Learning from history: historical examples highlight the importance of looking at a problem from a new perspective, not letting obstacles stand in the way, and taking charge when the situation demands it.

There is a tradition of looking to military history for management insights. As an example, many people have looked to Sun Tzu's The Art of War, or one of the many business books based on it, for ways to run their organizations better. It is not necessary to go all the way back to sixth-century China, however, to pick up important insights. This article will highlight several examples that can be of use to local government practitioners, including the importance of looking at a problem from a new perspective, not letting obstacles stand in the way, and taking charge when the situation demands it.

ADVANCING A GOOD IDEA

To succeed, good managers need to approach difficult situations in new ways, and then made an effort to get their solutions implemented. The following example is extreme, but illustrative.

During the Spanish-American War, the U.S. Navy fired 9,500 shells. Only 121 of them--1.3 percent--hit anything at all. This level of performance would be disastrous by today's standards, but it was world-class in 1898. And in 1899, in a further display of its then-prevailing leadership in naval gunnery accuracy, the U.S. Navy held a target practice exhibition to benchmark its performance. In 25 minutes of firing at a target ship from a distance of approximately one mile, two hits were registered, and these were to the sails of the target ship. Yet by 1902, the U.S. Navy could hit a similar target ship every time it fired; half the shells could hit a square 50 inches on each side.

What caused such breakthrough performance results in so short a time? The answer, in short, is William Sowden Sims. As a young naval artillery officer, Sims sought to reform naval gunnery by improving target practice. His superiors resisted his suggestions, failing to see the necessity. He was also hindered by his low rank.

It could be said that Sims changed the world, through a process we now call reengineering. While on maneuvers in the China Sea, Sims noted some of the breakthroughs in accuracy that British gunners had begun to accomplish with just slight adjustments to the way they targeted and fired. Sims began to wonder what would happen if these innovations were developed further and put to use aboard American ships. He discovered a simple way to dramatically improve the gun's aim, compensating for the height and timing of the ship's roll. He also advocated moving the gun sight from the barrel so the gunner would not be affected by the gun's recoil, allowing the gunner to maintain sight of the target while firing.

Sims predicted that his modifications had the potential to increase accuracy by more than 3,000 percent without additional cost, without the use of additional technology, and without the need for additional manpower. Excited about the opportunity of bringing such a process performance breakthrough to the Navy, Sims wrote more than a dozen letters to his superiors over the course of two years--but his suggestions were largely ignored.

To understand why Sims' letters were rejected, look at the organizational structure of the Navy in 1902. Since navigators had to compensate for the inaccuracy of the artillery, navigation was celebrated as the most important position in the Navy. The thinking at the time was:

* If it could be done, then someone would be doing it already.

* If it could be done, then a navigator would have thought of it.

* If it were done, then how would it affect the Navy's organizational structure?

Never one to let obstacles stand in his way, Sims kept advancing his ideas. He overcame the opposition by sending his 13th letter to President Theodore Roosevelt. Upon reading Sims' proposal, the commander in chief took immediate action. Roosevelt, who had previously served as assistant secretary of the Navy, was intrigued by Sims' ideas and made him the Navy's inspector of target practice. He ordered that Sims' report be distributed to every officer in the U.S. Navy. The consequent breakthroughs in productivity were enormous.

Eventually, Sims redirected the course of Navy training and retooling, rose to the rank of admiral, and served as president of the Naval War College. What began as an attempt to change the way Navy guns were fired ultimately changed the entire organizational fabric of the U.S. Navy and, in turn, every other navy in the world. His achievements were the result of looking at a problem from a new angle and working tirelessly to get his ideas put into practice--actions that can be applied to any situation.

THE POWER OF CHARTS

Being able to present sound analysis with clarity and insight distinguishes great government finance officers from those who are merely good at crunching numbers. Often, the most effective way to present information is by using charts and graphs.

A chart saved 1,000 or more lives during World War lI by helping change the placement of armor plating on Allied bombers. While trying to determine where to add extra armor to planes, mathematician Abraham Wald conducted painstaking research, plotting the pattern of bullet holes in returning aircraft. He concluded that the answer was to carefully determine where returning planes has been shot and put extra armor every place else.

Wald drew an outline of a plane and then put a mark on it where a returning aircraft had been shot. Soon, the entire plane had been covered with marks except for a few key areas. Wald concluded that since planes had probably been hit more or less uniformly, those aircraft hit in the unmarked places had been unable to return. Thus, those were the areas that required more armor.

While lives are not literally on the line as a result of most management decisions, the lesson learned here is that the combination of excellent analysis an presentation can be very powerful.

DECISIVE ACTION

Another lesson from World War II is that delayed corrective actions allow the damage to mount. It is often acknowledged that U.S. naval superiori ty in damage control was one of the biggest factors in the World War II victory in the battle of Midway in 1942.

After taking several devastating blasts, the U.S. aircraft carrier Yorktown was kept afloat by decisive action, meaning that the gap between when the damage control officer decided what to do and when the seamen began doing it was probably fairly short. It is hard to envision this officer gathering his men into a briefing room and announcing, "Men, we've just been hit by a torpedo. As we're speaking, thousands of gallons of seawater are pouring into the ship, floating your possessions toward Guam. f want to talk a little about what I'd like to do and get your views on it"

Sound farfetched? There are local governments that are figuratively "taking torpedoes" on a daily basis whose response is exactly the same. While the seawater flows in, they delay the implementation of their damage control strategies.

CONCLUSIONS

The preceding examples demonstrate important management concepts that will help any project succeed. Look at problems from a new angle, and if you have a good idea, work to advance it. Figure out how to present your analysis effectively--clear and insightful charts and graphs are often highly valuable. And finally, once you have identified a problem, act on it.

KEITH R. HERRMANN is interim finance director for the City of Durham, North Carolina. He holds a Master's degree in War Studies from King's College, University of London, and degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and the Sorbonne. He can be contacted at [e-mail].