什么軍事將領不可能設計一套完整的作戰計劃、然后盲目地秉照執行。韋爾奇引述這位將軍的話說：“人不能使戰略淪為公式。由于免不了會遭遇摩擦，所以詳細的計劃必定失敗。”他還援引說：“戰略并非冗長的行動計劃。它是中心思想在不斷變化的環境中的演進。”韋爾奇自己的戰略思想與克勞塞維茨將軍完全吻合。這些年來，他始終隨著形勢以及競爭環境的變化而不斷地重塑通用電氣公司。

 

HOW WELCH APPLIED CLAUSEWITZ TO GE

While Welch did maintain a long-term view at GE (e.g., creating strong businesses that would survive in the long run), his approach to his strategies and initiatives followed Clausewitz’s doctrine. There was an evolution to Welch’s strategic thinking, and each major initiative built on the one that preceded it. By waging “war” on bureaucracy and the old ways one movement at a time, Welch established a solid foundation on which he eventually built GE’s famed learning organization. He would wage one “battle” and then wait to see how the “inevitable frictions” played out. In tracing the evolution of GE during his tenure, Welch has drawn a stair-step-like chart that depicts the stages of GE’s culture change: Work-Out laid the foundation for Best Practices, which created a platform for Process Improvement, etc.

韋爾奇將克勞塞維茨的理論應用到通用電氣公司

雖說韋爾奇在通用電氣公司保持了長遠的眼光（例如建設能夠長期存續的強大企業），但他推行自己策略和倡導行動的方式卻遵循了克勞塞維茨的理論。韋爾奇的戰略思想都經歷了演進的過程，而且每一項重大的倡導行動都建立在前一項活動的基礎上。他步步為營地向官僚主義和陳腐的方式發動戰爭，從而為他最終將通用電氣公司建設為著名的學習型組織而奠定了堅實基礎。他會發起一場“戰役”，然后靜待觀察“免不了的摩擦”如何發生作用。當他回顧通用電氣公司在自己任內的發展過程時，韋爾奇曾經畫了一幅階梯狀的圖來描述通用電氣公司文化變革的各個階段：“群策群力”為“最佳做法”倡導行動打下了基礎，后者又為“流程改進”行動創造了平臺，以此類推。

 

 

Leadership lessons from Clausewitz

向克勞塞維茨汲取的領導經驗

 

1. Strategy cannot be reduced to a single formula: Clausewitz knew that no single formula would help to win a war. Circumstances would shift, requiring a general to alter his strategy after the battle ensued. The same holds true for business, as shifting conditions require business leaders to alter their strategies in the face of changing conditions (economic, competitive, technological, etc.).

1、戰略不能淪為單一的公式：克勞塞維茨清楚，任何單一的公式都無助于打贏戰爭。形勢會產生變化，這就要求將領在隨后的戰役中改變戰略。對經營管理而言，道理也是一樣，因為變換的條件要求企業領導人針對不斷變化的狀況（經濟、競爭、技術等）來改變他們的策略。

 

2. Do not write a long-term plan and blindly follow it:

Clausewitz knew it was foolish to blindly follow a plan that was written before a battle took place. “Strategy was not a lengthy action plan.”Welch knew he would have to be an adaptive

leader, tailoring the strategy to the latest conditions.

2、不要擬制一份長期計劃、然后盲目遵守：克勞塞維茨清楚，盲目遵守在戰斗發生之前擬制的計劃是一種愚行。“戰略并非冗長的行動計劃。”韋爾奇知道自己必須要成為隨機應變的領導人，要根據最新的狀況來擬定恰當的策略。

 

3. Do not think that simply applying all Welch strategies will work in your organization: This is a key Clausewitz lesson. While few would dispute Welch’s contributions, one cannot blindly imitate his every move. Welch launched his companywide movements one initiative at a time. His success was built on “the evolution of a central idea through continually changing circumstances.” Your “business laboratory” is not identical to GE’s, and the “inevitable frictions” in your organization will differ according to the changing circumstances. It took Welch many years to transform GE’s culture and ready the company for his companywide initiatives.

3、別以為能在自己的組織中簡單照搬一切韋爾奇策略：這是從克勞塞維茨那兒學到的關鍵一課。盡管甚少人會否認韋爾奇的貢獻，但我們不能盲目地對他亦步亦趨。韋爾奇每一次只推行一套倡導行動，他是步步為營地推行全公司運動的。他的成功建立在“中心思想在不斷變化的環境中的演進”基礎上。其他人的“經營實驗室”與通用電氣公司并不一樣，各個組織中“免不了的摩擦”也會隨著變化的形勢而不同。韋爾奇花了許多年的時間來改變通用電氣公司的文化，并為他遍及全公司的倡導行動做好準備。