TGFR Consulting LLC Mowing the lawn, I usually listen to scholarly articles on You-Tube. It makes the effort of mowing have an additional payoff in that I can learn something. Yesterday I learned about cohesion and project execution from a very unusual source.
I listened to an analysis of the Wehrmacht, (the German Army) performance in World War II that showed how cohesion was a key contributing factor to their performance, both during their successes and their failures. The Wehrmacht maintained a level of sustained performance, despite setbacks, because of this focus on cohesion. This concept was explored in a scholarly review of the reasons why, despite the severe losses, the Wehrmacht did not collapse. The book discussed was Sonke Neitzel – “Deutsche Krieger: Vom Kaiserreich zur Berliner Republik – eine Militärgeschichte”, which was explored in this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J1iq4oelUU
I realized, after listening to this article, that most of the conclusions from this article can be mapped to directly to the development of cohesive organizations that can consistently deliver on new products. Cohesion drives project execution.
The Concept of Cohesion
The concept of cohesion, with respect to the military, involves four elements, as shown in the following table
| Type of Cohesion | Definition and Example |
| Horizontal Cohesion | Definition: Horizontal cohesion refers to the bonds of confidence and cooperation between individuals within a single unit or group. It focuses on relationships among peers. Example: Effective units have confidence that the individuals on the team can execute the tasks assigned to them. |
| Vertical Cohesion | Definition: Vertical cohesion pertains to the bonding between subordinates and their leaders (superiors). It reflects the degree to which group members identify with and positively relate to their leaders. Example: A cohesive military unit demonstrates vertical cohesion when soldiers trust that their leaders are competent and caring. |
| Organizational Cohesion | Definition: Organizational cohesion encompasses relations within the armed forces as a whole. It includes aspects such as loyalty to the institution, shared values, and commitment to the organization. Example: When military personnel feel a strong connection to their armed forces and uphold its values, organizational cohesion is at play |
| Societal Cohesion | Definition: Societal cohesion encompasses relations within the armed forces and its society. Example: A society with high social cohesion would likely have citizens who cooperate, trust institutions, and work together for common goals. |
In 1999, the Marine Corps has this figure mapping cohesion to combat effectiveness, that is, the ability to achieve the objective.
The USMC went further, with the following statement
“Cohesive units fight better, suffer fewer casualties, train better, do not disintegrate, require less support, and provide members with a higher quality of life.” (McBree, Brendan B.: Improving Unit Cohesion: The First Step in Improving Marine Corps Infantry Battalion Capabilities. 23 May 2002, p. II)
The relationship of a military unit to a project team
At this point, a reader focused on project teams must be wondering, what does a military unit have in common with a project team? If you were to stop for a second, several similarities jump to mind
- A group comprised of leaders and followers
- A group tasked with the execution of planned objectives towards a larger goal.
- A group that is part of a larger organization with its own overall objectives.
Applying cohesion in the context of a project team makes sense. Drilling down on the application of cohesion principles to project teams can lead to a better, higher performing team.
Cohesion and the Wehrmacht
The following table provides insight into the application of cohesion with the Wehrmacht in World War II.
| Cohesion | The Wehrmacht Application |
| Horizontal | “Allied Intelligence had already concluded before the end of the war that it was not the higher segments of the German officer core, but the German enlisted ranks and group leader who showed higher morale in this war. The readiness to fight was still high among the ‘simple’ soldiers of the Wehrmacht at a time when the certainty of defeat has long since entered the military elite” |
| Vertical | |
| Organizational |
Applying Cohesion to the Project Team
Let’s take the following statements from postmortem discussions on project failures and see how these principles developed by the Wehrmacht can make the team more effective.
| Issue | Team statements | Approach to Ensuring Cohesion |
| Lack of Horizontal Cohesion | “Loss of people is an issue. The structure of the team is constantly changing.” | Maintaining the team during the project execution. Working hard to build trust among the team, that is, trust that people can do their assigned tasks effectively. Address underperformance quickly and effectively. |
| Lack of Vertical Cohesion | “The timelines were aggressive, and the management wanted it sooner.” “Program lead understands, but functional management does not.” “Communication is not flowing down.” “R&D leadership is disconnected from the core team.” | Ensure that the leadership is linked to the objective and is considered a part of the team. Leaders always have the best interests of the team in mind. Communication up and down. Down to establish objectives, and up to properly understand the situation. Leaders are believed to be competent technically and can lead technically. Leaders and team members share in the success. |
| Lack of Organizational Cohesion | “Attitude for some is to “assign blame” – this is a leftover corporate culture” “The business constrained cost/schedule and features – so they cut rigor and quality of work” “Frustration and fear that they will be laid off if don’t meet milestones” | Recognition is based upon the success of the project. Work to eliminate the feeling that politics, not project success, is involved. Ensure that business goals are aligned with the reality of the project, and when expectations are stretched, admit this and act accordingly. Ensure that the team feels that the organization wants them to succeed and is ready to support the team. If resources are an issue, admit this and allow the team to adapt. |
Conclusions
What this all comes down to is the following:
When an organization fails in any aspect of cohesion, that organization will struggle to execute and meet its objectives.
Effective horizontal, vertical and organizational cohesion enables the team to achieve the project’s objectives.
References
Sonke Neitzel – Deutsche Krieger: Vom Kaiserreich zur Berliner Republik – eine Militärgeschichte
Military History Visualized German Army: Why No Collapse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J1iq4oelUU
US Marine Corps, MCRP 6-11D Sustaining the Transformation. PCN 144 000075 00 1999.