{"id":909,"date":"2024-11-16T20:19:49","date_gmt":"2024-11-16T20:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tgfrconsulting.com\/blog\/?p=909"},"modified":"2024-11-16T20:19:50","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T20:19:50","slug":"cohesion-and-project-execution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tgfrconsulting.com\/blog\/product_development\/cohesion-and-project-execution\/","title":{"rendered":"Cohesion and Project Execution"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. \u00a0This concept was explored in a scholarly review of the reasons why, despite the severe losses, the Wehrmacht did not collapse.\u00a0\u00a0 The book discussed was Sonke Neitzel – “Deutsche Krieger: Vom Kaiserreich zur Berliner Republik – eine Milit\u00e4rgeschichte”, which was explored in this link https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_J1iq4oelUU<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.\u00a0 Cohesion drives project execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Concept of Cohesion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The concept of cohesion, with respect to the military, involves four elements, as shown in the following table<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Type of Cohesio<\/strong>n<\/td>Definition and Example<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Horizontal Cohesion<\/td>Definition<\/strong>: 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.<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Vertical Cohesion<\/td>Definition<\/strong>: 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<\/strong>: A cohesive military unit demonstrates vertical cohesion when soldiers trust that their leaders are competent and caring<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>
Organizational Cohesion
<\/td>		Definition<\/strong>: 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<\/strong>: When military personnel feel a strong connection to their armed forces and uphold its values, organizational cohesion is at play<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Societal Cohesion<\/td>Definition<\/strong>: Societal cohesion encompasses relations within the armed forces and its society.
Example<\/strong>: A society with high social cohesion would likely have citizens who cooperate, trust institutions, and work together for common goals<\/a>. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1999, the Marine Corps has this figure mapping cohesion to combat effectiveness, that is, the ability to achieve the objective. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Mapping Cohesion to Execution<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The USMC went further, with the following statement <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The relationship of a military unit to a project team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n