Where worlds collide: The connection between corporate and military jargon

The corporate and military worlds may seem completely disconnected at a glance, but digging deeper unearths many similarities, especially regarding the language used.

The jargon that makes up these worlds may stem from the ideals that they’re based upon. Both are hierarchical, disciplined, and built upon years of tradition.

Larry Robertson, author of 'WHY listen to, work with and follow YOU?' has spent time in both professions, with many years in the British armed forces, eventually moving to the world of advertising; he’s something of a modern-day Don Draper.

The history behind the connections between these languages goes back years, said Mr Robertson: “I think the history may be founded on armies being the only significant organisations for centuries until the formation of the East India Company (EIC). The EIC itself had its own military and acted in conjunction with British government interests (and therefore its military forces) and the colonial rulers of India. I recall reading of examples of EIC officers being given government roles in India and its provinces. Ditto for the Dutch East India Company in SE Asia at that time.”

“The Industrial Revolution saw the advent of organised solely civilian groupings on a commercial basis. These became companies owned by private investors and, I imagine, they unsurprisingly adopted the military structure, language and command and control operational approach driven solely by shareholders’ interests ... Many of the company owners/shareholders will have served in the military,” explained Mr Robertson.

“In turn, the hierarchical military approach inspired the advent of the union movement in the late 18th and 19th centuries to challenge the ‘toffs’ – the ruling and often landed capital class. Every upper-class family in Britain until the mid-20th century would have likely had at least one son serve in the military. And heads of state still wear uniforms and hold high ranks as symbols of the thousands of years legacy of the king or prince on the battlefield riding his white charger to rally the troops.”

There are a variety of similarities in language one can draw from each of these industries.

Mr Robertson continued: “They both talk about strategies and targets. And audiences, execution. Deadlines, obviously pretty important. Purpose, of course, really important. Outcomes and, most importantly, teamwork … You are working as a member of a team, whether you’re leading that team or you’re contributing to that team and bringing your own skills and attributes, it’s all about teamwork at the end of the day.”

The various links between these worlds can be speculated upon, but according to Nick Enfield, professor of linguistics at the University of Sydney and director of the Sydney Centre for Language Research, the isolation experienced in these professions breeds a unique language.

“They’re part of a special kind of world that’s not the same. You step out of your platoon, or you step out of your company, and you’re on the streets with regular humans. And so, it’s actually important for both those fields, military and business, to have ways to signal that we’re in a different world right now,” said Mr Enfield.

“When you move from kind of the breakfast table to either your army barracks or to your business boardroom, you’re looking for ways to signal that. So, one of the obvious ways is you wear a uniform. You’ve either got your military uniform or you’ve got your suit. But there are other ways to signal, too. So, a very rich way to signal who we are and what we’re doing right now is language.”

The similarities between the military and corporate work have been explored numerous times, and recently, in an article from HR Leader, it was discussed the “military model” approach to hiring has been adopted by organisations looking to promote top talent.

“There’s a clear distinction between how the military obtains expertise compared to the corporate sector. While businesses tend to recruit for skills, the military trains their people to become experts in their field,” said Alicia Kouparitsas, chief customer officer at WithYouWithMe.

“As such, the military’s workforce management model is based on a continuous learning approach. It focuses on upskilling employees by strengthening their skills for an existing role and reskilling employees by teaching them new skills for a new role. It’s an approach that ensures the workforce is flexible and agile in an unpredictable market.”

It’s no surprise then that these connections have prompted more people to call for the hiring of veterans. The transferable skills that the military can provide can be a strong asset for businesses.