The Need for Organisational Resilience - Chapter 1

Compulsory Enlistment. One specific aspect of a military campaign is that in

many cases, not enough volunteers are willing to put their necks on the line. Hence, people

can be drafted. If you are able to fight, you have to fight. Often, severe penalties are

imposed for evading the draft.

In a business environment, the idea of compulsory conscription for the purpose of ‘filling

the ranks’ is replaced by voluntary commitment to join. The conditions for joining are based

on a mutual recognition and exchange of incentives such as monetary rewards. Should the

employees find that the organization is not to their liking, they are free to leave and join

another (even a competitor) relatively easily.

Obedience. In addition to the issue of compulsory enlistment, military organisations

also fall back on principles of obedience. Submissive compliance in putting oneself in danger

and participating in acts of war are uncommon in most business organisations, though.

However, compliance is a driving factor in a commercial environment too, even if it is ‘only’

compliance to rules, procedures, processes and routines. The difference is the extent of

submission expected from military institutions, when warfare necessarily requires extreme

acts in situations that are simply not experienced in the civilian world.

Ideology. The compulsory aspect of military service may well be amplified by

ideology. It can be a vague, but often strongly held, worldview. The impact of a political or

social ideology can be great in times of war, when ideologies are often (ab)used as a pretext

for committing a society to going to war. Propaganda can influence emotions strongly in

such times of crisis. In a business environment, the purpose of organisations is based less

on political ideology, to be shared or protected by individuals belonging to the organisation,

more about the definition of a social ideology, constrained by the boundaries of the

organisation, adopting a far more inward-looking perspective. Large organisations have their

own cultures, but so do departments and teams, and staff can be attracted to such a ‘way of

working’ or, conversely, can choose to leave and join another firm whose culture they find

more attractive.

Despite these contextual disparities, military history has often been used by researchers

to contribute to management thought and practice. For example, scholars such as Mintzberg

(e.g. 2003) and Ansoff (e.g. 1965) used the abundance of factual data from the battlefields

during WWI and WWII and more recent conflicts such as the Vietnam War to develop

leadership and strategic thinking. Building on that tradition, this book looks at the fateful

events in 1940 and offers a critical discussion of key managerial aspects − aspects that

many managers struggle with in modern times.

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