Understanding mission command: a model for developing competitive advantage in a business context

Abstract

Abstract Academic and business journals have extensively covered the requirements for the successful implementation of business strategies without arriving at a consensus as to how this objective should be achieved. In Nutt's (2002) 20‐year research on the decision‐making process he found that over 50% of the decisions made by corporate leaders failed. The author contends that failed or poor decisions are directly linked to the way those decisions are implemented and therefore implementation methodology has become a critical business issue. This paper critically reviews the British Army's implementation methodology which has shown extensive versatility in such circumstances as the Gulf War, the firemen's strike, the foot and mouth crisis and a host of unexpected support operations. This work examines the British Army's definition of mission command, its historical background, the underpinning concepts and the potential utility of such an approach for the private sector. The authors argue that despite the British Army's training and terms of reference it has shown the flexibility and adaptability to achieve success in a volatile and diverse spectrum of tasks. At the heart of the organization's implementation process is mission command. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.