| There is a great difference between the career path | | | | Moulinex (household appliances), Adidas and Puma |
| of an officer in a modern army and that of a senior | | | | sport shoes (originally Dassler), Kärcher (high |
| manager or CEO in the world of business. | | | | pressure cleaning equipment), Bosal (car exhausts), |
| Today there are special institutions for higher military | | | | Body Shop (cosmetics), Virgin (airlines) and Microsoft. |
| education in many countries. This system developed | | | | In family owned firms it is usually the eldest son or |
| in the nineteenth century and prior to this there were | | | | daughter who succeeds the founder, however, this |
| actually no institutionalized forms of advanced military | | | | sometimes poses a problem. Another way, in which |
| education. There were weapon instruction schools | | | | an employee can get a top-position in a firm, is by |
| such as artillery schools, bridge and road building | | | | steady promotion whilst proving his ability in different |
| schools or fortress engineering schools, but no | | | | functions. In that way larger corporations recruit and |
| institutes for higher military education. The first | | | | hone their future executives (IBM, Sony, Philips, Shell, |
| systematically organized military educational institute | | | | Unilever, Toyota etcetera). Such a career path is |
| was the Prussian 'Kriegs Akademie', an institution for | | | | comparable to that in a military organization. Another |
| advanced military learning which, during the period | | | | way to reach a top-position is by being spotted by a |
| from 1815 to 1945, was regarded as the best of its | | | | head hunter who acts as an intermediary between a |
| kind and served as a model for many other | | | | candidate and the firm looking for a new manager, a |
| countries.135 | | | | top-executive, a member of the board or even a |
| Today, a military commander can reach a top-position | | | | CEO. |
| within the military after following long formal training | | | | The difference with the modern military is that in a |
| and education in military academies and staff colleges | | | | business firm a thorough, formal education is not |
| (Sandhurst, West Point, US Army Industrial College | | | | always necessary to achieve a top position. Another, |
| and the like). After many years in the service and | | | | more fundamental difference, is that most |
| proven abilities (mostly in times of peace) he rises in | | | | promotions to higher ranks in the military take place |
| rank step by step and then the opportunity might | | | | in peacetime, partly in a simulated situation, and only |
| come to command larger field units like a regiment, a | | | | when war breaks out will it be proven if the |
| brigade, a division or even an Army Corps. It is often | | | | candidate is indeed endowed with 'combat leadership'. |
| a slow bureaucratic promotional process. Senior | | | | Promotion in the business firm takes place in 'real |
| executives in the world of business reach their | | | | time' i.e. during combat because a firm always |
| elevated position in a number of ways. Firstly as an | | | | operates in a competitive environment. Irrespective |
| entrepreneur/founder of a successful company which | | | | of the thorough training, selection procedures and |
| during his lifetime grows into a large (family owned) | | | | promotion thresholds, the military 'establishment' has |
| corporation. For example, after 1945 and in one | | | | not always succeeded in finding creative, competent |
| generation, large firms became established such as | | | | and stress durable commanders during a war. |