Content Aggregators vs. Subscription Services in the Field of Knowledge Management
February 12, 2025
Introduction: The Typical Functions of a HR Manager Until now, we have discussed how the HRM function in organizations works and the role of the function in organizational processes. We have also discussed the changing nature of the HRM function in recent years and how with the introduction of enterprise software, an entirely new dimension […]
Career management is conscious planning of one’s activities and engagements in the jobs one undertakes in the course of his life for better fulfilment, growth and financial stability. It is a sequential process that starts from an understanding of oneself and encompasses occupational awareness. An individual’s career is the sole source of one’s natural expression […]
The four career choices analyzed here are entrepreneurship, freelancing, sabbaticals, and regular full time employment. While all of these are attractive to different individuals, the bottom line for any career choice is how well you are able to support yourself and your families. In addition, feet on the ground approach is preferable as many career […]
What motivates people to work? Money may be the primary reason, but beyond a certain limit it fails to. Organizations have been trying out different things to increase the level of motivation of its employees. Employee empowerment is one of them. Employee empowerment means that an employee is given a chance to be enterprising, take […]
In this tightly integrated and interconnected 24/7 world where businesses operate at all times and keep their IT (Information Technology) enabled processes and systems running all the time, it is important for such businesses to protect themselves against cyber threats and cyber warfare. By definition, cyber threats refer to the risks arising from hacking and […]
It has often been said that the Military and the Armed Forces in the developed West pioneered many technological and managerial innovations that subsequently helped the corporate sector in those countries. For instance, the Internet was initially a Department of Defense project in the United States that was then adopted by the commercial sector leading to its phenomenal growth and widespread usage.
If we go back a bit, the Ball Point Pen, the Personal Computer, and many other such innovations were first Military projects that were then released to the public. What this means is that the experiments conducted by the Military and the Armed Forces and the research that they undertake often lead to technological and managerial innovations which prove to be quite beneficial to the corporate sector and then the public at large. This is mainly because the Military and the Department of Defense in the United States has at its disposal an army of experts (literally and metaphorically) as well as having humungous budgets that often lead to cutting edge research done by them.
Indeed, many technological and managerial innovations arise from the Armed forces because of these reasons.
Turning to the managerial excellence, the Armed Forces were the first institution in the West to adopt the principles of Scientific Management as espoused by Frederick Taylor. Apart from this, the Armed Forces were the first institution to actualize the top down managerial style that has become the norm in almost all corporate companies.
Further, the Military was the first institution to adopt Mintzberg’s strategic pyramids, which was then followed by the corporate sector. Moreover, the supply chain management practices and the logistics practices of the Military were then similarly followed by the corporate sector leading to efficiencies and synergies in the organizational processes.
The point here is that the Military and the Department of Defense in the US usually initiates projects in the managerial sphere because the institution of the Military has to be run according to the best available managerial model, as they cannot afford to make mistakes since human lives are involved.
The aspect of national security means that the Military has to be on the ball and not drop it. This has led to successive Defense secretaries starting with Robert McNamara who came to the Department of Defense from the Ford Motor Company and transformed the way the Military works.
In recent years, the best practices that have come out of the military include the adoption of business continuity planning and disaster recovery.
For instance, the fact that the Armed Forces had to be ready to continue operations even when disaster (manmade or natural) strikes meant that Defense Secretaries like Donald Rumsfeld adopted Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery starting from the 1990s and which were then adopted by the corporate sector.
Apart from this, the Armed Forces were also the first to institute the practice of outsourcing of noncore activities thereby actualizing cost savings. Indeed, the concept of a lean and mean fighting machine that the Armed Forces wanted themselves to be resulted in the profusion of Defense Contractors who would take care of all aspects except the actual fighting.
Even this function was outsourced to private security companies in some conflict zones.
Indeed, the kind of outsourcing of the regular functions that the Military followed meant that the corporate sector would soon adopt such best practices. This was a win-win situation for the military and the corporate sector as the former saved money that could be spent on the troops whereas the latter benefited from lucrative contracts given by the former.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *