The Marine Corps Way: Using Maneuver Warfare to Lead a Winning Organization [Hardcover]

Jason A. Santamaria (Author), Vincent Martino (Author), Eric K. Clemons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2003

This title highlights leadership strategy designed for the battlefield, adapted for the boardroom. It is based on a cover story in the Harvard Business Review entitled "Maneuver Warfare," "The Marine Corps Way" shows business leaders and managers how to adopt the principles and strategies that have made the Marine Corps so successful. Written by a Wharton professor and two former Marines who have now moved on to the business world, the book brings a consummate mix of business savvy and military know-how to bear on the challenges faced by today's managers. The centerpiece of the management model it espouses is maneuver warfare, in which the forces of disorder and uncertainty are used to undermine an enemy's ability to fight as a coordinated, effective whole. In "The Marine Corps Way", rousing case studies and examples culled from both military and business history illustrate the power of maneuver warfare tactics, and how to use them to win the war for profits and market share.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Marine Corps Way shows managers at all levels how to apply the tactics and techniques of maneuver warfare to achieve overwhelming results in today's fiercely competitive market environment. The Marine Corps Way illustrates the power of maneuver warfare and shows you how to apply it directly to your business. You'll learn how to reshape your organization based on seven guiding principles:

• Targeting critical vulnerabilities
• Boldness
• Surprise
• Focus
• Decentralized decision-making
• Tempo
• Combined arms

You will also learn how to master the intangibles of any maneuver warfare-based approach and unlock the ingenuity and energy of your people by emulating the Marines' three leadership pillars:

• Setting the example for others to follow
• Taking care of those in your charge
• Investing in the leadership development of each and every member of the organization

Advance Acclaim for The Marine Corps Way

"This book not only captures the essence of how the Marine Corps has influenced our leadership practices and culture at FedEx but also introduces a powerful approach to rising above the competition and meeting the customer's needs in today's challenging and uncertain business environment."

--Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, FedEx Corporation

"I found the book fascinating. For someone who spent thirty-five years in the Marine Corps and now almost four years as a CEO in the private sector, the book offers much from a professional and personal standpoint. It is far more than a book on leadership or effective management. It is equally a history book, a book on the "future" and, most important, a book on the basics of success. On the battlefield or in the boardroom, maneuver warfare works!"

--General Charles Krulak, 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps and CEO, MBNA Europe

"As sponsors of the Wharton Leadership Venture, a program which puts MBA students through USMC problem-solving exercises, General Motors believes the concepts in this book are crucial to success in the fiercely competitive automotive industry. In the Marine Corps Way, the authors do an excellent job providing a clear framework for employing battle-tested, Marine Corps tactics and leadership principles in your business."

--Bob Lutz, General Motors Vice Chairman of Product Development and GM North America Chairman

"Business tactics have evolved in ways that are analogous to the evolution of warfare. The authors have done an excellent job revealing how companies can apply these tactics of modern maneuver warfare, such as speed, surprise, and subtlety, to achieve breakthrough results in business."

--Nigel Morris, Vice Chairman and Co-founder, Capital One Financial

A shrewd, insightful application to business practices of the principles which sustained the Marine Corps in 228 years of combat."

--Bing West, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and Co-Author of The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division

"The Marine Corps Way and its adaptation of Maneuver Warfare to business is a terrific read. It's entertaining, educational, and a valuable competitive tool for any business leader who wants to outdistance the competition."

--Dick Couch, Author of The Warrior Elite and The Mercenary Option

"We at Southwest Airlines benefited considerably from our direct interaction with the Marines in 1998. The lessons in this book not only ring familiar but also offer valuable new insights into competitive strategy and leadership in business."

--Donna Conover, Executive Vice President, Southwest Airlines

The authors provide in-depth treatments of each principle and back them up with historical case studies - forty-six in all - that illustrate the principle in action, both on the battlefield and in the boardroom. Advancing these illustrations one step further, the authors also describe the modern-day techniques and practices that make the Marines such a successful organization and adapt them for application in business.

