Chess, a game of strategy and foresight, mirrors the complexities of business. Seizing the middle, a key chess tactic, can be a powerful metaphor for business strategy. Let's delve into how this concept can revolutionize your business approach.
Chess can serve as an apt metaphor for other areas of our lives
Chess helps us develop strategic thinking because we get immediate feedback on our strategic decisions.
- Seizing the middle is a chess strategy embodying the value of forward thinking. It involves using pieces to commandeer the middle of the board. A player can then restrict their opponent’s movements by controlling the maximal number of pieces in the game.
To control the game, one tries to control as much of the board as possible
Using your pieces to seize the middle of the playing field is a great strategy because it gives you the widest possible vantage point from which to control the movement of the other pieces
- Both Rockefeller and the studio system in Hollywood employed this strategy successfully, allowing them to anticipate change and maneuver effectively for decades
Chandler describes how the change in business practices allowed managers to start thinking like chess players: a few moves ahead
Being able to anticipate and plan had the undeniably significant effect of allowing companies to invest more in research and development because they could forecast where current trends headed
- In allocating resources for future production and distribution, the new methods extended the time horizon of the top managers.
The Golden Age of Hollywood
Eight studios all but governed the global film industry
- Between the 1920s and 1960s, Fox, Loew’s Inc., Paramount, RKO Radio, Warner Bros., United Artists, Universal, and Columbia Pictures formed the studio system
- Much like Standard Oil needed control over the railroads to ensure their success, the film oligarchy also prioritized power over distribution systems.
- They also owned the production facilities, and held Hollywood staff and stars under strict long-term contracts
