War and Peace

Peacetime in business refers to periods when a company has a large advantage over the competition in its core market, and its market is growing. Wartime in business refers to periods when a company is fending off an imminent existential threat, be it from competition, market change, dramatic economic change, or some other factor. Managing in these two different situations require radically different management styles. Strategies: In peacetime, proper protocol leads to winning, while in wartime, violating protocol wins. A peacetime manager focuses on the big picture and empowers staff to make detailed decisions. A wartime manager cares about the tiniest matter if it interferes with the prime directive. In peacetime, a manager always has a contingency plan, while a wartime manager knows that sometimes you have to gamble. A peacetime manager aims to expand the market while a wartime manager aims to win the market. A peacetime manager does not raise his or her voice, while a wartime manager rarely speaks in a normal tone. The peacetime manager works to minimize conflict, while a wartime manager heightens the contradictions. A peacetime manager strives for broad-bases buy-in. A wartime manager is unconcerned about building consensus and does not tolerate disagreements. An individual can be successful in both peacetime and wartime, but that requires understanding the many rules of management handed down by scholars of peacetime managers, and knowing when to follow them and when to ignore them.