Hierarchy in Today’s Military

I'm in Washington for a final set of meetings with Secretary of Defense Bob Gates -- we'll miss him. A lot is changing in DC at the moment.

One aspect of change that I've been thinking about is whether the idea of hierarchy -- the essence of military organizations -- must adapt in this turbulent 21st century. I think it is already adapting and must do so even more.

I recently read a blog that discussed the general decline of hierarchy in today's business, government, and social organizations. Check it out.

It struck a chord with me, since I am a proponent of lean, flat, fast organizations – despite the fact that I have spent my entire career in the military, traditionally and deliberately built upon hierarchy (and inefficiency, although that is the topic for another blog!).

I'll leave discussion of the appropriate model for large private sector organizations to others, but I am convinced that BOTH hierarchy and flatness are necessary in today's military. Although this seems a contradiction, it is not. The trick is to build a culture that can adapt between the two organizational constructs as circumstances require.

In times of crises and in tactical, kinetic operations – where lives hang in the balance – hierarchy is essential. In such environments, we cannot afford to make decisions by consensus, and we must rely upon the hard-won experience of our senior leaders to make timely decisions that will be executed by subordinate personnel.

On the other hand, in a strategic headquarters and in organizations executing steady-state operations (such as security cooperation activities), a flat organization will generate the creativity, cognitive conflict and ultimately the shared vision that can lead to optimum outcomes. Your BlackBerry and full access for your subordinates are your friends.

The military is evolving, in part due to generational shifts. The technologies that we saw in the Arab Spring are alive and well in our military, as well. We can afford neither to reject outright nor be swept away by these generational and technological changes. We must listen to Generation Y, as we did -- inefficiently -- to Generation X and the Millenials.

We must embrace and, through sensible incorporation, learn to lead and manage them.

We must train our personnel and, more importantly, our leaders, to know when to encourage and cultivate a flat organization – through setting up collaborative forums both online and in person, for example – and when to demand the discipline of more rigid hierarchies.