Corps Business: The 30 Management Principles of the U.S. Marines [Hardcover]

David H. Freedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 2000

What's the best-run enterprise in the world? It just may be the Marine Corps.

Far from being the hidebound, autocratic entity that most people imagine, the Corps has created a stunningly nimble, almost freewheelingly adaptive organization. The result: Though often faced with extraordinarily dynamic and complex challenges, the Marines get the job done every time.

Their secret? Don't think boot camp. Instead, the Marines have refined a wide-ranging system of management practices that have undergone continuous evolution under the most demanding conditions conceivable. Armed with these straightforward principles, any organization can achieve the high-impact responsiveness demanded by today's ultra-competitive, fast-changing business environments.

In Corps Business, author David H. Freedman brings these principles--and their application to the business world--to light in clear, fascinating form. Freedman brings you along to observe, firsthand the high-speed Marine environment, where you'll take part in urban combat practice maneuvers, sit in on mission planning sessions, spend time on a "floating invasion party," and participate in a live-fire combat exercise. Along the way, you'll tap the wisdom of scores of Marines from three-star generals to grunts. Here are some examples:

Managing by end-state--Tell people what needs to be accomplished and why, and leave the details to them.

The 70-percent solution--It's better to decide quickly on an imperfect plan than to spend time considering every angle and roll out a perfect plan when it's too late.

Authority on demand--While retaining a strong management pyramid, encourage people even at the lowest levels to make any and all decisions necessary to accomplish the mission when management guidance isn't at hand.

Anyone facing entrenched or predatory competitors, short time frames, chaotic markets, and obstacles in every direction, has a simple choice: Learn to move fast, change on the fly, and inspire employees--or die. The Marines are here to help.

With a foreword by Gen. Charles C. Krulak, Thirty-first Commandant of the United States Marine Corps.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Several business bestsellers in recent years have been books about warfare strategy and tactics. Sun Tsu's Art of War and Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings are titles widely recommended for insight and inspiration preparatory to corporate battle. In Corps Business, author David Freedman examines the organization and culture of the United States Marine Corps and sees "the best management training program in America."

For this book Freedman, a senior editor at Forbes ASAP and author of Brainmakers, trained with the Corps and interviewed scores of marines of every rank to discover 31 management principles "built around simple truths about human nature and the uncertainties of dynamic environments.... The Marines are used to facing entrenched enemies, short time-frames, chaotic conflicts, and unfavorable terrain --all of which have come to be hallmarks of the New Economy." Some of the ideas that Freedman encountered include Principle No. 1: "Aim for the 70-percent solution. It's better to decide quickly on an imperfect plan than to roll out a perfect plan when it's too late"; Principle No. 13: "Manage by end state and intent. Tell people what needs to be accomplished and why, and leave the details to them"; and Principle No. 21: "Establish a core identity. Everyone in the organization should feel they're performing an aspect of the same job." It's hard to argue with two centuries of battlefield success, and the wisdom and time-tested management philosophy dissected here should be a valuable prescriptive for any organization hell-bent on winning. --Scott Harrison

Review

"An excellent book...David Freedman's analysis of the management principles of the U.S. Marine Corps offers a compelling guide...Reading it reminded me how much I have relied upon what I learned in the Marine Corps to build FedEx." -- Frederick W. Smith, founder and chairman, Federal Express

"On the complex, asymmetrical battlefields of the 21st Century, effective decentralized control and execution will be essential to mission success. The Corps has acknowledged this reality and has reinvigorated its efforts to prepare Marines with the leadership skills needed to deal with the high-stake challenges of the three block war...Mr. Freedman accurately captures the essence of Marine Corps leadership and thoroughly describes our unique approach to leadership training. Clearly, there is common ground between Marine leadership and business management." -- General Charles C. Krulak, 31st Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps

"This outstanding work reveals the leadership secrets that make the Marine Corps the world's most motivated and successful organization. The lessons are universally applicable." -- Robert A. Lutz, CEO, Exide Corp., and former president, Chrysler Corp.

David Freedman would like to see some martial virtue enter the equation. In "Corps Business," he writes about a young Marine sergeant on leave visiting a friend at his workplace. "I met a manager there who didn't know the names of all his employees," the astonished Marine told him. In the Marines, immediate superiors know not only the names of their subordinates but the names of their subordinates' family members as well.

