ADVOCATE FOR INNOVATION
discrete process that you initiated when faced with a big change and terminated when the transition was complete.
CGSC validated the importance of OCM in managing big changes. How- ever, it also showed me the impact that iterative OCM has on an organization. By conducting continual assessments of its environment, updating its vision and communicating clearly, an organization can address change incrementally and is more likely to innovate and succeed.
Te successful output of OCM is almost always a modified culture. And in our business of problem-solving and inno- vation, we should strive to cultivate a culture of learning. CGSC characterizes
“learning organizations” as those that “foster a culture of learning that solves problems and improves the organization through a supportive command climate [while] valuing member involvement.”
CGSC’s lessons on culture and learning organizations allowed me to develop a more accurate understanding of the rela- tionship of organizational culture, critical thinking and productivity. Looking back on my 11 years in the Army, I recognize that I have been in both learning orga- nizations and organizations that clung to the status quo. Although I did not realize why at the time, the learning organiza- tions performed better and provided a more rewarding work environment by empowering team members to influence the organization’s direction.
Unfortunately, learning organizations do not form by accident and are not main- tained without considerable effort. Tis is true because of an ongoing struggle between the change inherent in a learn- ing organization and the predictability and comfort associated with the status quo. (See Figure 1, Page 130.) Armed
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with this understanding of productive cultures and techniques for influencing them, I hope to participate more actively in shaping the culture of my future organizations.
MISSION COMMAND During CGSC, I also came to appreciate and understand the principle of mission command. As defined in Army Doc- trine Publication 6-0, mission command is “the exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations.” By far the clearest defini- tion of mission command I’ve ever found comes from author and blogger David Hurst: “Te idea of mission command [is] to set boundaries, to bracket the options and to create spaces where everyone from the highest general to the lowliest enlisted man [has] discretion to act in the interest of achieving the overall mission.”
Before CGSC, I had a basic understand- ing of mission command, but saw it more as a rebranding of command and control. Now, I not only grasp the effectiveness of mission command but am a strong advo- cate for it.
Unfortunately, I also see how ineffec- tive the Army has been at implementing
mission command, particularly where it involves prudent risk. Tis is especially true in the Acquisition Corps. We operate under federal regulations as well as DOD and Army policy that require centralized authority at the highest levels. Addition- ally, regulation and policy distribute the authority not held by senior officials to a multitude of organizations, often with conflicting interests. Over time, we have attempted to eliminate risk, but instead have allowed rules and policy to take the place of leadership and judgment. We have implemented a system in which numerous individuals have the incentive to say no, but very few have the authority to say yes.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT In addition to grappling with issues of culture and mission command, we spent a significant portion of the resident course discussing innovation. We studied military innovation from the general staff of Frederick the Great to the American Army’s Cold War-era AirLand Battle doc- trine. (Frederick II, king of Prussia from 1740 to 1786, made Prussia the major European military power of the era. His major contribution was the development of the general staff, whose existence and structure form the foundation of modern military staffs.)
We focused on the bold innovations that propelled insignificant actors
to world
I now realize that although large and resistant to change, the Army’s acquisition system is dynamic, open to influence and a direct reflection of the people who contribute to it.
Army AL&T Magazine July-September 2016
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