Suvorov

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2005 LevinsonProductivity Systems,

Worker Empowermentand Aleksandr V.

Suvorov'sThe Science

of Victory

But to the tale -- !reat "oy unto the cam#$

%o &ussian, %artar, 'n!lish, (rench,Cossac)ue,

*+er whom Suwarrow shone like a !as

lam#,

Presa!in! a most luminous attack

Don Juan, Seventh Canto

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leksandr . Suvorov,

/2-100 Possi3ly the !reatest military commander

who ever lived

4 victories and no losses

6e7eated some o7 8a#oleon+s 7uture marshals

and was 7eared 3y 8a#oleon

9ould have easily made mincemeat o7

(rederick the :reat

9hy rate Suvorov ;is success came #rimarily 7rom

organizational development, includin!

trainin! and em#owerment. %he same

#rinci#les are usa3le in 3usiness.

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Suvorov+s *r!ani?ation

Summary SP''6 @ALLS C*P'%A%*&SD

E9here did all the &ussians come 7rom

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S#eed Asn+t (ree

At was one matter 7or Suvorov to wants#eed and decisive shock and another to

achieveit.

Contem#orary tactics were limited 3y the need

to kee# lar!e num3ers o7 men in 7ormations

and even to #revent desertion. (ear o7

desertion 3y their own cavalryD o7ten deterred

commanders 7rom #ursuin! a 3eaten enemy.

7ormation that tried to move too )uickly

would soon !et out o7 ste# and 3ecome

disor!ani?ed and ine77ective.

Suvorov understood that his desired

methods would re)uire

Empowerment, so his men could o#erate

without constant direction 3y su#eriors

Trainingto ena3le his soldiers to #er7orm

un#recedented and seemin!ly-im#ossi3le

tasks

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Suvorov+s 'nvironment

and Com#etitors 6urin! the 1thcentury, most

commanders re!arded soldiers as

automatons who were to do e=actly and

onlyD what they were told. %his illustrates a mechanisticor!ani?ational

model, in which #er7ormance is measured on

com#liance with ri!id rules.

&esults were achieved lar!ely throu!h

#unishment or threat o7 #unishment. (rederick AA o7 Prussia E:ood will can never

induce the common soldier to stand u# to

such dan!ersF he will do so only throu!h 7ear

Ho7 his own o77icersI.E

(rederick+s own words descri3e his attitudetoward his soldiers, and we will com#are this to

the or!ani?ation that Suvorov develo#ed. At will

3e clear that Suvorov+s or!ani?ation could have

3eaten E*ld (rit?E decisively.

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Nauka PobezhadtThe

Science o !ictoryD At was written 7or the work7orce as well as

the mana!ement.

E*ne o7 the most remarka3le thin!s a3out

+%he Science o7 ictory+ was the 7act that ama"or #art o7 it was deli3erately #ut into

lan!ua!e com#rehensi3le to the common

soldier. lar!e section o7 +%he rt o7 ictory+

had to 3e learned 3y heart 3y every man.E

E%his is the 7irst known record on the art o7 warintended not only 7or o77icers 3ut 7or every

servin! man. A7 an army understood and acted

u#on this manual, its commander could

accom#lish thin!s no other !eneral could.E

At encom#assed not merely #rocedures 3ut an

organizational cultureJ Ethe way we do thin!s

around here.E

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Suvorov+s EKuality

StatementE t the end o7 each day+s work, everyone

was to shout, ESu3ordination, *3edience,

6isci#line, %rainin!, ilitary (ormation,

ilitary *rder, Cleanliness, 8eatness,>ealth, Cheer7ulness, Coura!e, Bravery,

(ormation '=ercise, ictory and :lory$E

(ar 7rom slo!aneerin! a!ainst which 6emin!

warnedD, these words encom#ass much o7

The Science o !ictory. An Suvorov+s

or!ani?ational culture, a single word or short

phrase conveyed enormous meaning.

s an e=am#le, Suvorov+s rules 7or #ersonal

and cam# hy!iene, alon! with dietJ

ECleanliness, 8eatness, and >ealthEJreduced the &ussian rmy+s attrition losses to

a3out #ercent, versus 20 to 25 #ercent 7or

contem#orary armies.

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Suvorov on

'm#owerment An contrast to his contem#oraries+

demand 7or mindless as o##osed to

disci#linedD o3edience, ESuvorov was no

3eliever in unwittin! com#liance withorders. soldier had to understand what

he did, know what his commander

wantedE Lon!worth, 44, 24D.

Suvorov Edetested stu#idity and 3lind routine

and did all in his #ower to make the men think

7or themselves.E EAn strikin! contrast to the rule

o7 (rederick AA H(rederick the :reatI o7

convertin! soldiers into automata, Suvorov+s

system was 3ased on the develo#ment o7 the

soldiers+ intelli!ence and their understandin!o7 the tasks they were called u#on to #er7ormE

*ssi#ov, 5, /D.