Embrace these techniques and practices and you'll turn your business into a lean, mean, profit machine that out-thinks and outflanks stronger, better-equipped competitors.

About the Author

Jason A. Santamaria is currently an independent business consultant in Durham, North Carolina. He is a former Marine Corps artillery officer, Morgan Stanley investment banker, McKinsey consultant, and J. William Fulbright scholar.

Vincent Martino is currently a senior business analyst for Capital One Financial. He is a fomer Marine Corps communications officer and a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. An avid fly fisherman, he resides in Boise, Idaho, with his wife, Stacy, and son, Christopher.

Eric K. Clemons is a professor of operations and information management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. He resides in Philadelphia with his wife, Jean, and daughter, Julia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007142377X
• ISBN-13: 978-0071423779
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #844,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Revolutionary Book for Corporate Strategy, February 2, 2004

By 

James J. Tarangelo (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Marine Corps Way: Using Maneuver Warfare to Lead a Winning Organization (Hardcover)

I did not serve in the military, but I was at Wharton getting my MBA when Vince Martino and Jason Santamaria started introducing these lessons to the student body. They first helped bring in distinguished speakers from the Marine Corps and then organized a creative hands-on leadership event at a real Marine Corps base that was wildly popular with students, many of whom said it was the best leadership instruction they received at the school. The program is a critical part of the Wharton experience and complements Wharton's lecture based coursework with hands on, practical leadership lessons.

So it was with great interest and high expectations that I read this book. The authors delivered: the lessons they pass on are commonsense, easy to understand and insightful. I really feel for once that I have a set of tangible lessons learned that I can apply in my organization. I work in an acquisitions group for an Fortune 500 services company and the skills and case studies that are highlighted in the book have impacted the way I evaluate both our competition and potential acquisition targets. I have recommended the book to my peers and direct reports, and I highly recommend it to all.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How David Can Beat Goliath..., January 29, 2004

By 

Marc Ladin (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Marine Corps Way: Using Maneuver Warfare to Lead a Winning Organization (Hardcover)

I run an up-and-coming wireless company in, what the authors refer to as "a rapidly evolving market" and, as promised, this book has armed me with a framework to deal with change and uncertainty. It has also served as a great vehicle to channel the ideas and insights of my employees.

I highly recommend it to small business owners and employees who will find it both educational and inspiring. It is practical, to the point, and comprehensive. I found numerous great ideas on strategy, the implementation of strategy, and how to lead people to get the most from them.

I only wish that I had found this book sooner.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Winning Strategy For Business, May 10, 2006

By 

Mike Dillemuth (Virginia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Marine Corps Way: Using Maneuver Warfare to Lead a Winning Organization (Paperback)

This book is an interesting and well written analysis of how to apply maneuver warfare to a commercial business. The authors prove their analysis by illustrating the similarities between military and competitive business environments.

First, this book is an easy read. It is approximately 181 pages long and broken into easily digested parts. Seven of the thirteen chapters focus exclusively on each of the principles of maneuver warfare. Generally speaking, all the chapters follow a similar format. The authors will make a point and follow it up with an example from military history. They then provide an example from the commercial world. Each of these examples is followed by a brief analysis of the principle in discussion. The reader is then given a general analysis that cuts across both the military and business examples. Finally, each chapter ends with a discussion of how the Marine Corps applies and/or views this principle. The advantage of this format is that the reader knows what to expect. The book finishes with a discussion on leadership, the glue that holds the maneuver warfare principles together.

There is nothing new in this book. All of these principles can be found in other management and leadership teaching aids. This book's true value is the clear, concise, and easy format in which it is written. The true standard for good writing is the ability to clearly convey a point to the reader. This book meets that standard. It has valuable lessons for managers in all organizations, be they military, civilian-government, commercial, or non-profit. Anyone in a leadership position would find their time well spent in reading this book.