The army follows the ‘directive style of command’ which gives leaders at lower levels the ability to take independent decisions depending on the field situation. Military management and leadership emphasize the idea of dispersed and not hierarchical leadership. The key is to pre-empt the enemy. According to General J.J. Singh, the Chief of the Army Staff, in an interview to <italic>The Economic Times</italic> (September 16, 2005), “Such a command structure induces flexibility. Decision-making has to be quick and rather than giving exhaustive instructions, brief guidelines need to be given. The execution on ground should be left to the subordinates.”In the battlefield, speed and boldness are more important than perfection. Indecisiveness can be a fatal flaw. An average decision taken on time can carry the day while a brilliant decision that came later can result in defeat. In a scenario where adversaries can be conventional, transnational or even nuclear, flexibility is critical. Flexibility and individual empowerment are important and bureaucracy does not work in the battlefield. According to the Chief of the Army Staff, “The achievement of surprise in any plan is probably the single most battle winning factor and this cannot be achieved through rigid bureaucratic controls.”While according to the Army Chief, there is degree of form, method and system which needs to be inculcated in soldiers during their training to ingrain discipline, to teach basic drills and ensure their unquestioned execution, it is no less important for the army to be <italic>flexible, ingenious</italic> and <italic>unpredictable</italic> in its approach. He observed, “Battles are not always won based on sheer numbers or strength, they are won because of the ability to reinvent and improvise under pressure, under stress and under fire.” According to the Army Chief, “The difference between a corporate bad decision and a military man's bad decision is that in the latter case, lives and the nation's pride are at stake.”<disp-quote><attrib>–Editor</attrib></disp-quote></sec></body><back><ref-list><title>Source

Management & Change

0972-2149

Institute for Integrated Learning in Management

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Flexibility in Management

The Indian Army, Flexibility and Management

7–122006

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The army follows the ‘directive style of command’ which gives leaders at lower levels the ability to take independent decisions depending on the field situation. Military management and leadership emphasize the idea of dispersed and not hierarchical leadership. The key is to pre-empt the enemy. According to General J.J. Singh, the Chief of the Army Staff, in an interview to <italic>The Economic Times</italic> (September 16, 2005), “Such a command structure induces flexibility. Decision-making has to be quick and rather than giving exhaustive instructions, brief guidelines need to be given. The execution on ground should be left to the subordinates.”In the battlefield, speed and boldness are more important than perfection. Indecisiveness can be a fatal flaw. An average decision taken on time can carry the day while a brilliant decision that came later can result in defeat. In a scenario where adversaries can be conventional, transnational or even nuclear, flexibility is critical. Flexibility and individual empowerment are important and bureaucracy does not work in the battlefield. According to the Chief of the Army Staff, “The achievement of surprise in any plan is probably the single most battle winning factor and this cannot be achieved through rigid bureaucratic controls.”While according to the Army Chief, there is degree of form, method and system which needs to be inculcated in soldiers during their training to ingrain discipline, to teach basic drills and ensure their unquestioned execution, it is no less important for the army to be <italic>flexible, ingenious</italic> and <italic>unpredictable</italic> in its approach. He observed, “Battles are not always won based on sheer numbers or strength, they are won because of the ability to reinvent and improvise under pressure, under stress and under fire.” According to the Army Chief, “The difference between a corporate bad decision and a military man's bad decision is that in the latter case, lives and the nation's pride are at stake.”<disp-quote><attrib>–Editor</attrib></disp-quote></sec></body><back><ref-list><title>Source

Baishya

The Interview with the Chief of the Indian Army, Corporate Dossier, The Economic Times, New Delhi, September 16, 2005.