My uncle was in the CIA. Before that he used his Yale psychology Ph.D to sneak into the OSS (20/200 vision and medical disqualification couldn't stop him). He wrote an excellent account of his time training spies in Britain then leading resistance movements in Vichy France. His book is titled "The O.S.S. And I" and his name was William Morgan.
I consider it an essential read for understanding group dynamics in unfamiliar territories. People tend to act in archetypes when put in controlled situations. For example, one of the training/vetting challenges was to cross a pool of water without touching it using supplies scattered around the site. It took three planks to do it properly, although two would work if you were extremely slow and careful. One plank was easy to find, one was hard, the third was extremely well-hidden. You can see from that example who will examine all of the options and who will get frustrated with 2/3 of the supplies and try to wing it.
Another interesting facet he brought up was how different tests could show aptitude in different people. For example, Polish recruits tended to be poor at individual tests but they excelled as a team because they were far less prone to bickering over who gets to lead.
I consider "The O.S.S. And I" to be a better guide to management than most white collar crap we see these days. One of the candidates who got impatient and failed the water-crossing test, by the way, was an American executive from a multimillion-dollar company.
I consider it an essential read for understanding group dynamics in unfamiliar territories. People tend to act in archetypes when put in controlled situations. For example, one of the training/vetting challenges was to cross a pool of water without touching it using supplies scattered around the site. It took three planks to do it properly, although two would work if you were extremely slow and careful. One plank was easy to find, one was hard, the third was extremely well-hidden. You can see from that example who will examine all of the options and who will get frustrated with 2/3 of the supplies and try to wing it.
Another interesting facet he brought up was how different tests could show aptitude in different people. For example, Polish recruits tended to be poor at individual tests but they excelled as a team because they were far less prone to bickering over who gets to lead.
I consider "The O.S.S. And I" to be a better guide to management than most white collar crap we see these days. One of the candidates who got impatient and failed the water-crossing test, by the way, was an American executive from a multimillion-dollar company.