Stakeholders' Value in Business- A Chessboard Perspective

First known to be played around the 10th century, the game of chess has over the millennia evolved in form, style and importance. Currently seen as a game that symbolizes and best teaches strategy, this game has had its fair share of implications both in medieval times with regards to war and in our day in relation to business.

This article, however, does not focus on the game itself, but instead on the pieces and how they describe the various individuals or groups of individuals involved in a business. Every game of chess has 6 different pieces, namely: the King, Queen, Rooks, Bishops, Knights and the pawns. While these might symbolically depict different characters in a royal setting, their representations also extend to our corporate societies.

The King

The King is the tallest piece on the chessboard. Flanked by different characters, the King is the most guarded piece and the one that takes center stage. Everything is done to protect the King, no matter the cost. To lose your King would be to concede defeat

Customer is King

This age-old business mantra clearly identifies who is represented by the King piece. Like the King, the customer is certainly not the most powerful but is the most important factor to the success of any business. As with chess, every other piece (individual or group of individuals) works and strives to ensure that the customer is safe. The reason is clearly obvious: just like chess, if you lose your customers, then it's basically end game. In fact, as with a game of chess, there are always opposing factors whose strategies, guiles, movements, and in some cases, gifts are all geared towards one goal: Get the Customer; Get the King!

The Queen

Being the only feminine piece on the board, the Queen is the most powerful, the most influencing and the piece with the farthest reach. The Queen assumes the responsibility of closely guarding the King in all directions and with such extreme accuracy. Regardless, though, if care is not taken, the Queen can also be caught in a precarious position. As such, effort is usually made to protect the Queen since she is the next most important piece after the King.

The Organization is Queen

Determined to do all it can to protect 'her' customers, every organization is represented by the Queen piece. Like the Queen, organizations are ready to go all out to ensure that they remain in business. We've seen this happen with such initiatives as remote working roles which, although was embraced to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, has since become a norm for almost all organizations. Also, as with Queen pieces on a chessboard, efforts and policies are put in place to make sure that the organization remains 'alive'.

Management cannot afford to take any sentimental approach to their decisions if it would jeopardize the existence of the organization (Queen) even if the customers (King) is still alive.

Yet, when push comes to shove, it is only normal that the Queen be sacrificed to save the King.

Similarly, when faced with caustic conditions, such as a premonitory economic situation or heavy reductions in customer retention, customers are most certainly usually preferred over the policies and laid out practices of the organization.

For example, popular UK supermarket chain, Sainsbury, had to completely rebrand one of its products simply because one of their customers (who by the way was three-and-a-half years old) thought that the "tiger bread" sold by the supermarket looked more like "giraffe bread"

The Rook

Often referred to by some as the castle (likely due to the 'castling' technique), the rook depicts the home or refuge of the king. It is the only piece on the chessboard that is not designed after the shape of a living thing.

Yet, the rook is the only piece that has the power to call the King to itself

The Product/Service is the Rook

Just like the rook is non-living, the products and services offered by organizations are, in most cases, non-living too.

Regardless though, in some cases, products have a power so compelling that they can pull customers towards them.

The importance of a product can clearly not be overemphasized. In a game of chess, the rook has more value than all the other pieces, save for the King and Queen. In much the same manner, the product/service offering of an organization has a high value. The only reason why a product will be removed is if and only if it poses a threat to the existence of the organization or the patronage of the customer

The Bishop

Chosen to represent the role of religion in the affairs of the society, the bishop is the next most important piece on the chess board. It has been said that its choice was largely influenced by the fact that religion was a very important and powerful institution especially during the early years of the game's development.

Management is The Bishop

A Bishop is a powerful and highly influential position in the church. In ancient times, they did not only represent the church but were known for offering solicited advice to the King and Queen, thus, influencing their policies and decisions.

In the same vein, the role of top management in any organization is one that involves offering opinions, suggestions and direction to ensure that all is done well within the organization. Like the Bishop in a game of chess, members of top management know that while they might be more important than any other staff in the organization, they can be 'sacrificed' if it means the continuity of the organization.

The Knight

Shaped like the horse, the Knight represents the medieval professional soldier whose mission it was to guard high-ranking individuals. Placed on the same ranking as the Bishop, the Knight has the ability to make unique and protean movement so as to ensure that the overall objective is achieved.

Management is also Knight

As previously mentioned, the Knight pieces have the same value as the Bishop pieces. Hence, it only makes sense to assume that they would have the same value in an organization and thus represent the same thing.

While the role of management as Bishop is seen from the role of advisor and leader, management's function as a Knight is one of disturbance handler and protector.

Again, like a Knight piece on a chess board, management ensures the continuity of the business and the satisfaction of the customer. From Travis Kalanick to Jack Dorsey, Dov Charney to Andrew Mason, experience has shown that when the need arises, any member of management can be 'sacrificed' to ensure the continuity of the business and the satisfaction of the consumer.

The Pawn

The smallest pieces on the board, pawns are basically cannon fodder. They are often the first pieces to be sacrificed, are regularly used for trade or to create a diversion. One thing stands clear: The pawns make up the multitude and are ideally the weakest on the board.

Originally designed to represent the serfs or laborers in medieval times who were predominantly viewed as the property of the royal class, the pawns are the first to attack and can, over a period of time, attain ranks even up to Queen but never as Kings.

Workers are Pawns

The average employee knows that he/she has the smallest influence, the weakest level of authority and of course the smallest security when it comes to continuity within the business.

Like pawns, employees are the first line of attack and defense of any organization

They also make up the multitude as they will certainly be more laborers than managers in every organization. Being very disposable, the average employee works hard on professional and personal development in an attempt to change ranks. So, just like pawns would take on a n opposing Knight, employees constantly strive to either change roles or organizations in an attempt to climb the ladder (from Pawn to Knight or Bishop).

Conclusion

In every organization, there seems to be no such thing as an indispensable employee (I stand corrected though ??). Everyone who works for or with an organization recognizes that the organization is bigger than any one single employee. Hence, when companies find themselves in dire economic straits, they have to apply the same strategy most chess players make - sacrifice any of the pieces to protect the King.

Management cannot afford to take any sentimental approach to their decisions if it would jeopardize the overall objective

One other key thing that must be noted too is that, just as no chess player wants to sacrifice even a pawn except when it is necessary to do so, organizations would only fire employees when there is no other economic option available. As shown in Ben Horowitz’s book, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, sometimes the one handing out the dismissal letter feels pain like the one receiving it (definitely not as much pain, but there’s pain regardless).

Thus, the employee should be just as concerned about himself as he is about the organization he works/worked for.

He should work on himself, his relationships with others and his abilities. As the pawn constantly continues to show and add value, it would soon find itself displacing bishops and knights and could even most likely rise to be a Queen.

Nothing is in concreto! Nothing is certain! Yet, anything is possible!