Mr. Freedman -- who interviewed more than 100 Marines of all ranks and observed them in training -- believes that business enterprises could benefit from Marine values. These include sacrifice, perseverance, integrity, commitment and loyalty. For the current business world -- where a firm's loyalty extends to only the next downsizing effort and an employee's to only the next vesting date -- it would seem as if the Marines do indeed have a better idea.

One of the strategies the Marines use is called "authority on demand." That is: allowing someone at the lowest ranks to make decisions under critical circumstances. Mr. Freedman cites an example from the Gulf War, where a corporal's squad was pinned down by an Iraqi machine-gunner. Without checking with higher-ups, he took half his squad around the gunner's side and took him out by surprise. It was a kind of "drive-by shooting," the corporal (a native of East Los Angeles) explained later, triumphantly. Certain firms could benefit from initiative like that. -- The Wall Street Journal, 01/31/2000

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperBusiness; 1 edition (January 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0066619785
• ISBN-13: 978-0066619781
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #703,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David H. Freedman is a contributing editor for Inc. Magazine, and has written on science, business and technology for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Science, Wired, and many other publications. His newest book, Wrong, about why experts keep failing us, just came out in June, 2010. He last book (co-authored), was A Perfect Mess, about the useful role of disorder in daily life, business and science. He is also the author of books about the U.S. Marines, computer crime, and artificial intelligence. Freedman's blog Making Sense of Medicine takes a close, critical look at medical findings making current headlines with an eye to separating out the frequent hype. He lives near Boston.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seek 70% Solution, Don't "Go Admin", June 2, 2002

By 

newchapter "newchapter" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Corps Business: The 30 Management Principles of the U.S. Marines (Hardcover)

Corps Business
The 30 management principles of the US Marine Corps

David H. Freedman

Freedman firmly believes Marine methodology creates a strong and effective organization. For those who read this book, you will probably agree. As you might expect from a book that parallels the military and business management, there are many references to training, discipline, order, and sacrifice.

However, a vast majority of the book gives a perspective of the US Marine Corps which is radically different than most people would expect.

Provided that Freedman is correct in his analysis, the US Marine Corps is an extremely focused group which is both fast, versatile, and effective in complex situations.

1) Marines aim for the 70% solution because in the battlefield, speed and boldness is more important than perfection. Put another way, indecisiveness is a fatal flaw. It is better to make small, frequent, and rapid decisions.

2) Marines find the essence of any mission. It should be made very clear. In the process, all the assumptions, boundaries (what shall we NOT do) should be questioned and explored. Dissension is invited prior to the final decision.

3) Marines are a capability based organization. They are defined by what they are able to do, and how they do it.

4) Marines push decision making to very low levels in the organization. Bureaucracy does not work in the battlefield. To quote. "The best soldiers are ones who follow orders from above, but do not depend on them."

5) The Marines are very competitive. Marines hire through trial by fire. Boot camp is a form of Darwinian natural selection. The best and fittest survive. Even after boot camp, many officers leave the Corps because they cannot be promoted, because they are not the best.

6) Leadership is defined as the ability to have others follow you. If a Marine does not follow an legitimate order, he / she can face disciplinary action, but the superior who gave the order will often find their career stop too. (It demonstrates a break in their leadership ability.)

7) Marines glorify the lower levels of the organization. The most training is at the lowest level of Marine leadership - Corporal. Even in the dress, there is little difference in dress from the officers and the privates.

8) Marines focus on the end statement. Marine leadership focus on WHAT TO DO (Mission), not HOW to DO (Details).

9) Marines reward failure. The best way to learn is through experience, and if someone does not fail from time to time, they are not pushing the envelope. Marines are focused on continuous improvement, and that requires temporary failure.

10) The Marines have passion for what they do. The Marines have an expression to describe people who just go through the motions of their job: "Going Admin"

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical ways to lead change and people, July 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Corps Business: The 30 Management Principles of the U.S. Marines (Hardcover)

Until now, I've had only one book to recommend on change management, the excellent, Managing at the Speed of Change by Conner. With Corps Business, a wonderfully practical book, I have two recommendations. As a human resources professional working in the education industry, I was especially struck by the practicality of how the Marines plan, manage and lead change (especially when you have to change course, turn on a dime, and move in a new direction), develop decision making ability in Marines by making every decision making experience a learning experience, and by the leaders' commitment to leading, not managing. If only I could clone Colonel Davis! I have given copies of this book to people who direct business components -- from IT to R&D to Sales. It's a quick read, but the principles linger; I've found myself thinking of ways to apply the principles outlined in this book. It's also a chastening read for any manager whose staff is choking on management and starving for leadership. Well done!

