Chi Sau is a Wing Chun training exercise designed to develop close-range combat skills. In close-range combat, your ability to see an incoming strike a punch and react by reflex is diminished, which is where the skills developed through Chi Sau apply.
What is the relevance of this for Businesses?
Your competitor may not be existing today. Moreover, tomorrow's challenger may not be even from your industry. How do you fight against an unknown, unheard, and unseen competitor?
Presently, we conduct market surveys and read reports to find who's making what move in our industry. This is an archaic method. Firstly, it is a myopic view of preparing for the future. Also, it provides us lagging indicators. By the time we learn about it, it's too late. Secondly, it only results in the organizations focusing on incremental improvements and indulging in a price war. This further commoditizes our offerings.
There are two broad approaches to tackle this challenge.
1. Challenging the dynamics of your Industry: Every industry accepts some unwritten rules as gospel truths. Every product and business model is built around them. For example, credit periods, discounts, pricing policies, product features, and many such factors remain unchanged in an Industry. Many of these constraints are considered fait accompli.
You need to get off this bandwagon. Look at the factors and pick a couple of them. Focus on taking control of at least one of the constraints in your industry (it could be a raw material, critical manpower, a specific production process, etc.). If that's too difficult or long-term, change the rules of the game. So, for example, if everyone is offering 45 days credit, insist on advance payment for at least some customer segments. This makes us stand out in the industry and makes it difficult for a new entrant to get a foot in the door.
2. Track the megatrends: PESTLE is probably the most ignored tool by Managements (most love SWOT). PESTLE Analysis involves analyzing trends from Politics, Economics, Social, Technology, Legal, and Environment. I am sharing a picture that provides a current snapshot of all these trends. We can mine opportunities from these megatrends. Aligning ourselves to these forces is our best bet to keep the unknown competitor at bay.
In the Chi Sau technique, you remain as close as possible to your opponent. This way, you protect your centerline while simultaneously attacking your opponent's centerline. The two steps I mentioned above let you remain close to your competitor and strike their core when they least expect it.
Subodh Gadgil (September 6, 2021)
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