Wider utility of mission command

Abstract

For many years academic and business literature have cited military sources as examples of leadership excellence. Central to the British Military’s leadership Command philosophy is the concept of Mission Command. This thesis examines the utility of Mission Command1 beyond the confines of the British Military. The work draws on several well-established academic fields of literature to deconstruct the underlying principles supporting the utility of Mission Command and builds a theoretical model which contends that individuals using it are better prepared to cope with change in an emerging context. The identification of an under-examined research community gives rich insight into the transference and adaptation of key military methodologies. The work critically examines underlying military concepts within a non-military environment and proposes that Mission Command has wider utility. The findings identify how individuals have applied and adapted the key concepts to make the methodology relevant for their own context whilst retaining many of the guiding principles.