Marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day, Professor Keith Grint will explore what the most complex 24 hour operation ever attempted reveals about the relationships between leaders and their followers. He will set out a framework for understanding the event as a set of different but related problems: strategic challenges that had never been faced; basic tasks that would be simple in normal circumstances; and crisis situations which would require fast thinking and decisive action.
Success for the Allies on the day had less to do with the leadership skills of the senior group addressing the big strategic issues and more to do with the management of the basic but necessary tasks, and the command skills of the junior decision-makers facing critical problems on - and off - the beaches. In contrast, the German forces - who had enough resource to defeat the invasion - snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by reversing their usual combat philosophy, by undermining their own defensive strategy, and by misunderstanding the fundamental importance of logistics.
The extraordinary historical insights into D-Day will reveal that 'Leadership' is just one of three decision-styles that are critical to any kind of organisational success.
*This workshop is part of the Warwick Executive Network series and is open to Exclusive Network Members only. If you would like to attend, please contact Alison Durham for further details.