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Learning from the Battle of Britain

Management Lessons from the Battle of Britain is a new two-day programme to be launched at Ashridge. Programme participants will examine the challenges faced by the leaders of Fighter Command in 1940, in order to apply some of the lessons to management issues today such as organisational design, leadership, control systems, strategic thinking and people management.

The programme will be led by Stephen Bungay, military historian and Director of the Ashridge Strategic Management Centre. Stephen, a leading authority on the Battle of Britain, was the main historical commentator on the recent Channel 4 series, Spitfire Ace and is author of The Most Dangerous Enemy, generally acclaimed as the definitive account of the Battle.

"The growth of Fighter Command has fascinating parallels for many modern organisations,"comments Bungay. "Here was an organisation that had to grow very quickly at a time of rapidly evolving technology. It needed to develop a robust strategy in a highly uncertain environment, handle vast amounts of information and operate effectively in circumstances never encountered before. It provides some powerful messages about a broad range of general management themes and how the different elements fit together. It is a case study with a difference - it is not about selling widgets, but saving western civilisation."

Rather than providing a new set of management tools, the programme is designed to stimulate fresh thinking. Participants will be directed towards certain aspects of what happened and then be encouraged to look at how this could be applied to their own organisations. A mixture of lectures, case studies and classroom discussions will be used along with a visit to the actual command and control centre of 11 Group at RAF Uxbridge.

Bungay adds: "Contrary to popular belief, the RAF did not win the Battle of Britain because it had better fighter pilots than the Luftwaffe - what made the difference was the leadership. If done properly and with an in-depth knowledge of the subject, history can be a powerful and fascinating learning tool for business."

The two day programme is aimed at middle to senior managers. It is due to be run for the first time on 21-22 September 2004 and costs £2,300 + VAT per participant.

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