Military Review English Edition January-February 2014 | Page 47

LOOKING FOR A CHAMPION

the dubious (and hazardous) pleasure of working
directly with the Afghans. It is well to remember
that around the world on a daily basis thousands of
external civilian advisors, armed with the precepts
of Deming and his numerous successors, grapple
quite lucratively with the task of reforming dysfunctional organizations, staffed with recalcitrant
individuals and guided by antiquated precepts. Of
course, we are referring to business consultants. It
may seem unusual or inappropriate to draw such a
direct linkage between military advising and business consulting, but over the past many years, it has
become commonplace for the seemingly disparate
worlds of the warrior and the merchant to look to
each other to draw lessons on management, leadership, organizational structure, logistics, and a host
of other issues. Indeed, elite business schools extol
the virtues of Sun Tzu, the military injects six-sigma
process controls into its operations, and the professional reading lists for soldiers and sailors contain
numerous titles from the world of commerce.
Thus, it is time for the military to understand how
bankrupt companies are made solvent, how ailing
divisions are made well, and, regrettably, how
some firms are recognized as beyond redemption
and liquidated for their residual value.

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