Bureaucracy Planning And War: The Royal Navy, 1880 to 1918.

The article reports on the effectiveness of the decision of a Board of Admiralty to form a naval war staff as a response to the disconnection between structure and strategy in the Royal Navy. In order to follow the rapid changes and growth in naval technology, the Royal Navy established numerous departments and created proper positions for sea lords, such as a political head, one to plan strategies and tactics and one to handle materials. Difficulties were faced in selecting suitable officers to fill the positions because many officers felt overloaded with administrative duties, and thought that they lacked the sufficient training to handle the new responsibilities. The author offers several lessons and suggestions for an effective administrative reorganization.