The Thirty-Six Stratagems | Episode 33: Sowing Discord - Why Organizations Collapse from Within

A strong organization
is not necessarily destroyed by external attacks.

Rather, in many cases,
collapse begins from within.

When people doubt those they once trusted,
allies become divided,
and the organization self-destructs.

Internal distrust
has greater destructive power than a direct attack.

That is the strategy of sowing discord.

[Meaning of the Thirty-Third Stratagem]

Sowing Discord(Hankan-kei)
A strategy to create suspicion in the relationships within the enemy's ranks,
induce internal conflict, and weaken the organization.

The important thing is
not to attack head-on.

・Planting seeds of doubt
・Causing misunderstandings
・Breaking down trust
・Making them fight among themselves

Then, the organization begins to collapse on its own.

It is faster to destroy from within
than to destroy from the outside.

This is the strategy of sowing discord.

[Modern Translation]

People are more vulnerable to
"distrust of their own side" than to enemies.
For example,

・Someone is given special treatment
・There is a gap in information sharing
・Only some are favored
・You feel like things are being decided behind your back

Then, suspicion is born within the organization.
Here is the structure.

・A small sense of discomfort arises
・Lack of explanation occurs
・A temperature difference develops in human relationships
・Paranoia spreads

Then,
conflicts that did not originally exist emerge.
As a result,

・Collaboration breaks down
・Communication stops
・Internal attrition begins

In short, sowing discord is

"a strategy of making enemies fight each other, rather than attacking them yourself"
.

[Historical Example]

During the Sengoku period,
Oda Nobunaga
did not just attack hostile forces directly,
but skillfully utilized the division of internal relationships.

One representative example of this
is the collapse of the alliance between Azai Nagamasa and Asakura Yoshikage.

Initially, the Azai and Asakura had a strong alliance.
However, Nobunaga

・Marital relations
・Political maneuvering
・Information warfare
・Individual negotiations

used these to change relationships with surrounding forces.
Then, a temperature difference gradually emerged within.
・Who will really act?

・Who will benefit?
・Who will betray first?
As suspicion spread,

the unity of the organization weakened.
As a result,

the alliance headed toward dysfunction,
and they were defeated one by one.
Nobunaga

did not win solely with frontal force.
He broke the unity within the opponent.

[Management Example]

In a certain growing company,
rapid business expansion was underway.

However, behind that,
small dissatisfactions were accumulating within the organization.

・Only some employees participated in management meetings
・Evaluation criteria were opaque
・Reasons for promotion were not shared
・There was a difference in distance from the management team

Initially, the problem had not surfaced.
However, the atmosphere changed at a certain point.

・"Only that person is being favored"
・"Things are being decided behind the scenes"
・"The company is hiding its true intentions"

Such voices began to spread.
Then,

・Inter-departmental cooperation declined
・Information sharing stopped
・Passing the buck increased
・Resignations occurred

The entire organization
entered a state of internal attrition.

Why did this company begin to collapse?

In this company,
"distrust" was left unaddressed.

The important thing is
not whether there was actual misconduct.

It was that the "state of being suspected" continued.

・Information gaps are created
・Lack of explanation continues
・Transparency is lost
・Filled in by imagination

Then people
begin to act based on interpretation, not facts.
As a result,

・Unnecessary conflicts arise
・Cooperative relationships collapse
・Organizational energy heads toward internal attrition

In other words, it was not that the enemy was strong.
Internal distrust made the organization weak.

[Commentary]

This business manager
should have understood the following.

① "Organizations are built on trust"

An organization cannot function on ability alone.

② "Lack of transparency breeds suspicion"

Lack of explanation
stirs people's imagination.

③ "People act on atmosphere more than facts"

More than numbers,
"a sense of unfairness" destroys an organization.

④ "Internal distrust is contagious"

Once suspicion spreads,
it ripples through the entire organization.

This company
did not collapse due to external attacks.

It self-destructed
due to the collapse of internal trust.

This is the strategy of sowing discord.

[Management Application Examples]

1. Organizational Management

Do not leave information gaps unaddressed.

2. Management

Do not underestimate accountability.

3. Individuals

Do not judge relationships based solely on rumors or impressions.
What they all have in common is

maintaining trust.

[Core Message]

Organizations collapse more from internal distrust
than from external enemies.

[Summary]

Sowing discord is not a strategy of attacking with force.
It is achieved by:

- Creating doubt
- Severing relationships
- Eroding trust
- Inducing internal conflict

And even today, it is used in every situation:
- Companies

- Organizations
- Politics
- Human relationships
A strong organization is not one with high capability.

It is an organization that does not get swallowed by doubt.

Next Episode Preview

The Thirty-Six Stratagems | Episode 34
The Self-Inflicted Wound Strategy - Why do people trust those who show 'pain'?

Thirty-Six Stratagems Series Table of Contents
Post Index - You can find articles of interest here
Sun Tzu's Art of War Series Table of Contents - You can view all 42 episodes