Three business applications of Mattis way of war

General James Norman Mattis has several feathers in his cap: former Secretary of Defence; Commander of US Central Command; 4-star General of US Marine Corps. More important is that his way of the war has been the theme of book by Major Michael Valenti of the Marine Corps titled “Art of War papers”. Here are three business applications culled from the wealth of info & insight from this book.

1. Away from command & control to command & feedback

Keeping a tight grip on the movement and progress of the troops in accordance with the plan of action cannot be underestimated. Command ensures that effectiveness & efficiency are treated on an even keel. Yet control in isolation is of limited use unless it is re-configured with feedback from the ground situation. In business strategy, command without feedback is necessary ingredient because the line officers must report the degree of progress, benefits that are being derived and how the grapevine buzzes about the company and the feelings & ideas expressed by customers and opponents alike.

2. War is human endeavour, even now

General Mattis is loud and clear, when he says manoeuvre is one of the two components of combat, the other being firepower. Machines can do lot in terms of implementation of war plan. Yet there is need for human element to interpret the ground situation by reflecting upon what has been achieved so far and what is forthcoming if the execution continues without human intervention. In Algorithm course of war by machines can be predicted to some extent. But human conduct can never be predicted. Similarly business strategy put on auto-pilot can become a major disaster. As De Gaulle said you need to re-visit strategy on and off.

3.  Constancy, contextual and contemporary

General Mattis opines that constancy in war is maintained with contextual application of contemporary methods. This 3-C Matrix ensures that war fighting effort moves in tandem with the changes taking place in the battle field where ground control and field commanders make quick decisions accompanied by timely action. Speed of execution follows only when commanders understand the context they are in and their awareness of the contemporary methods at hand. In this way they can exploit the weaknesses of enemy and bring war to satisfactory conclusion.

The 3-c matrix can be applied in business manoeuvre for equal or higher success. Trained men in the field and skilled planners in the head office make inseparable twins when it comes to carry out a takeover bid, friendly or hostile if they understand the overall situation and use the right business manoeuvre. 

 

Cheers! 

 

Muthu Ashraff Rajulu

Business Strategist

Mobile: + 94 777 265677

E-mail:   cosmicgems@gmail.com

Blog:   Business Strategist