The Corporate Staff Ride can be developed internally with some specialized advice from APPLIED BATTLEFIELD CONCEPTS LLC. It can, therefore, be repeated by any organization that adopts the technique.
One of the reasons the Army has continued to utilize the staff ride is that it is highly flexible. The same is true for the Corporate Staff Ride, which can be structured to focus on the specific critical issues facing an enterprise, eg. communications, or competitive intelligence, or regulatory environment. The selection of the Case Studies can also be tailored to the individual needs of the organization. Finally, there are many potential sites spanning our history and suitable for a Corporate Staff Ride.
The Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) bears responsibility for most modern military staff ride efforts. It has compiled a list of more than 100 potential sites for staff rides that include battles fought during the French and Indian War, American Revolution, War of 1812, Mexican War, Indians Wars and both World Wars. The possible venues for a Corporate Staff Ride include literally hundreds of locations, in the US and abroad.
Wherever you are located, whatever the size of your organization, or the kinds of leadership challenges you face, there is probably a battlefield reasonably close that can become the focus of the most important management development program you will ever experience.
Creating and implementing an internally developed, proprietary training program is not cheap. It takes about 6 months to develop the materials and personnel for all three phases - preparation, battlefield visit, integration. The input and attention of senior management is vital from the very beginning.
The selection of a battle and stops ("stands"), preparation of training materials, a Corporate Staff Ride Handbook, selection and training of a instructor/guide, logistics, etc. will generally cost $100,000-$200,000 and a minimum committment of six months.
