Vertical and Horizontal Alliances
Updated 2026-08-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Vertical and horizontal alliances come from the Warring States period, when Su Qin organized six states in a vertical alliance against Qin while Zhang Yi helped Qin break that alliance through separate horizontal agreements. Its core proposition is that relative position determines the right network strategy: the weak survive by combining against the strong, while the strong prevail by keeping rivals divided. The key qualification is that the strategy must track position, since an alliance form suited to a challenger becomes a liability once the challenger becomes the leader.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Use position read: assess honestly whether you are the strongest player or a challenger. - Use lateral link: if weaker, build joint commitments with peers who face the same threat. - Use division play: if stronger, offer selective deals that separate rivals from each other.
Anchor fast decisions
In a contest among several players, the largest one wins any single confrontation, so the smaller players survive by ensuring that no confrontation happens singly. Combining converts several weak positions into one that can impose costs, which changes what the dominant player is willing to attempt. The dominant player's counter is to make the coalition unnecessary for some members, offering each a better deal than the alliance provides, so that the coalition dissolves. Both strategies work on the variable of whether the weaker parties act together or separately.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
account_treeGenealogyexpand_more
menu_bookReferencesexpand_more
Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikisource.orghttps://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E9%B9%BD%E9%90%B5%E8%AB%96/%E5%8D%B702verified
PRIVATE NOTES · Only visible to you
SAVED Q&A
ENTRY Q&A · Private saving available
Ask with a clear boundary
thinkingmodels answers from published entry context only.
Your question is sent to thinkingmodels. The answer uses public entry context only.
RELATED MODELS