The Battle.
At Cambrai in France, Churchill as First Lord of the Admiralty recognized the potential of “land ships,” the idea of Lieutenant-Colonel Earnest Swinton. The tracked fighting vehicles were kept a surprise (the element of surprise being one of the 10 principles of warfare (link to our blog site) and were identified as “tanks.” The word was out of the role of a “tank” was to carry water to the front. The mist hung over the Cambrai battlefield during the early hours of November 20, 1917, as 374 British tanks, for the first time in military history, shattered the stillness to set out to blow a hole in the Hindenburg line. The German soldiers viewing these emerging noisy beasts abandon their posts. The tanks mobility enabled the British forces to move on a six-mile front, five miles into German territory. This was unheard of in World War I where success was measured in yards!
Unfortunately the British generals had not foreseen the degree of the tanks’ success and the breakthrough that might be exploited. The Germans regrouped and the lines once again firmed up. Had the British been able to exploit the opportunity and continue with the initiative, the war and many lives would’ve been saved during this monumental World War conflict.
During the conflict 619,636 Canadians served with over 66,000 Canadians giving up their lives.
Comment.
Sun Tzu brings to our attention the importance of constantly evaluating our organizational scarce resources and implement the resources leveling necessary to achieve the objectives and goals of your organization. Remember the relationship between your objectives/ goals and the forces you have committed—their size, composition, and disposition—must be continually reassessed and adjusted if necessary to achieve the best value for money / outcomes for organizations.
In this case the British harnessed the power of a new innovation– the tank. They achieved greater success than had ever been achieved on the battlefield during this war but the directing minds failed to exploit the opportunity and consolidate their successes…. As strategists we must lever the power of innovation.
Question – As leader of your organization when was the last time you reviewed your scarce assets to ensure you’re getting value for money/ outcomes. I use a rosebush analogy (add link) to make the point that it’s important to view your rosebush (organization) and ‘prune the suckers’ that sap the energy ‘nutrients’ out of the organization and redirect these assets to where they will be the most productive for the plant.
The relationship between our objectives and the resources we have committed—their size, composition, and disposition—must be continually reassessed and adjusted as necessary. Before we commit resources abroad scan the horizon of your ecosystem for emerging trends/ events. Ensure you can exploit the opportunity or mitigate the damage these emerging shifts will present.
In this battle the British generals had not foreseen the degree of the tanks’ success and the breakthrough that might be exploited—they failed to observe the principle of war- ‘Economy of Effort’ – hence opportunity lost!