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Time to update your image, December 13, 2000

By 

Michael Ayers (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Corps Business: The 30 Management Principles of the U.S. Marines (Hardcover)

If you're like most people when you hear military and leadership in the same sentence, you conjure up an image of a ramrod-straight, gray-haired senior officer, the very epitome of command-and-control. Or perhaps a drill instructor wearing a smokey-bear hat with his nose just millimeters away from the nose of a fear-stricken recruit.

Based on the reports of David Freedman in Corps Business, perhaps we civilians need to re-think our images. From beginning -- an introduction by former Marine Corps commandant Charles Krulak -- to end, this book tells the story of an organization which could surely set an example for most American business. Says Krulak, "The hallmark of this fertile environment for personal and professional development is pervasive, clearly defined, and universally respected standards of conduct. These standards stress personal accountability, and our faithful adherence to them has distinguished the Corps for more than two centuries. Their influence is escapable and shapes our every action."

Here is how this unfolds through the course of the book: Marine units have always gotten and will continue to get wide-ranging assignments. They will be asked to perform critical missions in complex and confusing circumstances. But whatever the mission, the Marine Corps' values as reflected in their standards of conduct will remain constant. Mistakes will be made along the way in dealing with situations involving tension and hostility, but if you fail to meet the standards of conduct you can expect serious consequences.

Over the course of two hundred pages, Freedman offers a host of stories and points out incidents which illustrate key lessons. He has distilled these into 30 "principles" such as: PRINCIPLE #1: AIM FOR THE 70 PERCENT SOLUTION which he defines as going for the best possible decision right now given the information at hand rather than waiting for perfect information and forfeiting an opportunity to go forward toward achieving the goals.

Here's another principle: PRINCIPLE #13: MANAGE BY END STATE AND INTENT The leaders in the Marines do not want to engage in what we commonly call micro-management (and which is some cases in my experience descends even to nano-management!) Instead they focus on two things. Freedman writes that the commanders endeavor to make clear "first, how they would like the situation to end up, what the Marines refer to as 'the end state'; and second, the broader goals that they would like to achieve through the entire unit's actions, information that Marines call 'the commander's intent.'" How refreshing it would be to work for someone who trusted you and had justifiable confidence in your ability to get the job done within the context of a clear mission!

Does the Marine Corps therefore encourage blind adherence by mindless drones? Hardly. Freedman writes, "It's probably not surprising to hear that a Marine who refuses to obey a clear and legitimate order can face severe disciplinary action. What may be surprising is the fact that the officer who gave the order may find his or her own career stopped short over that same incident -- even if the order was perfectly well advised. That's because the Marines have emphasized a simple, Darwinian test as part of determining an officers? suitability for promotion: Is he or she someone who inspires people to follow?" In a civilian world where many employees are essentially volunteers (who can leave for another job at any time, and probably get a pay increase for doing just that), this is a critical test: how can you call yourself a leader if no one will follow you?

What about building those leaders who can inspire that sort of loyalty? How do you identify them and recruit them? The Marines believe that the process of selecting and grooming the next generation of leaders is a critical function. Indeed working in a recruiting role or serving as an instructor in one of their schools is a key stepping stone on the way to the senior ranks. It's not something sloughed off onto merely average people, but a reward that offers the clearest chance to help create the future of the Corps.

Entry into the Corps for commissioned officers is based on The Basic School, where the development of skills is accomplished in situations which are as nearly real as they can create. Leadership development is not however, reserved for commissioned officers. Freedman points out that most of the leadership development work is done at the lowest level of leadership -- the enlisted (or non-commissioned) officer, the corporal who leads a fire team. This is about building leadership from the ground up, in order that even the smallest units become proving grounds with the intended result that in complex and changing circumstances the leaders even at that level are already seasoned performers.

Is there a lesson for the business world in here? ...certainly ideas such as developing leadership ability at the lowest levels of the hierarchy or basing leadership on a solid set of central values or decentralizing control while centralizing command -- these seem just as applicable in the business world.