E'very soldier must understand his

maneuver.E

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%eamwork and Sel7-

6irection &ussian soldiers were e=#ected to use

"ud!ment, initiative, and teamwork to

achieve their su#eriors+ o3"ectivesJ as

o##osed to waitin! 7or an o77icer to tellthem what to do.

Suvorov instructed his troo#s in short

sentences that had enormous meanin!

7or anyone who understood his system. A7 a scalin! ladder was too short to !et over a

wall, Suvorov instructed, EBayonet into the

wallM clim3 on to it, a7ter him another and a

third. Comrade hel# comrade$E

%his is not "ust a cook3ook solution to as#eci7ic #ro3lem. At means to think a3out the

#ro3lem, identi7y the resources that may 3e

availa3le to solve it, and work as a team to

im#lement the solution.

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%eamwork '=am#les

6urin! Suvorov+s cam#ai!n inSwit?erland, the (rench destroyed the

6evil+s Brid!eJ the only 3rid!e across a

river in the con7ined mountain #aths. %he

enlisted men dismantled a near3y 3arn,

tied the #lanks to!ether with o77icer+ssashes, and used them to 3rid!e the !a#.

t Suvorov+s 7uneral, the monks who

were carryin! his co77in could not !et

throu!h a narrow archway in the cha#el.Some !renadiers who had served with

him #roclaimed, ESuvorov must #ass

everywhereE and li7ted the casket a3ove

their heads. %his narrowed the

#rocession+s width enou!h to 7it throu!hthe archway a truly 7ittin! monument to

the or!ani?ation Suvorov had created$

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6emandin! Anitiative

Suvorov wanted his 7ollowers to think 7orthemselves and e=ercise "ud!ment and

initiative.

Suvorov detested NichtwissersEknow-

nothin!sE or EA-don+t-know-SirsED, i.e. #eo#le

who were unwillin! to take res#onsi3ility 7orthinkin! 7or themselves.

"nterkuntliterally Eunder the 3edED meant

errors o7 omission, such as 7ailure to e=#loit

o##ortunities.

sin!le word could carry enormous meanin!.

>e o7ten accosted soldiers with seemin!ly-

insane )uestions like E>ow many stars are in

the sky

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'm#owerment

&e)uires %rainin! %he &ussian rmy could not have

achieved this level o7 em#owerment

without thorou!h and dili!ent trainin!.

Suvorov wrote in Nauka PobezhadtTheScience o !ictoryD

E%rainin! is li!ht, and lack o7 trainin! is

darkness. %he #ro3lem 7ears the e=#ert. A7 a

#easant doesn+t know how to #low, he can+t

!row 3read. trained man is worth threeuntrained that+s too little- say si=- si= is too

little- say ten to one.An the last cam#ai!n

the enemy lost /5,000 counted, 3ut more like

00,000 in 7act. >e 7ou!ht with skill and

des#eration, 3ut we didn+t even lose 500.E

%he 200 casualty ratio was the direct

#roduct o7 the &ussian rmy+s su#erior

trainin! and or!ani?ation.

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%rainin! &e)uires %o#-

Level Commitment Lord Byron+s Don Juan!ives the 7amouslover and swash3uckler a role in the

sie!e o7 Asmail, where he meets Suvorov.

Byron descri3es Suvorov+s success

secret e=#licitly 3ut dismisses it as a

waste o7 time$

:lory 3e!an to dawn with due su3limity,

9hile Souvaro77, determined to o3tain it,

9as teachin! his recruits to use the 3ayonet.At is an actual 7act that he, commander

An chie7, in #ro#er #erson dei!n+d to drill

%he awkward s)uad, and could a77ord to

s)uander

>is time, a cor#oral+s duty to 7ul7il

Suvorov+s #ersonal e=am#le actually

em#hasi?ed to everyone in the

or!ani?ation the im#ortance o7 trainin!$

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9hen %o#-Level

Commitment isn+t there

ichael L. :eor!e+s #ean Six Sigmare#orts

that a C'* 3rou!ht in 9. 'dwards 6emin! to

!ive his senior e=ecutives a %otal Kuality

ana!ement seminar. >e said that he was

Etotally committed to the #rocessE and

e=#ected his e=ecutives+ Ecom#lete attention

and su##ortEand then he le7t the room.

senior e=ecutive re#orted later that

Ecommitment 7lew out the windowE with the

C'*+s de#arture, and that mana!ers who

were su##osed to watch the 4 hour

videota#e o7 6emin!+s lecture merely read

the videocassette+s cover instead.

At should now 3e evident that Suvorov was

not Es)uanderin! his timeE 3y drillin! soldiers

#ersonally instead o7 dele!atin! this task to a

noncommissioned o77icer.

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%rainin! Cannot 3e

*verem#hasi?ed 9hen times are di77icult, many

or!ani?ations cut the trainin! 3ud!et.

Suvorov, in contrast, was 7irm in his

#osition that #oorly-trained workerscannot achieve outstandin! results.

