MAGAZINE
SPRING 2020
Photo by U . S . Army Sergeant James AVERY , 16th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
in a democracy have the flexibility , adaptability , and agency to make autonomous decisions and take initiative . This is in a sense a reflection of their status as citizens in a democratic society more broadly , where instead of being the subject of an autocratic regime ’ s plans they have the responsibility and authority to decide for themselves4 .
This flexibility , adaptability , and agency is essential to building a culture of mission command , where subordinates are empowered to take prudent risk and make decisions within a broad framework of their commander ’ s mission and intent . Much of the research into the military balance between competing armies long overlooked the dimension of culture , considering instead more easily measured variables such as technology , mass , terrain , and strategy as critical factors when comparing two rival nations ’ forces5 . Without an organizational culture that fosters initiative and rewards agility , however , employing a doctrine of mission command is impossible6 .
The Advantage of Culture This is not a dramatic insight to those of us who serve in uniform , nor is it to students of organizational culture more broadly ; a common refrain in the business world is that “ culture eats strategy for breakfast ”. Culture , however , is often invisible to those immersed in it . Therefore , the challenge becomes how to recognize the weaknesses and strengths of a dynamic that is routinely taken for granted . I argue that a unique advantage of NATO is that the deep interaction that makes up day-today operations allow us to more clearly see both our own national military cultures and learn from our allies . By deliberately leveraging this close contact we can better recognize and thereby optimize the organizational culture of our respective national armies in order to grow adaptive and agile leaders .
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