No Substitute for Victory: Lessons in Strategy and Leadership from General Douglas Macarthur

Chapter 27. Structure for Results

Organizational structure can help or hinder a leader. When form follows function, organizational performance can be maximized. But structural form can also create barriers to the effective functioning of organizations. One manifestation of this is the “Silo Effect,” which results when entrenched specialized bureaucracies pursue their own needs without regard to the large needs of the organization they exist to serve.

MacArthur's ability as an administrator of large organizations was widely noted. Dwight Eisenhower said that the skills he gained while working for MacArthur prepared him for his command in Europe in WWII. Aside from advanced study in engineering, however, MacArthur never attended the Army's staff ...