Corps Business: The 30 Management Principles of the U.S. Marines

What's the best-run enterprise in the world? It just may be the Marine Corps.

Far from being the hidebound, autocratic entity that most people imagine, the Corps has created a stunningly nimble, almost freewheelingly adaptive organization. The result: Though often faced with extraordinarily dynamic and complex challenges, the Marines get the job done every time.

Their secret? Don't think boot camp. Instead, the Marines have refined a wide-ranging system of management practices that have undergone continuous evolution under the most demanding conditions conceivable. Armed with these straightforward principles, any organization can achieve the high-impact responsiveness demanded by today's ultra-competitive, fast-changing business environments.

In Corps Business, author David H. Freedman brings these principles--and their application to the business world--to light in clear, fascinating form. Freedman brings you along to observe, firsthand the high-speed Marine environment, where you'll take part in urban combat practice maneuvers, sit in on mission planning sessions, spend time on a "floating invasion party," and participate in a live-fire combat exercise. Along the way, you'll tap the wisdom of scores of Marines from three-star generals to grunts. Here are some examples:

Managing by end-state--Tell people what needs to be accomplished and why, and leave the details to them.

The 70-percent solution--It's better to decide quickly on an imperfect plan than to spend time considering every angle and roll out a perfect plan when it's too late.

Anyone facing entrenched or predatory competitors, short time frames, chaotic markets, and obstacles in every direction, has a simple choice: Learn to move fast, change on the fly, and inspire employees--or die. The Marines are here to help.

With a foreword by Gen. Charles C. Krulak, Thirty-first Commandant of the United States Marine Corps.