The most important components of Nazi system (Nazi Germany, Third Reich) are, obviously, Nazi organizations. Nazi Party, the SS, government ministries, Hitler Youth, Wehrmacht, etc.
To produce a genuinely comprehensive and the most user-friendly guide to Nazi Germany, it is necessary to follow the same process for the description and analysis of every Nazi organization. This process is presented in an easy-to-understand visual form in a Nazi Organization Description Diagram (see Figure A1).
Obviously, every description of every object in the Nazi system (not just an organization), must have an executive summary (as not everyone will have the time to read the whole million-word book).
The description proper will, obviously, begin with the official name of the organization, the comprehensive list of its nicknames/sobriquets (if any), founding date and the date of its official demise (i.e. when the organization ceased to exist). And, of course, the type of an organization – i.e. to which Nazi sub-system (parent organization) it belonged (Party, government, military, SS, etc.).
Obviously, it is very important to describe in sufficient detail the founder(s) of the organization in question. As well as its environment – internal (inside the Nazi state) and external (outside). No man is an island and no organization is either.
Environment of the organization (“corporate environment” in a general sense) consists mostly of key external and internal factors and the stakeholders of the organization in question.
Consequently, it is absolutely necessary to describe (in sufficient detail, of course), all stakeholders of the organization in question – clients/customers (users of its products and/or services), suppliers, partners (other external and/or internal organizations), suppliers (of goods and services necessary for its operations), instruments (e.g. slave labor) that the organization in question uses to achieve its objective, relationships with the general community (population of Nazi Germany) and other stakeholders (e.g objects such as Jews, POWs or inmates of concentration camps).
Every organization has an explicit or (more often) implicit mission and – also explicit or (more often) implicit vision. Which, obviously must be identified, structured, presented and analyzed in sufficient detail.
Every organization has (usually explicit) strategic objectives and (almost always explicit) strategic plans (financial and operational). These must also be identified, structured, presented and analyzed in the appropriate detail. As well as a very important issue – financing of the organization (where did its money come from and in which quantities).
Every organization strives to achieve its strategic objectives but on an everyday basis it performs certain functions (which also must be identified, structured and analyze as they are the raison d’être of the organization in question).
To achieve its strategic objectives and perform its everyday functions, the organization needs to employ tools & methods, undertake projects and implement certain key organizational (“corporate”) processes. And, obviously, to design and implement organizational structure (departments, workgroups, offices, etc.). Naturally, all of these must be identified, structured, described and analyzed in sufficient detail.
Objectives are achieved and functions are performed by human beings. Individuals. Personnel (human capital) of the organization in questions. Therefore, it also must be identified, structured, described and analyzed in the appropriate detail.
Leaders of the organization, its top- and middle-managers (“generals” and “officers”), supervisors (NCOs) rank-and-file employees (“soldiers”), etc. As well as (obviously) the formal and informal culture of the organization in question (its “corporate culture”), code of conduct (all Nazi organization had it), motivation system, etc.
Obviously, the most important question about any organization is about its actual accomplishments. What it actually did and if its actual results were different from its objectives (they usually were) than why.
All organizations have ultimately one and the same mission – to create the maximum possible amount of aggregate value (financial, functional, emotional and spiritual) for its stakeholders. Therefore, the accomplishments of any organization (and the Nazi ones are no exception) are measured in aggregate value.
Finally, I will perform the “performance evaluation” of the organization in question. Functional, of course (how efficient it was in achieving its objectives and whether the objectives themselves were good in the functional sense), but also legal (whether any objectives, methods and/or actual activities of the organization in question constituted a crime and whether the organization itself was a criminal one).
The Essential Guide to Nazi Germany 