An Excellent Book entitled, 'The Rules of the Game' examines the history of the Royal Navy leading up to and including the Battle of Jutland.
The book asks the question as to why the Royal Navy was unable to replicate its success at Trafalger in 1805 against the Germans in 1916. Andrew Gordon argues that the navy went through a period of gradual decline that effectively mean it had lost its innovative edge.
The central premise explored is that in every organisation there are two kinds of people. Ratcatchers and regulators. Ratcatchers are the kind of people who are aware that an organisation is in decline but are willing to bend the rules to achieve success. Regulators, on the other hand exist within established bueaucratic frameworks and prefer to manage slow decline rather than take the any radical steps to change things.
The author looks at Jutland through this lense of 'Ratcatcher and regulator' as a key factor in the failure of the Grand Fleet to annihilate the German High Seas fleet and contrasts Beatty and Jellicoe as ratcatcher and regulator. He argues that, as a ratcatcher, had Beatty been given more resources and a greater role in the wartime fleet he would have probably have led the navy to victory.
1) Has anyone read this book and have an opinion?
2) Can anyone think of other famous 'ratcatcher' personalities throughout
military history?
The book asks the question as to why the Royal Navy was unable to replicate its success at Trafalger in 1805 against the Germans in 1916. Andrew Gordon argues that the navy went through a period of gradual decline that effectively mean it had lost its innovative edge.
The central premise explored is that in every organisation there are two kinds of people. Ratcatchers and regulators. Ratcatchers are the kind of people who are aware that an organisation is in decline but are willing to bend the rules to achieve success. Regulators, on the other hand exist within established bueaucratic frameworks and prefer to manage slow decline rather than take the any radical steps to change things.
The author looks at Jutland through this lense of 'Ratcatcher and regulator' as a key factor in the failure of the Grand Fleet to annihilate the German High Seas fleet and contrasts Beatty and Jellicoe as ratcatcher and regulator. He argues that, as a ratcatcher, had Beatty been given more resources and a greater role in the wartime fleet he would have probably have led the navy to victory.
1) Has anyone read this book and have an opinion?
2) Can anyone think of other famous 'ratcatcher' personalities throughout
military history?