Question

Discuss the key areas that organizations can borrow from the above case context of the military in their quest to attain excellent results and organizational success.

Economic Times dated 14 March 2006)

Nikhil Menon finds out what makes the Indian army probably one of the best – run organization. The Indian army can teach corporations a thing or two about managing their most important resource   : human beings
If you thought that the size of your company presented a mammoth HR management challenge, you might want to think again. In comparison, the Indian army, consisting of over a million men, equipment and infrastructure should be an operational and logistic nightmare. But it isn’t. In fact, the army is known for being an institution in a class of its own. Compare it with an organization – any organization - and admittedly the similarities are many. There are hierarchies and functions, leaders and followers, teams, meetings and strategy sessions, very high emphasis on ‘delivering the goods’ and above all, a sense of organizational social responsibility that makes it our most reliable asset during times of crisis. Perhaps the only differentiator between the armed forces and corporations, then, is the raison deter. The objective of the armed forces is task orientation instead of profit-orientation. The attitude is to do ‘whatever-it-takes’. “The army’s rules and procedures are rigid,” admits (retd.) Maj Gen. Satur adding, “But the rules in the corporate world are bent at the drop of a hat”.
However, it’s neither possible to run an organization in the same way as the army nor can companies put employees through the same grueling degree of training and spit-and-polish regimentation. However, here are a few things to be learnt by every corporation   that wants to create a battle-ready organization that runs smoothly on the back of a loyal and motivated workforce.
Finesse under fire: Soldiers learn to maintain their mental calm and respond instinctively to extreme provocation. “It is a very high pressure job,” says Col. Mathew Abraham, HR head, Oberoi Flight and Airport Services, adding, “We ask from them the supreme sacrifice: their lives. But their training and the institutional culture of the army ensures that their physical standards, mentally robustness and professional competence see them through even the biggest crises.” Col. Abraham, who has seen the best of both worlds, says that the army’s high standards ensure that only the fittest get in at the entry level. The filtering that is subsequently done ensures that it is only the best that make it into the forces and are eligible for higher office.

Lesson to be learnt
Recruiting a candidate is extremely crucial. You have to be sure he/she can handle duress, and actually relish it to an extent.

Take charge
“I sometimes see people grumbling and saying, ‘why should I do it? It’s not my job,” says Abraham. The military’s way to get things done is to put your back into the task until it gets done. Sometimes people are not keen to take risks, lest their plans backfire. The support of one’s superiors and the knowledge that mistakes are all right as long as they lead to further learning can do wonders for anybody. When in the armed forces, split-second decisions have to be taken and risks are inevitable. “Remember that those under your command are constantly watching you,” says Col CPS Waraish, GM-Personnel, Admin and HR, Supermax. “You have to take your role seriously and keep your own conduct above reproach. You cannot afford to wash your hands off a problem,” he adds.
Lesson to be learnt

Responsibilities shouldn’t prevent you from going out of your way to do something that needs to be done. Also, put your people in the job that best suit them. If you have an energetic young executive on your hands, give him a position that best utilizes his energy. Don’t forbid mistakes, it only encourages quick-fixes and shoddy work.

Learning lasts a lifetime

The army is a staunch believer in continuous training and learning. It begins with the military training administered at the beginning of a candidate’s entry into the armed forces, then regimental training and then examinations and further regimental training and then examinations and further training at the time of entry into higher levels of authority. Officers are routinely sent for refresher courses and higher studies to improve their skills and knowledge. The Indian army today sends some of its people to the IIMs and other institutes for six-month management courses. Says Col S. Khare, a consultant with an Indian MNC, “There is need – based skill enrichment. Training is not a one-time affair…. Like you see in organizations or even the civil services. Soldiers receive training even for retirement.”
Lesson to be learnt
Specialization and continuous practice is the key. People wonder what the army does during peace time. The answer is, train harder, and improve learning to ensure that people and equipment don’t fail when the hour of reckoning comes.

Take pride in your regiment
“The feeling of ownership comes naturally in the army,” says Col. Waraish, “You have to create a situation where a person is proud of his company and his battalion.” The awe-inspiring image that the army has built up over decades, creates a feeling of belonging that is intensely powerful. Sports and other competitive events build pride in one’s own regiment. Officers and their men also intermingle freely at parties, during celebrations, and in the camp. The communication between a CO (commanding officer) and a soldier takes place on a very personal level too. Adds Col. Wraith, “For the first year or so, officers are told to be seen and not heard. This ensures that they observe and understand their environment and comrades closely before they become mature enough to form opinions about them.”
Maj. Gen Satur says, “Any jawan has the right to approach the general and get his grievances dealt with. It doesn’t work like that in the corporate world. If I don’t like your face, I just might remove you and bring someone else in!”

Lesson to be learnt
Reinforce pride in the organization through fair and equal treatment. It is important for the administration to reach every person, instead of the other way round. Only then would he or she want to work with you.

Organizations have always borrowed heavily from the military’s strategies and management models. But somehow they haven’t been able to attain the same level of discipline that is so essential for the military to function and deliver beyond all expectations. “Perhaps the difference is that the army corporatizes the individual, while civilian organization individualize the corporation,” theorizes Col Khare. Add to that a scenario where different strata and echelons of employees rarely interact with each other and watertight responsibilities that confine individuals to a series of tasks instead of aligning them with the eventual all-important objective, and you begin to see why companies are still entrenched in their old ways, while the army marches on towards dizzying heights of organizational excellence.
Questions:-
     
     Q.1. Discuss the   key areas that organizations can borrow from the above case context of the military in their quest to attain   excellent results and organizational success.    

Answer 1

There is a lot to learn and borrow from the military for the betterment of the organization -

1. Management - Unlike most of the organizations, the military is the biggest institution with varying roles and department. The best difference lies in the management of such a big institution.
2. Sense of having organizational social responsibility is crucial to generate in the organization.
3. A dedicated approach when it comes to task completion is always rewarding, employees must take complete responsibility of their tasks, by doing this they are also developing a sense of ownership and responsibility.
4. Assign the right talent into the right task, a justice for their energy, passion, and enthusiasm. This is something that all the organization must borrow if they want to accelerate in quick time, this ingredient is always missing in today's circumsatnces and millitary rule are good to incorporte.
5. Try fostering a culture of having a lifetime learning attitude
6. Fair and equal treatment policies
7. Maintain a level of disciplines for all the activities in the organization