No. 157 · Work · Military and War
Divide and Conquer
Split a big opponent or problem into parts you can handle one at a time.
In the Almanac
“Clive at Plassey”, 1757 · “Amazon’s two-pizza teams”, early 2000s
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
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Questions
What is Divide and Conquer?
Divide and Conquer tackles an overwhelming challenge by splitting it into smaller parts that can be handled independently and then recombined. Robert Clive won at Plassey by splitting the Nawab's army, and Amazon broke its website into small services run by small teams.
How do you use Divide and Conquer?
Break big projects at natural seams: chapters, rooms, or distinct skills. Choose a smart order, considering dependencies and quick wins that build momentum. And keep the whole in view, checking regularly that progress on each piece still fits the overall goal.
When does Divide and Conquer matter?
Divide and Conquer is one of the 43 mental models for work, the situations where you ask: How do I get the right things done? Within that, it belongs to “Organising the work”, alongside Algorithms, Boots on the Ground and Cargo Cult.
What is an example of Divide and Conquer?
Two stories show it at work: Clive at Plassey (1757) and Amazon’s two-pizza teams (early 2000s). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to Divide and Conquer?
Parallel Processing, Strategy vs Tactics and Bottlenecks. Divide and Conquer itself comes from military and war.