The Need for Organisational Resilience - Chapter 4

A hybrid approach to these rather extreme approaches − the Blame or Learning cultures

is a Just culture. Individuals are made accountable for their actions. However, they are

disciplined only where they have been grossly negligent, have wilfully violated their

obligations or been purposefully destructive.

[Text Box starts] Doctrinal principles in operations planning

f. Flexibility. Plans should be sufficiently flexible to allow for the unexpected and to allow commanders

freedom of action to respond to changing circumstances. This requires an

understanding of the superior commanders’ intentions, flexibility, rapid decision-making, organization

and good communications. Flexibility also demands physical mobility to allow forces to

concentrate quickly at decisive times and places.

g. Initiative. Commanders should be encouraged to take the initiative without fearing the

consequences of failure. At all levels, commanders must be given the freedom to use initiative and

should in turn encourage subordinates to use theirs. This requires a training and operational culture

that promotes an attitude of risk taking in order to win rather than to prevent defeat.

h. Maintenance of morale. Commanders should give their command an identity, promote self-esteem,

inspire it with a sense of common purpose and unity of effort, and give it achievable aims. High

morale depends on good leadership which instils courage, energy, determination and care for the

personnel entrusted. (Development Concepts and Doctrine Centre 2013, 1–4)

[TEXT BOX ENDS]

Outlook

Centralised decision making has emerged as an appealing tactic; one that the French and

their Allies adopted in both WWI and WWII. The generalship defined detailed plans, which

were then broken down into orders. These orders were received by front-line soldiers and,

were to be carried out without questioning, with no need to provide an answer to the

question ‘Why’. The demands on these top military leaders had been great. In essence, the

Supreme Commander French Land Forces, and Georges, C.-in-C. North East Front directed

the entire campaign. The lower hierarchical levels (e.g. Army generals) were relegated to

recipients of orders; creativity in carrying out these orders was discouraged.

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