Developing Creative Tactics and Strategies

Sun Tzu believed that in order to achieve success you must know yourself, know your opponent and know the terrain. In this article, human rights defenders can learn, step by step, how to adapt and use Sun Tzu’s innovative strategy to advance and enhance human rights work globally.

Don’t believe your own propaganda. You must have a realistic view of your own strengths, weaknesses, resources, capacities and supports. It is equally important to have a clear understanding of the capacities and limits of your allies.

Don’t believe your opponent’s propaganda either. It is just as important to understand your opponent’s strengths, weaknesses, resources, capacities and supports in order to seize the momentum and the initiatives that can be opportune or even pivotal for advancing your human rights issue. Sun Tzu counsels particular attention to understanding – and disrupting – your adversary’s strategy.

Terrain can be the literal ground upon which you will meet your opponent. Terrain also includes the time or space, the legal, social and cultural conditions, or the overall environment in which you operate.

When you have gathered the information you need to analyze these areas you are ready to develop your strategy. Strategy is the gathering, toward a goal, of many decisions, which may include:

• key objectives and appropriate targets
• constituencies and resources
• which tactics to use and when.

A "tactic" is a specific or concrete action taken to affect a given situation. It is important that your tactics are part of and serve a larger strategy.

These are some important things to keep in mind as you begin.

• Work with others

Whenever possible, try to bring together a group that includes people with different perspectives, backgrounds and life experiences. Not only will this enrich the pool of ideas generated in your group, it will also allow more people and groups to share their ideas and learn from others.

Agree to some basic ground rules for discussion before you begin. These might include:

• Everyone is respected.
• Only one person speaks at a time.
• If two people want to speak, the person who has not yet spoken should be given the opportunity first.
• All ideas are welcome.
• Disrespectful comments are not acceptable and should be redirected in a respectful but firm manner.
• When you evaluate ideas, do so in a positive and constructive way.

You should also agree to an acceptable way for the group to intervene if a member begins to dominate the discussion.

• Brainstorm freely

Get as many ideas out in the open as possible. Everyone should be encouraged to contribute their ideas, and no idea should be dismissed as too hard to implement, too simple or too strange. Without exception, however, all ideas should be nonviolent. Nonviolence is the cornerstone of legitimacy and credibility.

List all ideas as they arise. Some will be chosen for further discussion, some will not, but don’t discard any of them. An idea that seems strange or outrageous at first may on second look have just the needed element of surprise. You will later need to conduct more in-depth analysis, but at first the goal is to generate as many ideas as possible.

• Document the process

Using the final page of this worksheet as a guide, write ideas on large sheets of paper or a blackboard so that the whole group can follow the process as it unfolds. Documenting the process creates a collective memory of the experience, and provides an opportunity to return to these ideas at another time or share them with others. Do, however, evaluate the risks of keeping written records of your process.

• What is the problem(s) that needs to be addressed?
• To help you examine it in smaller pieces, list some of the key elements of the problem. You will probably want to take on these smaller pieces individually, working to solve the larger problem step by step.
• Is the problem related to a particular behavior, institution, policy, law, or individual?
• State the problem in a single concise sentence.

Your target is the person, place or thing you intend to affect.

• Who or what has responsibility for the problem you have identified?
• Who are the key actors involved in creating or prolonging the problem?
• Are there policies, laws or practices that prolong the problem?
• Are there institutions responsible for addressing the problem? If so, why are they unable to do so?
• Identify one or two key actors or targets that your group would like to affect.

• What impact do you want to have on the problem?
• Briefly describe the desired outcome of your effort. Consider this: If you had the power to make all things come true, what would that be? Don’t worry about being too grandiose – that’s the benefit of group process. There are usually optimists, pessimists and realists to balance each other out.
• How could the key actors or targets help you work toward achieving your stated goal?

Note: This goal is likely to be different from your organization’s mission, but it is helpful to keep that mission in mind to ensure that the strategies and tactics you choose are consistent with it.

Keep in mind your goal and targets.

• Who are your allies and potential allies – individuals, organizations, institutions – in your own country or internationally? Why do they or would they have an interest in supporting your effort?
• Who are your opponents and potential opponents? Why do they oppose your efforts or why might they perceive your efforts as contrary to their interests?
• Who are your current passive allies and opponents? Most people will fall into these categories.

Finding ways to influence these groups of people will be an important consideration when choosing your tactics.

A resource is anything that is available that helps you to reach your goal.

• What concrete resources do you have already in place? Think about people, other organizations, networks, finances, and social, political or legal conditions.
• What connections do you or your allies have to the key actors responsible for addressing the problem, as you identified earlier? These are resources, too.
• Consider how you do or intend to take care of yourselves (See: Taking Care of Your Most Valuable Resource).

Defining your strategy entails making a great number of decisions. In completing the steps above, you have provided valuable information for making your strategic decisions.

• Considering the previous steps, in what areas does your group have the greatest potential for making an impact?
• Make a brief list of these areas, keeping your goal in mind.
• What steps are needed to maximize your impact on your target?
• Is there a specific order in which these steps should be implemented? Do they need to take place simultaneously or in coordination with other efforts? Do you have the necessary resources?
• Discuss your course of action and how this action will help you move closer to your goal. Keep in mind that your strategy will most likely bring you to another level of action rather than immediately to the goal itself. Be sure that this course of action is consistent with your overall goal rather than taking you in a different direction entirely.

Now it’s time to decide what tactics you will use to implement the strategy you have identified. When choosing tactics consider both what is within your capacity and what your priorities are. Take time to review the key actors, constituencies, allies and opponents, as well as your and your opponent’s strengths, weaknesses and resources.

• Inventory the tactics you know about or have access to.
• What tactics might encourage passive allies to become active allies?
• What tactics might help ensure that your passive opponents remain passive, or even encourage them to become allies?
• What tactics might stop or soften opposition?
• Can your group do this alone or do you need to collaborate with other groups?
• Choose one tactic at a time for further discussion that fits your strategy and goal. Each tactic will very likely require a more in-depth discussion and a number of steps or even additional tactics for implementation.

• Discuss why you chose this tactic. How does it have the greatest potential to move you toward your goal given your current situation?
• How might this tactic be adapted to have the most impact for your situation?
• Does this tactic make the best use of your resources?
• How can you generate additional resources? Who else can you work with? What tactics would you need to use to convince others to work with you or contribute resources?
• What other tactics would you need to use to help you implement the tactic you chose? Is there an initial target you must address before you can reach the ultimate target (e.g., gaining allies within an institution before the director can be approached on a policy change)?
• Do you need to gain the support of other organizations before you begin to carry out the tactic?
• Outline as many steps as you can toward implementing the tactic effectively. Continue to evaluate your available resources.

Refer to Adapting Tactics for more tips on adapting tactics.

• Choose some tactic examples that you would like to explore.
• What are the similarities between the tactic example and your situation? What are the differences? What lessons can you learn from the other organization’s experience?
• What additional resources do you have that the example in the workbook did not have? How can you use these resources to make the tactic even more effective?
• What additional obstacles do you face?
• How might you need to adapt the tactic to fit your situation?
• What additional information is needed and who will obtain it?

This process can serve as a means to generate new ideas for reaching your goals and as a good training ground for your organization, allowing you to develop sharper analytical skills that will help you realistically plan and assess your strategy and tactics.