Changing the Organizational Culture

[SWJED]

Changing the Organizational Culture by Frontier 6 at SWJ Blog.

The technology of the Twenty-first Century – the “new media” – has made it possible for virtually anyone to have immediate access to an audience of millions around the world and to be somewhat anonymous. This technology has enabled and empowered the rise of a new enemy. This enemy is not constrained by the borders of a nation or the International Laws of War. The new media allows them to decentralize their command and control and disperse their elements around the globe. They stay loosely connected by an ideology, send cryptic messages across websites and via e-mail and recruit new members using the same new media technologies.

Responding to this challenge requires changes in our approach to warfare. The one thing we can change now does not require resources – just a change in attitudes and the organizational culture in our Army. Recent experiences in Iraq illustrate how important it is to address cultural change and also how very difficult it is to change culture: After MNF-I broke through the bureaucratic red-tape and was able to start posting on YouTube, MNF-I videos from Iraq were among the top ten videos viewed on YouTube for weeks after their posting. These videos included gun tape videos showing the awesome power the US military can bring to bear. Using YouTube – part of the new media – proved to be an extremely effective tool in countering an adaptive enemy. Here are some areas that our Army will need to address if we are going to change our culture with respect to this critical area...

Frontier 6 is Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell, IV, Commanding General of the Combined Arms Center at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, the command that oversees the Command and General Staff College and 17 other schools, centers, and training programs located throughout the United States. The Combined Arms Center is also responsible for: development of the Army's doctrinal manuals, training of the Army's commissioned and noncommissioned officers, oversight of major collective training exercises, integration of battle command systems and concepts, and supervision of the Army's Center for the collection and dissemination of lessons learned.

[Tom Odom]

Changing the Organizational Culture by Frontier 6 at SWJ Blog.



Frontier 6 is Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell, IV, Commanding General of the Combined Arms Center at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, the command that oversees the Command and General Staff College and 17 other schools, centers, and training programs located throughout the United States. The Combined Arms Center is also responsible for: development of the Army's doctrinal manuals, training of the Army's commissioned and noncommissioned officers, oversight of major collective training exercises, integration of battle command systems and concepts, and supervision of the Army's Center for the collection and dissemination of lessons learned.

Hmmm next time I take flak on SWJ from certain quarters, this will certainly come in handy.

My comment:

Great message for all in the Long War. We have been pushing the idea that the media is much like terrain; it is part of the battlefield and you have to adapt to it. No one I know likes humping a ruck through mountains. But most of us don't waste our time disliking the mountains. Instead we change loads or find another way to go. The same line of reasoning applies to the media. We need to quit wasting time complaining about what will not change and adapt ourselves to better use what is very much part of the battlefield. That adaptation can work to your advantage; not adapting will definitely work against you.

[bismark17]

I have to agree with all of that. These ideas should also be implemented at our Police Academies. It would make a difference fairly quickly.

[marct]

Hmmm next time I take flak on SWJ from certain quarters, this will certainly come in handy.

For some reason, I'm getting a sense of Deja Vu. I'm tempted to send him a copy of that draft paper, Tom....

Marc

[SWJED]

Let Soldiers Blog, Post YouTube Videos, General Says - Greg Grant, Government Executive

To compete in the global information war played out on Web sites and e-mail, soldiers in Iraq should upload videos of their experiences in the combat zone to YouTube and post their personal stories online, a top Army general said recently...

[Cavguy]

I truly applaud where LTG Caldwell is going with this. Unfortunately he presents me a quandry - following his guidance as written above violates the DoD written directive linked in the article above.

An example:

PERSONAL BLOGS (I.E., THOSE NOT HAVING DOD SPONSORSHIP AND PURPOSE) MAY NOT BE CREATED/MAINTAINED DURING NORMAL DUTY HOURS AND MAY NOT CONTAIN INFORMATION ON MILITARY ACTIVITIES THAT IS NOT AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. SUCH INFORMATION INCLUDES COMMENTS ON DAILY MILITARY ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS, UNIT MORALE, RESULTS OF OPERATIONS, STATUS OF EQUIPMENT, AND OTHER INFORMATION THAT MAY BE BENEFICIAL TO ADVERSARIES.

I sent mass updates to friends and family in OIF 1, sharing the good and bad. In OIF 05-07, I didn't, because of the crackdown in the Army which pretty much put the fear of God in most people about saying something that violated someone's definition of OPSEC.

Interestingly, the best coverage of the war was when we were the most open in 2003, and the embeds had full access. When we began to "manage" the information after the fall, and restricted soldiers voices, support declined. While causation can be argued, restricting "harmful" soldier speech also restricted "good news" from coming out due to fear of ruining a career. The Army even set up a unit to patrol soldiers' posting on the internet for violations. Talk about cultures of fear.

He's right, one reprisal from higher from saying the wrong thing will cease any initative in the future.

It starts with DoD changing it's guidance, so I can't be charged under UCMJ for disobeying an order and doing what the general suggests.

[marct]

Agree on that CG, but notice that the directive states "during normal duty hours". If I was playing guardhouse lawyer, I would argue that let's me do it outside of that time period.

[Ron Humphrey]

I truly applaud where LTG Caldwell is going with this. Unfortunately he presents me a quandry - following his guidance as written above violates the DoD written directive linked in the article above.

Ken just needs to call up some of his old time buddies and SWJ gets recognized as having Purpose for DOD. Problem solved