Management Lessons from the Indian Army

Economic Times, had a lovely article on the Indian Army and there are a lot of lessons that corporate execs can pick-up from their best practice list:

The army believes in the doctrine of the “Warrior and a Winner”. In the battlefield, the “Winner Takes it All” and there’s no space for the second-best

The army rewards failure. Only leaders who have the courage to swim against the tide make mistakes. No good officer is written off for making mistakes or taking initiative that goes awry as ingenuity and creativity are important to improve processes

The army believes that no plan survives the first engagement, howsoever brilliant it is. Changes have to be incorporated after the enemy faces the first offensive and counters it. It’s important to be dynamic and flexible in decision-making

The army believes that money can’t bind an individual to an organisation. The ethos, work culture and scope to achieve satisfaction are more important

Army leaders follow the dictum, “Know the way, show the way and go the way”

The army follows the “directive style of command” where junior leaders don’t have to look over their shoulders at every stage of the battle. Flexibility and individual empowerment are important and bureaucracy doesn’t work in the battlefield

The army doesn’t quantify productivity and the system of motivation is not based on monetary considerations. Esprit de corps, camaraderie, regimental pride, act as motivators

The army recruits through trial by fire and at the boot camp where the best and fittest survive. Many officers leave the Army mid-way as they can’t be promoted or are not the best

In the battlefield, speed and boldness is more important than perfection. Indecisiveness can be a fatal flaw. An average decision taken on time can carry the day while a brilliant decision that came late can result in defeat. The key is to pre-empt the enemy

The army believes sending its officers back to school to keep them updated. A high-flying officer goes to top-notch defence colleges every two to three years

Comments

[Alok Asthana]

The author says that the army rewards failure. This is absolutely incorrect. No army rewards failure, least of all the Indian army. The reason for this is not malice on part of senior officers, but the wide-base, narrow peak pyramid structure of the officer ranks. You just have to drop off guys fast and the slightest of mistakes provides the organisation a good opportunity to do so.
It is also incorrect that the junior leaders in the army are well trained and do not have to look over their shoulders. The Junior commisioned officers ( JCOs) have not shown the required leadership skills or the motivation. As a result, young officers die in engagements which should have rightly been commanded by JCOs.The young officers are well motivated as most young people are, but they lack professional support from above as well as below. They pay for it rather dearly, with their lives.

[Topchi]

If army believe that army believes that money can’t bind an individual to an organisation then why crib about 6th PC recommendations. Accept the verdict and be happy.

Its true that flexibility and individual empowerment are important and bureaucracy doesn’t work in the battlefield but functioning and training in peace time is nothing but bureaucracy and sycophancy.

On what basis has the author said that Many officers leave the Army mid-way as they are not the best in the battlefield. In fact majority of them have been the best in the battlefield but rubbed the desktop military manager the wrong way by having called spade a spade at sometime in their career. In army majority rises in rank proportionate to one's incompetency.

So beware before following Management Lessons from the Indian Army

[new balance]

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