Force

I am a software engineer. I like to describe myself as a virtual watchmaker. I write small pieces of code that work directly with hardware to perform certain required functions. If it works, I will generally leave it alone, but if there are problems, I will iteratively comb through it, polishing, adjusting and improving as I go, looking for problems. Occasionally I will come across something, but it usually does not have anything to do with the current problem, but could cause trouble in other circumstances.

My line of work is not much good all by itself. It is only useful as part of a larger enterprise. To successfully make use of my talents, I need a piece of hardware to execute the code I write. I need a marketing and sales operation to sell this device. I need hardware people to design and build the hardware.

Unfortunately, affiliation with a functional organization has eluded me. Generally speaking, the people I have worked with have had all the necessary skills, it is competent management that has been lacking, or in some cases, the lack of commitment on the part of those providing the funding.

"Economy of Force" is an expression that I find very interesting, for it has two meanings, either of which can be applied to any situation where one is trying to accomplish something. The first and sometimes obvious meaning is to economize the use of force. Do not use any more force than necessary to get the job done.

The second and slightly more obscure meaning comes from the military and means just the opposite. It applies where there is some doubt about the situation. For instance, you have a report of some bad guys over the hill. It does not sound too serious, you could send a squad of men over the hill and they might be able to deal with the situation. Or you could mount up the calvary and take the whole division over the hill. In this case a few bad guys, or even a bunch of bad guys would not be a problem. You bring the biggest hammer you have, and wham, you crush the problem.

If you had just sent a squad that was just big enough to take care of the reported problem, they might have had some trouble and called for reinforcements. The conflict might drag out for days while casualties accumulate and the bad guys continue to be a problem.

The same thing happens in business. Of course bringing the biggest hammer to bear on a problem is expensive, but so is continually fighting the same old battle. It is a judgement call on when to deploy your larger forces, but there is enough expertise available in business that a reasonable decision can be made. If you are not an idiot. Unfortunately, most managers seem to be idiots. Or their hands are tied by higher ups in the company, who are not willing to let their managers manage. We need smaller empires with larger discretionary budgets. Large empires are for large stable businesses, which seems to attract many people. When you are on the front lines of new business opportunities, a large empire is not what you want or need. A small force capable of independent action, which means an independent budget.