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

by David H. Freedman (Author) "The airstream rips through the open bays of the CH-53 Superstal , extorting a layer or tears through which to regard the crumpled ocean, burnished..." (more)
Key Phrases: boot camp recruits, enlisted officers, beach invasions, Marine Corps, Air Force, The Basic School (more...)

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: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #604,434 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 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

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"

19 of 19 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

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!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent source of insight for business readers, February 1, 2000

By A Customer

As a civilian, and not a former marine, I would like to say a few words of praise for this exceptionally wise and well-done book. First off, I would respectfully suggest that readers (whether marines past or present-or not) who are seeking a book whose sole focus is the marine corps will obviously find fault with Freedman's effort. There's a simple reason why: this book seeks to find managerial lessons from the Marine Corps. It's not an exhaustive history or study of these soldiers. Big difference. Second, I particularly enjoyed this book because it so successfully meets its core objective. In fact, I would venture to guess that a true marine would admire how well the book adheres to the principles it outlines (primary among them being "Establish a core identity.") The 30 managerial principles are sharply drawn and eminently useful. The book is lively and instructive. I enjoyed learning about the Marine Corps from a veteran journalist who knows how to distill a complex story into useful managerial reading, and recommend this title to others who are looking for insight from surprising sources.