ABSTRACT
The problem of succession is the organizational equivalent of the larger societal problem of generations. This chapter deals with a comparative analysis of the effects of succession on a military installation and a large business firm. Comparative analysis of military and industrial organization suggests that military organization has reached a stage of bureaucratic development which seemingly anticipates the future movement of other complex systems. Rotation in the military is from one unit to another within a single establishment. Military rotation policies require officers to change their assignments after a given period of time. Comparisons of business firms and military installations facilitate the study of the effects on succession of differential degrees of organizational control. The socialization for higher position of all managers, business and military, requires constant exposure to a large number of organizations. A comparatively slow rate of succession in the business firm studied seemed to function to produce homogeneity through shared experiences in the organization.
