29^th International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium���Harmony From Within

Dr. Clare Morton, Dr. Paul Shigley, �Robert Tanner, George Galdorisi,

Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific

September 2024

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Agenda

• Who We Are

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• Command and Control in Crisis

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• Agility

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• Research Study

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• Findings

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Who We Are

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NIWC Pacific Mission

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Conduct Research, Development, Prototyping, Engineering, Test and Evaluation, Installation, and Sustainment of Integrated Information Warfare Capabilities Across All Warfighting Domains With an emphasis on Basic & Applied Research and Tactical Systems Afloat and Ashore in order to drive innovation and warfighter information advantage.

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NIWC Pacific: A Legacy for 80 Years

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Command and Control In Crisis

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Command and Control (C2) - Applied

Three Dimensions of C2 Approach (Alberts & Hayes)

• Allocation of Decision Rights (continuum)
• Centralization
• Decentralization
• Patterns of Interaction Among Actors
• Willingness to share information
• Willingness of individuals to acquire
• Distribution of Information (Impacts C2)
• Allocation of decision rights
• Patterns of interaction,
• Tools and skills to acquire information
• Determine the amount of collaboration

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C2 – In Crisis

• “Special Military Operation” lasting longer than anticipated
• Russian shortcomings are forcing senior leaders to operate at the front lines
• Intent is to restore order and share knowledge faster
• Resulting in loss of senior leaders
• Conflict illustrates movement of knowledge (or lack thereof) through an organization
• Conflict is providing many opportunities for further research
• Command & Control (C2) is one such area for study

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C2 – In Crisis (Recent Example)

• COVID-19 is an extreme, unusual crisis
• A sudden [external] shock, which brought “disruption to everyday life for an extended period of time…[ resulting in] widespread and wholesale shifts in how work is organized and performed”  �(Orlikowski, 2021)

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Agility

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Agility

• Agility, a multifaceted concept, refers to an organization's capacity to promptly detect and respond to environmental shifts, such as changes in customer preferences, technological advancements, or market disruptions (Nazir & Pinsonneault, 2012).

• An agile organization is characterized by its ability to effectively manage both proactive and reactive needs, even amidst uncertainty and unpredictability (Dove, 2005). This necessitates flexibility, adaptability, and innovation (Roberts & Grover, 2012).

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Agility Barriers

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The Problem

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• Organizations need to be able to react and respond to external events in an agile manner, in order to survive�(Eisenhardt & Martin, 2000; Teece, Piscano & Shuen, 1997)�
• Public organizations are typically not associated with agility�(Mergel, Gong, & Bertot, 2018; Walsh, Bryson, & Lonti, 2002)

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Research Study

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Research Question

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How did a public organization implement Command and Control in response to a crisis and overcome agility barriers?

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Research Approach

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Stage 1:

Preliminary Analysis

Stage 2:

Comparative Case Analysis

Stage 3:

Theory Building

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Data Collection & Analysis

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Collection

• Interviews
• Archival Data
• Observation

Analysis

• Coding
• Matrices
• Visual Process Mapping

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Findings

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Organizational Routines

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Routines:

Patterns of action in daily work

Involve actants and technologies

Allow organizations to operate effectively and efficiently

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Temporary Routines:

Reactive in implementation

Have short-lived elements

Evolve dynamically�

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Routine Champions

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• Act as advocates, influencers, and facilitators
• Possess deep knowledge and expertise related to the routines in question
• Leverage their credibility and influence to drive organizational learning and improvement
• Solicit, collect, and address feedback
• Maneuver the routine so that it can evolve and adapt to new circumstances, overcome barriers, and include and adapt to new technology

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Findings

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• Temporary Routines were created

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Knowledge Cyclones

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Knowledge Cyclones facilitated diffusion of temporary routines

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Three conditions power rapid and effective, unplanned process change:

• Someone needs to have a good idea (knowledge)
• The organization needs to have the ability for it to proliferate (knowledge flow) through practice
• The organizational climate needs to be ready for change

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Findings

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Findings

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• Temporary Routines were created
• Knowledge Cyclones and Routine Champions facilitated diffusion of temporary routines

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• Agility Barriers were overcome:
• Flattened Hierarchical Structure
• Open Communication
• Automation
• Flexible Responses

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Questions?

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