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What systemic issues would you change in the MOD or in the single Services?

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Exactly. Most of the smart people I know (and some of them are very, very smart) always look smart.

A (very bright) colleague of mine got asked to attend an unexpected meeting at NCHQ.

"Just a minute, let me get the emergency tie-"
"No, I need them to know you're the expert, not a management consultant."
 
A (very bright) colleague of mine got asked to attend an unexpected meeting at NCHQ.

"Just a minute, let me get the emergency tie-"
"No, I need them to know you're the expert, not a management consultant."
There’s a difference between looking smart and wearing a tie though isn’t there? I know some very smart people who rarely wear anything but shorts, shirt and thongs. But they still always look smart.
 
Does ordering sleeves up / sleeves down etc etc stifle initiative at its lowest level, thereby creating an environment in which people don’t take the initiative?

Who cares if one man has his sleeves up and the next down?

This is now the policy. I'm not really sure why it took us this long, but that's the army for you.

I think dressing the same does aid cohesion when the manner of dress is part of the unit culture, as it is with 3 Cdo brigade. I also think that feeling that you look good (be that looking smart or looking ally, depending on circumstances) is important to help foster pride in your job and the organisation. I know a lot won't agree with that last point though.
 
This is now the policy. I'm not really sure why it took us this long, but that's the army for you.

I think dressing the same does aid cohesion when the manner of dress is part of the unit culture, as it is with 3 Cdo brigade. I also think that feeling that you look good (be that looking smart or looking ally, depending on circumstances) is important to help foster pride in your job and the organisation. I know a lot won't agree with that last point though.
My point being there’s a difference between looking smart and looking uniform. I completely agree with your last point; there’s a substantial amount of research about how dress affects personal mindset.

As for the dress culture in 3 Cdo Bde, isn’t that “little black”?
 
I think this thread has identified one systemic issue which illustrates a failure of higher command to actually command and a somewhat infantile fixation with things that shouldn't really matter.

The PCS issue is quite easy to resolve, issue each individual the items they require and tell them they are to wear it in the styles laid down in Dress Regulations for the order of dress they need for a given task with the flexibility needed to carry out the task.

The problem with this would be all the childish subordinate commanders downstream of the CGS who allow their petty egos to get in the way and undermine military discipline. Quite frankly defiance should result in dismissal.

As for the Cdo Bde issue, so what? Either they follow Bde rules or CGS rules, someone simply needs to make the decision.

It's not really that hard.
 
I think this thread has identified one systemic issue which illustrates a failure of higher command to actually command and a somewhat infantile fixation with things that shouldn't really matter.

The PCS issue is quite easy to resolve, issue each individual the items they require and tell them they are to wear it in the styles laid down in Dress Regulations for the order of dress they need for a given task with the flexibility needed to carry out the task.

The problem with this would be all the childish subordinate commanders downstream of the CGS who allow their petty egos to get in the way and undermine military discipline. Quite frankly defiance should result in dismissal.

As for the Cdo Bde issue, so what? Either they follow Bde rules or CGS rules, someone simply needs to make the decision.

It's not really that hard.

And entirely not in line with the Culture of the British Army.
 
Is the MOD seriously going to Big 4s for bums-on-seats individual consultants. I doubt it; it’s not what the companies are about.

When you contract with a Big 4 (and many others) you are not hiring an individual. You are contracting for the company’s corporate knowledge and systems. The fee quote should clearly should the breakdown of hours, including the hours that partners, managers and administrative etc will commit to your contract.

I think you’d struggle to hire a consultant to fill an individual seat these days. You’d be in breach of The Off Payroll Regulations and IR35.

Contractors fill seats, consultants, well, consult.

You can do the latter as an individual and stay clear of IR35 etc but it requires an element of trust and respect that tends not to be afforded to mere contractors.
 
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Not true. It was designed to be worn in or out as wanted, which is why the jacket is such a bad shape. CGS directed it to be worn out with the sleeves down then 3 Cdo got an exemption to that order almost immediately. Once they had one, others wanted one as well.



Also not true, unless it's changed in a very recent edition of the dress regs. I've checked regs on this point previously. The only variation in No 8 Dress (Combat Dress) is that the green Jersey Heavy Wool can be worn in place of T Shirts.



Yes. That's almost the point of doing it; it highlights their tribal differences and thereby heightens the sense of cohesion with your 'tribe'. That's quite different to numerous forms of dress being worn in the same semi-elite unit/brigade when the manner of the uniform being worn is a tradition (albeit a relatively recent one).


The army has a lot of issues. CGS spending his time digging into the minutiae of dress standards while not trusting junior commanders to make simple decisions really isn't one of them.


Since when did CDS issue orders to a major unit under RN command ?
 
Contractors fill seats, consultants, well, consult.

You can do the latter as an individual and stay clear of IR35 etc but it requires an element of trust and respect that tends it to be afforded to mere contractors.
Most who claim to be consultants are simply contractors with ideas above their station.
 
Contractors fill seats, consultants, well, consult.

You can do the latter as an individual and stay clear of IR35 etc but it requires an element of trust and respect that tends it to be afforded to mere contractors.
Read the post I was responding to in which Sarastro implied that the MOD does and should fill vacant seats from the Big 4.
 
Most who claim to be consultants are simply contractors with ideas above their station.

The ex-contractor now consultant I was talking to may well be the sort you're thinking of. That said, I realised quite quickly that I was talking to a very talented and enthusiastic person who was much better at software development and systems design than I would ever be any time soon.

I suppose he was good enough that he could dictate terms to companies that wanted his skills and so create a "consultant" relationship outside IR35. He also gave an example of walking away from such an arrangement for a friend's company because he felt he was no longer delivering anything of value to them as the project wound down.

Although he had a mild case of the Comic Book Guy vibe about him he seemed to be in demand and capable.

It was this individual though that made me realise that there could be a very clear distinction between bum on seat off payroll contractor and consultant.
 
It hasn't, and nor has my question about t-shirts.

The reason they haven't is because the standard "LOL, the stupid army couldn't even enforce sleeves up/sleeves down" point is obviously silly the moment you think about it for more than two seconds. Rigid enforcement of the rules means that Army pax in 3X would end up dressed differently to their RM counterparts, in some cases when they're working in the same section or department. In an organization that prides itself on cohesion, that's a barrier being set up when we could avoid it entirely simply letting soldiers roll their sleeves up. That's before we discuss soldiers working at RAF establishments, with partner nations, or on mixed courses in the UK.

The argument for t-shirts is slightly different, but is another example of where blindly taking an 'orders is orders" approach is obvious nonsense. The rules say I shouldn't let my blokes take their PCS shirts off even when it's extremely hot, but basic common sense says I should let them strip down to be more comfortable.

'Orders should always be obeyed' is, and always has been, a terrible idea.

I was in the RN but only up to Phase 2 - from memory though we were taught PCS was designed as general purpose clothing which was designed as a bare minimum for firefighting (hence two weeks of burning thighs with laundry rash).

Is PCS in the army different?

We were allowed to wear t-shirts etc in Phase 2 for odd jobs in the holding division but for any duties on board ships or in hazardous areas PCS was to be regarded as a part of your PPE.
 
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