The Need for Organisational Resilience - Chapter 7

Known problems are solved

Systems and people are

Fixed line of fortifications,

using proven techniques

impractical and rigidly – ‘go by

firmly maintained

the book’

expectations of where the

enemy’s Schwerpunkt is to

Standard ways to do things are

Local practice has taken over

be expected, and pre-

perfected by fine tuning

from written procedure and has

defined timetables of

become ‘normal’

movement and firepower

Redundancy through design and

Inefficient and complex systems

reaffirmed expectations

diversification has a stabilising

and processes; analysis

and created blind spots to

effect

paralysis

deal with the unexpected.

Disturbances are quickly

Prearranged corrective actions

counteracted by planned

are unclear or impracticable

responses

Table 7.1: Preventative control: at its best; signs of weakness; France pre-1940 (Adapted from Denyer 2017)

A clear sign of the inadequacy of preventative control ought to have been visible in the

focus of training of some front-line divisions This included digging trenches and guard duties,

with less emphasis on training in the adequate defence of a fortified position. Local practice

reinforced the need to defend an area at all cost, but did not provide an alternative for when

such an expectation was not met.

And so a defensive stance of “digging in” gradually embeds itself in the organisational

mainframe. The weakness inherent in lack of breadth of preventative control amplifies the

corrosive need to optimise the status quo (see Table 7.2).

At its best

Signs of weakness

France, pre-1940

Performance improvement –

Lack of novel ideas on how to

Rigid thinking, driven by

‘do what we do better’

‘do better things’

“proven” methods in WWI,

prevailed in the Allied Forces

Known solutions are

Overconfidence in “best

pre-1940.

implemented quickly – even by

practice”; viewpoints of non-

edict

experts are excluded

A clear sense of direction,

People’s individual identities

goals, roles and responsibilities

and motives are at odds with

the organizational goals

A strong individual leader who

Lack of leadership at all levels;

people can relate to

lack of devolved ownership

and responsibility

Table 7.2: Performance optimisation: at its best; signs of weakness; France pre-1940 (Adapted from Denyer 2017)

The need to optimise capabilities to withstand an invasion by German forces started to

dissipate during the interwar years between WWI and WWII. Long periods of success, or the

absence of failure validated the “proven” approach taken in WWI. Such proof was not

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