Effectiveness and the Armed Forces

Organizations as well as executives need to work systematically on effectiveness and need to acquire the habit of effectiveness. They need to learn to feed their opportunities and to starve their problems. They need to work on making strength productive. They need to concentrate and to set priorities instead of trying to do a little bit of everything. But executive effectiveness is surely one of the basic requirements of effective organisation and in itself the most important contribution towards organisational development. Only executive effectiveness can enables this society of ours to harmonise its two needs, the needs of the organisation to obtain from the individual the contribution it needs, and the need of the individual to have organization serve as his tool for the accomplishment of his purposes. The experience of three to four years of service in military provides young men with the opportunity to encounter a variety of unusual or stressful circumstances and as a result, they may emerge from their service with an enhanced sense of their ability to cope with various problems and master hardships, which they consider to be a central component of their adult personality. Most men profit from this opportunity. A large number of youth acquire interrelated traits. The changes that occur during military service are increase in Independence, Self-confidence, and Responsibility. This is the „trio‟ which is referred to as “maturity.” As one becomes stronger and learns to be responsible for their professional duties, one also learns to be on their own and cope with adverse situations of life. Army is one that produces this change. It uncovers ones real nature. In army one chooses the hardest course and makes a man of him. One applies one‟s own will and this builds self-esteem. The army is the real test of adulthood. Thus, goes the famous words – “An officer for the time being, a gentleman for life.” The Armed Forces are a talent pool for Corporate India – If Military is to be a means for preparing youth to be effective Managers in civilian sector, a key question is – Do corporate employers value these skills more or less than skills obtained in civilian sector? This is an emerging issue which has been explored. The present study may be conceptualised as developing the youth during military service so as to enable them to perform effectively in the corporate sector. Is Conscription the Answer for developing effective executives.