Division

You're seeing Division when a company targets a competitor's most loyal customer segment with a specialised offering — not to win the whole market, but to fracture the competitor's base and force them to split resources.

You're seeing Division when a competitor's partnership or supplier network starts fragmenting — one partner defects, then another — and the competitor's integrated model begins to break apart.

Look for opportunities to fragment a competitor's advantages. Target their least-served customer segment, recruit their disgruntled talent, or offer their partners a better deal. Defensively, keep your own coalition tight — treat partner and customer loyalty as a strategic priority, not a given.

Alexander consistently divided his enemies before engaging them. Against Darius III, he maneuvered to fight the Persian army in terrain where its numerical advantage couldn't be concentrated. He targeted enemy flanks to split formations, pursued fleeing wings to prevent reunification, and used diplomacy to detach Persian satraps from the empire before battles began. His principle: never let the enemy concentrate. Founders can apply this by identifying where a competitor's strength depends on unity — a partnership network, a customer coalition, an integrated supply chain — and finding the seam. You don't need to outmatch a competitor's total strength if you can prevent them from bringing it to bear as a whole.