Clan Creation

Chain of Command – Squad

One of the most important factors associated with military structures is how well the lowest level of the Chain of Command operates.  In military context, a chain of command is a line of authority and responsibility to which orders can be passed down from a higher authority.  This article is based off of my experience with developing and using a chain of command in my past and present clans.  Everything being written will be based off of the United States Army Ranking System.

In regards to Squad Leadership, I would recommend a 1 to 3 ratio between leaders and members.  To every 3 members, there should be 1 leader, just like how the United States Army does it for their Infantry Fire Teams.  However, not everyone will be available for scheduled drills and matches, so I would never structure my roster with Fire Teams in mind.  I would define Squad Leaders within a squad to provide overall leadership and management for his respective unit as a whole, in-game and out of game.  Keep in mind that this structure is based around playing games instead of real life military structures.

For the Untied States Army realistically would have 6 different ranks involved within a Squad:  Private, Private First Class, Specialist, Corporal, Sergeant and Staff Sergeant.

The image below shows ideal positions for each rank:

The members, or regular members, should be the bulk of the squad’s manpower and hold no authority in the Squad.  The senior members should be able to take command of the Squad in event that the Squad Leaders are not present.  They’re usually next in line to take command of a Squad, and most likely to have gone though formal training for these positions.  They should not hold any administrative permissions in regards to managing the squad.  Assistant Squad Leader and Squad Leader hold the administrative permissions in regards to managing the Squad, and report directly to Platoon Headquarters (or any other higher command.)

The idea behind this type of structure is to allow members to figure out who is in charge in official games easily, and allow for a more flexible management structure outside of game.  Here are some examples of possible events that this structure can be used for:

• Third Squad within Second Platoon, Baker Company has:  a Staff Sergeant as Squad Leader, Sergeant as Assistant Squad Leader, and a total of 8 Senior & Regular Members.  Example:  Second Platoon experiences a transfer of it’s Platoon Sergeant.  Because of this, the Squad Leader of Third Squad is promoted to Platoon Sergeant of Second Platoon.  The Assistant Squad Leader therefore is promoted to Squad Leader, and a senior member is selected for promotion to Assistant Squad Leader.
• First Squad within Third Platoon, Easy Company has:  a Sergeant as Squad Leader, Sergeant as Assistant Squad Leader, two Corporals as Senior members, and 12 Regular Members.  Example: For some reason, both Squad Leaders are missing for a match against  another Clan.  The most Senior Corporal assumes the role of Squad Leader, and the least senior Corporal assumes the role of Assistant Squad Leader for the match.  These Senior Members would have the authority to continue in the official game.
• Second Squad within Third Platoon, Able Company has: a Sergeant as Squad Leader, Corporal as Assistant Squad Leader, four Private First Classes as Senior Members, and 6 Regular Members.  Example: During a course of events, both the Squad Leaders were discharged for inappropriate activities within the Clan.  The most senior Private First Class is promoted to Assistant Squad Leader and the Platoon Sergeant of Third Platoon assumes the role of acting Squad Leader, until a replacement is found or the new Assistant Squad Leader is deemed ready to manage the Squad.
• First Squad within First Platoon, Fox Company has:  a Staff Sergeant as Squad Leader, Sergeant as Assistant Squad Leader, Corporal as one of the Senior Members, and 8 Regular Members.  Example: While in a public game on the server, the Corporal notices that a regular member of his squad is acting inappropriately on the server in front of public players.  The Corporal attempts to get the member to stop his activities, however is ignored by the squad member.  None of the Squad Leaders of First Squad are online, however the Platoon Sergeant of First Platoon was on.  Acting as Squad Leader, he informs the Platoon Sergeant of the activities of this member.  The Platoon Sergeant now can manage the Squad in the absence of the Squad Leaders to get the member to stop the inappropriate activities.

A Squad should be a formidable force in any game.  Any Squad should have the ability to impact the flow of a battle using sheer force.  Each Squad should have a well-rounded arsenal of weapons for any missions.  With that in mind, it’ll be up to the Clan Leader (or any authoritative leaders) to assign loadouts for their respective games. In any official games, or drills, it would be highly recommended to get Squads broken down into 2-3 teams with 2-4 individuals per team.  This gives the Squad a tactical advantage in any confrontation against any other squad or clan.

