The role of top leadership is often hard to distinguish in situations of dynamic internal forces and the abiding problem of adjusting to continual change in the external environment. Top leaders must clarify their positions in relation to
the organization’s internal needs for planning, coordinating, and directing with its external needs for coping with environmental forces. As viewed in figure 2, the role of top level leaders becomes that of a harmonizer and balancer. Those who attempt to know must consider, balance, and integrate the internal factors and forces with those outside the organization. To illustrate this point, let us see what happens when a top leader disregards either of these responsibilities.
First, consider the case of military leaders who concentrate efforts on the external factors of the organization. The
bulk of their efforts are directed toward public image. They concentrate on environmental interface while neglecting the
internal situation. To the public, their organizations appear sound and efficient. The ultimate test of all military organizations, however, is the ability of their internal systems to efficiently defend the country. Neglect of internal factors
prejudices that possibility.