Material Advantage – finding strategic advantage through comms (with a view from a chess board)

by Jacob R. Robinson:

Chess analogies are not uncommon in business. Per the Shannon number, there are trillions of possible combinations in the game that human players and machines continue to learn. In this seemingly endless universe, however, there remains an immutable concept which holds true: An otherwise strong and useful game piece becomes rather useless when it can’t move about as freely as it needs to, when both it and its allied pieces are trapped, scattered and otherwise rendered ineffective. Very rarely does only one piece win the game.

But, what if I said that it’s not about the pieces as ends in and of themselves, rather, the means to which a desired end state becomes possible?

We know a team comprised of even the most coveted superstars (“super teams”) at any given time is moot if they don’t complement each other, are unable to play well with each other, are using an outdated playbook, or don’t have the proper coaching to orient, organise and enhance collaboration and outperformance. In such a case, you’d have a group of talented individuals, but not a talented “team”.

Chess operates similarly, in that you need to seek ways to get your pieces working well together. It’s not about the pieces themselves, it’s about controlling the pace and space, finding creativity, outwitting opposition and innovating to win. Having more total useful pieces (e.g. material advantage) does not guarantee a desired outcome at all; the game will shift as moves are made and more information is revealed.

To a professional environment, egos and hidden interests left unchecked and unmanaged for too long will unsurprisingly devolve into drama, mudslinging and eventual destruction. Goal attainment and constructive learning inevitably requires some combination of shared values, teamworking, commitment, accountability, resilience and honest reflection (see Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team). Underscored by positive, productive movements, with occasional constructive conflicts. Intentional, timed acts of “freeing up” required elements – be it time, space, resource or alliance – can be necessary to encourage and facilitate new movements. With the understanding and acceptance that different game pieces will inevitably have, harbour and develop different strengths, weaknesses, limitations and capabilities.

In addition, raw data, while a good starting point, won’t be useful at face value. There are times when it will be incomplete, cherry-picked or mis-interpreted. The researcher/practitioner therefore needs to take the lead, to assess and translate skillfully; to decipher what’s relevant from what’s not (e.g. meaningful metrics versus vanity metrics). To make better decisions, to draw more realistic conclusions, to tell story with greater effectiveness, to exploit the right opportunities. Some will still insist on following an outdated line of “here is a game piece with desirable traits and here is why we want them”. No, it’s not about that. It is about focusing on what’s actually needed for the game piece(s) to be effective: Connectivity and teamworking of the pieces, understanding integrative versus competing approaches, anticipating the precipitating psychological/human factors, and internal inhibitions, and any and all external pressures and influence which will change during the course of the game.

Real material advantage is therefore not derived from the game pieces themselves; it’s derived from what they do and can do for each other, and better than the opposition. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts; it’s an agile-systems-thinking of sorts, translated into actionable steps, which truly gets you to the next level, to where you need to be.

And, applied to a communication context, a “personal brand” (whatever this means in 2025) is no longer enough to win – if it ever was. It is about the value you bring to a decision-maker, and how well you effectively communicate that in a consistent, credible and believable manner. True impact and evidence of impact is what persons of influence think, feel and say about you when you are not in the same room. It’s not about you, and it never will be. It’s about the real problems you are solving, have solved, and will solve that make the difference. This should be the underpinning essence of the fundamental teachings of any careers course. Not the tactical tools – such as résumé and LinkedIn – which many unfortunately incorrectly emphasize first.

To further strengthen and enable movement, connectivity and ability to attain concrete goals and objectives, additional techniques might include:

• Thinking of interactions and exchange as partnerships and partnership functions, and co-constructs – as opposed to cognitive representation, top-down instruction, conventional cascading and service (as “service”, while well-intentioned, implies order-taking, complacency and deference from one party to another).
• Reputation-to-brand, as opposed to brand alone. Shaped by how well you live and role model your values, and how well you respond to stimuli and situations.
• (Re)framing critical thinking and objectives in a manner that’s easily understood to teammates and allies, to make the playing field more predictable, to free up the space and enable better cooperation and movement.
• Exercising courage to get out of the box, out of the comfort zone, to find areas worth exploring and integrating. Because nothing good comes from the comfort zone.
• Finding and enlisting the one champion who will help your broader, well-defined cause and business case. Start with one champion and the rest will follow.
• Engaged listening embedded across all levels and functions of the organisation, to shape meaningful connections and foster feelings and beliefs of belonging, inclusivity and trust.

Lastly, in the pursuit of re-imagining material advantage, I believe there is substantive value in preparedness. In learning from other’s missteps, and not just one’s own, and from history. The practitioner who adopts strategy (not just tactics), who keeps egos in check, who separates critical battles from noise, who exercises patience and skepticism, who zooms out 360 degrees to observe all sides (including themselves, the opposition, the playing field, the sideline actors, the observers and the broader environment), who can control and counter (while not being controlled and countered by it), who willingly rises to the occasion in times when it is difficult to do so, is the one who truly soars.

With any negotiation, perhaps more key than the positions is the understanding of underlying issues, interests, tensions, biases, process and context with which the positions are formulated at the outset. And how they can and will change with every move which are made and not made. It rarely ever is one ingredient here or there which turn the tides, rather, the combination/series of them. Create the delicious recipe (or perhaps, make the recipe delicious to whom will judge), then unleash, replicate and reinforce it, then create another when it’s prudent to do so.

Lest the overall usable “material” advantage be overwhelming, relative to existing and emerging opposition and future challengers, it is advisable to summon consultative muscle, concerted effort and strategy-to-execution. Plus, a necessary dose of cooperative, transparent and congruent humility to remain grounded throughout. Winning practitioners and teams proactively find ways and maneuvers to “put it all together” in the pursuit of strength and inspired innovation. Teammates look to one another as much as they look inward. They view negotiation, interaction and exchange as a marathon, not a sprint. They “free up” their thinking and actions to smartly assemble, orchestrate and move. With the end game being one of well-earned victory, delight and optimism.

It’s not about themselves, it’s about what they can do, do do, and do together. Dynamism over static. Fluidity over rigidity. Courage over fear.

Much like the pieces on a chess board.

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A versatile integrated business-communication practitioner and 2023 #WeLeadComms honouree, Jacob R. Robinson is presently a Toronto-based Consultant at APEX Public Relations and an international committee member at IABC. An MBA candidate at the University of London and advocate of communication certification, he seeks out and approaches new challenges with an open mind, preferring outcomes over outputs, led by brilliant integrative methodology, agility and concerted combinations (logroll + diplomacy) that make good business sense. He believes in communication as a strategic partner of business and in its immense power to bring people together from all walks of life. He is a #WeLeadComms honoree.

Written by: Editor