Introduction
Change is an essential tool in any organizational setting for the success of the organization in achieving particular objectives. Therefore, the leadership in any organizational setting is the most important aspect because leaders are the people who initiate change in the organization. Organizations existed in the ancient world and this was in form of armies mostly. Alexander’s army is an example of an ancient organization and the changes he brought in the army can be considered to be the reasons behind most of his victories.
Despite having an army of 35,000 soldiers against the Persian army of 200,000 under King Darius, Alexander emerged victorious due to initiating change to his war tactics (Green 1991). One of the tactics he applied is drifting his army towards the right side of the battle field which was rocky. As his army drifted away from the flat grounds, the Persian army followed. Alexander’s army acted as bait and this was a tactic he had not used. The rocky grounds were unfavorable for the Persian army because their scythe fixed chariots could not move. The Persian army got stuck leaving Alexander’s army at an advantage hence over powering them.
Another example of change that led to the victory of Alexander was the upgrading of the weapons used in war. Before the war, Alexander ensured that his army was fully equipped with high quality weapons (Hammond 1980). The weapons were hardy, effective and efficient at the battle field. Change can therefore be seen to be an imperative factor for the success of any organization (Kotter 1996).
Alexander made changes to the soldiers in the army frequently. He dismissed any soldier who was physically unfit. He therefore maintained the only the strong soldiers. This gives the reason behind his small but very strong army. By employing this tactic, the output of the soldiers was maximized hence ensuring that he emerged victorious in most wars and especially against Darius.
Conclusion
From Alexander’s case, it is clear that change is essential for the achievement of various goals in the organizational setting. Change can hence be viewed from different perspectives such as the equipment used in the organization, the people within the organization and the tactics used in executing various tasks. Alexander made changes to all these aspects hence the reason behind his victory against Darius with an outnumbered army.
Reference
Hammond G. J. (1980). Alexander the Great: King, Commander, and Statesman. New Jersey:
Noyes.
Green P. (1991). Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B. C.: A Historical Biography. Berkeley:
University of California Press.
Kotter J.P. (1996). Leading Change, New York: Harvard Business Press.
