No. 154 · Work · Military and War
Commandos
Different stages of growth need different kinds of people.
In the Almanac
“From Los Alamos to Hanford”, 1943–1947 · “Apple”, 1985
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
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Questions
What is Commandos?
The Commandos model says organisations need different types of people at different stages. Commandos are scrappy pioneers who thrive in chaos and create something new; infantry systematise and scale it; police optimise and maintain it. Teams often struggle when they need one type but have another.
How do you use Commandos?
Know your natural role: do you love chaos, scaling, or stability? Match yourself to a project's phase, whether innovating, scaling, or optimising. And watch for transitions between phases, since that is when teams struggle most and when it may be time to hand over the baton.
When does Commandos matter?
Commandos is one of the 43 mental models for work, the situations where you ask: How do I get the right things done? Within that, it belongs to “Organising the work”, alongside Algorithms, Boots on the Ground and Cargo Cult.
What is an example of Commandos?
Two stories show it at work: From Los Alamos to Hanford (1943–1947) and Apple (1985). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to Commandos?
Generalist vs Specialists, Peter Principle and S-Curves. Commandos itself comes from military and war.