Some basics to which Team Leaders and Squad Leaders need to focus on when developing their tactics.

• Aspects of formations, special rules of engagements, sectors of responsibilities, squad movements, etc.
• Keeping members informed with relevant information.
• Ensuring good situational awareness by simple formations.  Proper sector coverage and security is always a must.
• Having disciplined initiative and momentum in the heat of battle, by all parties involved.
• Maneuvering members or teams across the battlefield with good and timely orders.

Keep in mind that no one will ever replicate military organization.  It’s too hard to simulate in any game.  Everyone needs to develop their own way of controlling their Squads in the heat of battle.  Having a standardized doctrine will allow members to be transferred across to different Squads with a minimum learning curve.  Again, keep in mind that the information provided here is simply to help Clan Leaders accomplish any structuring goals they might have.

Delegating Responsibilities

There is always a lot of focus put on the position and responsibilities of being a Clan Leader. Most unsuccessful clan leaders will retain all these responsibilities and disregard the potential growth they can have when they delegate.  It also prevents the Clan Leader from becoming too bruned out from all the responsibilities and simply skip ship.  This every well can be the number one reason why a clan would fail.

Another reason why Clan Leader’s should delegate they’re responsibilities is to allow members to get involved with their clan.  This keeps things interesting and gives them a sense of purpose that they wouldn’t usually have in most Clans.  I wouldn’t recommend “assigning” jobs to members, however give them an option to sign up for these positions.  Allowing them to sign up for jobs would prevent a high turnover in regards to the jobs you have (since they chose the job), and enabling you to keep more administrative members.

I want to give some ideas out to Clan Leaders interested in delegating some of their responsibilities:

Entry level Jobs: These types of positions provide a first step for many leaders in Clans.    These type of positions generally require very little skill and knowledge, perfect for low ranking members.   The idea is to provide apprenticeship into your system of operating your clan and should be the ground-level of recruiting leaders in the future.

• Journalist: Writes about official matches, recent promotions, community news, game and clan announcements. 
• Records Secretary: Keeps all member information up-to-date.  This person might also cover information displayed on the website and forums, and should inform leaders to keep info up to date.
• Recruiter: A new members link to the rest of the Clan.  Recruiters should be gaining the interest of the players looking to join a Clan and perform promotional events like Public Matches.  They usually answer any questions that the new members might have, and provides information in regards to joining the clan.
• Schedule Secretary: These members keep the calendar updated for each incoming month.
• Trainer: These members provide training and tips for the game the Clan play’s most.

Management Jobs: These members usually have the most seniority out of all the members of the Clan.  The Clan Leader usually provides some level of independent decision making to these jobs, allowing and enabling them to administer their respective groups as effective as possible.

• Team Leader: These members usually have seniority over most of the members of their respective Teams.  In a military-style structure, these titles can range from “Squad Leader,” “Platoon Sergeant,” etc.  These members provide a link between regular members to leadership members in regards to problems, and conflict resolution.  In the real world, these positions might be called “Supervisors,” or “Sergeants.“
• Financial Head: This position might come later after some growth, however Clan Leaders need to think about assigning someone to handle the funds.  They should keep track of where the funds are coming from, and provide recognition to members who have donated.  In the real world, this position would be related to being an “Accountant.”
• Moderators: They provide some type of skills involving Web Administration and Managing an online community.  These members should enforce the rules on the forums and servers to provide a quality playing environment.  In the real world, this position might be related to “Human Resources,” or “Quality Assurance.”
• Co-Leaders: These members are usually someone who has been trusted by the Clan Leader and has been chosen to be their replacement in the event the Clan Leader is no longer able to lead the Clan.  These members should be the Clan Leader’s top assistant in regards to running and operating the Clan as a whole.  In the real world, the most common use of this position is “Executive Officer” or “Deputy Commander.” “Administrative Assistant” is fitting in some cases.

I would highly recommend not giving out any administrative rights to anything that can effectively shut your Clan down.  Access to Web Administration, Server Accounts, Paypal Accounts, etc, should be left to the Clan Leader, and someone that they trust deeply.

These are some basic responsibilities and titles for members in the event the Clan Leader wants to delegate.  Just like a major business, no single person can build an empire without delegating in some fashion.  The idea is to give all your members the management side of running the clan and giving you a more strategic position within the clan.  Instead of managing individual members, start managing groups of members.