Leading Large-Scale ChangeLessons from Network-

Centric WarfareMark S. Bonchek, Ph.D.

@MarkBonchek

In the Middle Ages, knowledge was reserved for the few.

1439

Gutenberg’s printing press made knowledge available to all.

Mass literacy and the democratization of knowledge reshaped society.

Martin Luther ‘s 95 Theses - 1517

Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation

Copernicus and the Renaissance

1543

1687

Newton and the Scientific Revolution

Swedish Daler - 1666

Paper Money and the Banking System

1776

Thomas Paine and the American Revolution

Since Gutenberg, our media have been broadcast: print, radio, TV, and film.

This “one-to-many” mindset is reflected in our hierarchies.

Mass production creates supply. Mass marketing creates demand.

Social media is fundamentally different.

We are now all connected in a global web of mass collaboration.

What does this mean for large-scale change?

Can hierarchies transform into networks ?

Are there examples for us to follow?

On 9/11, America woke up to a new reality, and a new enemy.

This new enemy was different than the one we had trained for.

This one hid in caves and walked through security.

We knew how to fight an army.

But how do you fight a network?

We knew how to fight an army.

But how do you fight a network?

With a network.

“It does take a network to beat a network and our network must be better.” “This enemy is better networked than we are.”

General John Abizaid

We had a better hierarchy, but Al Qaeda had a better network.

“Military operations increasingly will capitalize on the advances and advantages of information technology.”

We started by focusing on the technology.

We looked to replace superiority of force …

… with superiority of information.

“Network-centric warfare solves a problemI don't have — fighting some conventional enemy — and helps only a little with a problem I do have:

how to build a society in the face of technology-enabled, super-empowered individuals.”

Lt Colonel John Nagl

But better information wasn’t enough.

“We put an Army on the battlefield that doesn’t have any doctrine, nor was it educated and trained, to deal with an insurgency.”General Jack Keane Fmr Vice Chief of Staff U.S. Army

We needed a new doctrine to guide new behaviors.

NATO’s Definition of Doctrine"Fundamental principles by which the military forces guide their actions in support of objectives. It is authoritative but requires judgment in application."

A new doctrine was created for network-centric warfare.

Tenet 1

A robustly networked force improves information sharing.

It begins with information.

Tenet 2

Information sharing and collaboration enhance the quality of information and

shared situational awareness.

Uses collaboration to create a common understanding.

Tenet 3

Shared situational awareness enables self-synchronization.

Which enables the organization to behave as if centrally coordinated.

Tenet 4

These, in turn, dramatically increase mission effectiveness.

But with the agility of a distributed network.

“The people are the center of gravity.”

“Provide them security and earn their trust and confidence.”“Target the whole network, not just individuals.”

General David Petraeus

General Petraeus emphasized the importance of human networks.

"It's not about us winning hearts and minds, it's about the Afghan government winning hearts and minds.”

General David Petraeus

The mission shifted from defeating an enemy to rebuilding a country.

“Soldiers and marines are expected to be nation builders as well as warriors.”

COIN Field Manual

The roles of the soldiers changed.

This new approach reshaped the training of soldiers.

SHIFT

And generated dramatically different results.

Lessons Learned• Focus on the People

“The human terrain is the decisive terrain.”

• Work across Boundaries“We cannot afford the walls that previously existed.”

• Exercise Initiative“In the absence of guidance or orders, determine what they should have been and execute aggressively”

• Live our Values “No excuse to compromise on what we know is right”

The network-centric approach requires a particular mindset.

“You have your social networks

and technological networks. You need to have both.”

John GarstkaOffice of Force Transformation

Technology and relationships must reinforce each together.

For the first time in history, we have the tools to design

and manage large-scale social systems.

What are the principles of this new social architecture?

This presentation was delivered at the Compass Summit in October 2011.

To view the video, and for more on network leadership and large-scale change, please visit www.markbonchek.com