Byron records that, lso he dress+d u#, 7or the nonce, 7ascines

Like men with tur3ans, scimitars, and dirks,

nd made them char!e with 3ayonet thesemachines,

By way o7 lesson a!ainst actual %urks

nd when well #ractised in these mimic scenes,

>e "ud!ed them #ro#er to assail the works

*nly when the workers were #ro#erly trained

Ewell #racticsed in these mimic scenesED didSuvorov assi!n them a critical task.

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ana!in! 3y

9anderin! round %om Peters descri3es mana!ement 3ywanderin! around B9D, which theNa#anese call gembaleadershi#. Atmeans !oin! to the value-addin!

work#lace instead o7 tryin! to lead theor!ani?ation 7rom a corner o77ice.(osters morale and commitment, and the

leader knows what is actually !oin! on.

An contrast to the des#ised Echateau!eneralsE o7 the (irst 9orld 9ar, Byron+s

Don Juandescri3es Suvorov+s#er7ormance at Asmail as 7ollows Suwarrow chie7ly was on the alert,

Surveyin!, drillin!, orderin!, "estin!,#onderin!F8ow ars, now omusF and when 3ent to

storm 7ortress, >arle)uin in uni7orm. Suwarrow, who was standin! in his shirt

Be7ore a com#any o7 Calmucks, drillin!,'=claimin!, 7oolin!, swearin! at the inert,nd lecturin! on the no3le art o7 killin!

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*ther B9 '=am#les

@in! >enry at !incourt lar!ess universal like the sun

>is li3eral eye doth !ive to every one,

%hawin! cold 7ear, that mean and !entle all,

Behold, as may unworthiness de7ine,

little touch o7 >arry in the ni!ht.J$ing %enry !, ct A, Prolo!ue

%he (rench commanders, in contrast, s#entthe evenin! com#arin! their horses and suitso7 armor. %hey later re7erred to theirin7antrymen as Esu#er7luous lackeys.E

rthur 9ellesley, 6uke o7 9ellin!ton EGhe counted on word o7 mouth less than

other !enerals o7 his a!e, 3ecause o7 hissettled #ractice o7 +takin! trou3le,+ that is,!oin! to see 7or himsel7E @ee!an, 1/, 5/D.

E>enry H(ordI didn+t much care 7or sittin!in his o77ice. >e #re7erred to walk throu!hhis 7actories and talk to his workersE:ourley /, 1D.

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'ven ore B9

(rederick 9inslow %aylor on B9

EGthe close, intimate coo#eration, the

constant #ersonal contact 3etween the two

sides Hla3or and mana!ementI, will tend to

diminish 7riction and discontent. At is di77icult 7or

two #eo#le whose interests are the same, andwho work side 3y side accom#lishin! the

same o3"ect, all day lon!, to kee# u# a

)uarrelE , Principles o Scientiic

&anagementD.

E%he em#loyer who !oes throu!h his workswith kid !loves on, and is never known to dirty

his hands or clothes, and who either talks to

his men in a condescendin! and #atroni?in!

way, or else not at all, has no chance

whatsoever o7 ascertainin! their real thou!hts

or 7eelin!sE , Shop &anagementD.

Oou can+t run a war 7rom a chateau or a

3usiness enter#rise 7rom a corner o77ice or

#enthouse.

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%he Eorale Blit?E

%he kai?en 3lit? is desi!ned to rewardworkers and im#rove their morale 3y

#rovidin! results within a week.

Suvorov+s #ersonal leadershi# #aid

enormous dividends at Asmail. 9hen he arrived, E%he troo#s were 3adly

trained, 3adly 7ed and 3adly clothed.E

Lon!worth adds that the %urkish de7enders

outnum3ered them three to two.D

E*nly ei!ht days had #assed since Suvorova##eared in the &ussian cam#, 3ut durin! this

#eriod the &ussian troo#s were trans7ormed.

*ne o7 the witnesses o7 the assault

su3se)uently stated that the s#irit o7 emulation

7illed 3oth men and o77icers, every one rushed

where the 7i!ht was hottest, com#letelyi!norin! the dan!erE *ssi#ov, 5, -D.

Can similar results 3e achieved in industry

under the ri!ht leadershi#

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2005 Levinson

Suvorov+s Bottom Line

But let me #ut an end unto my theme

%here was an end o7 Asmail Jha#less town$

Suwarrow now was con)ueror.

JByron, Don Juan

%he &ussians succeeded in takin! Asmail

3y assault, a deed that was considered

virtually im#ossi3le without a len!thy

sie!e or 3om3ardment.

%his achievement re)uired trainingthework7orce to make it ca#a3le o7 the task

and empowermentto overcome

o3stacles on a real-time 3asis.

Suvorov also energizedhis work7orce

su77iciently to !et it to #ersist until the "o3

was com#leted, des#ite hi!h casualties.

Similar results should 3e achieva3le in

civilian work#laces$

Documents

Suvorov