So, what is it in today’s Navy that would enable such an innovator to succeed? Will it take insubordinate action by some young Lieutenant to once again start a revolution, or has such opportunity passed us by with the growth of the bureaucracy?

Most Sailors do not know how to give feedback to those who need to hear it. It’s a common expression to hear that ‘a happy Sailor is a B*tching Sailor’ or that the ‘beatings will continue until morale improves’ but the proper way for one to be a ‘happy Sailor’ is not instructed directly. Rather, such training is done ad hoc. Those in this information age that are able to see results come from their words are those who have the grit to try, fall on their face, and try again; or that are naturally gifted at writing.

My start came from emailing people who were anonymous and/or had blogs. Via email I was able to hone my ability to communicate, understand how I needed to say things for others to readily comprehend. Getting ideas out there is much more than just knowing how to structure a sentence. First one has to be able to balance their perspective and supporting details in their writing and conversations. Unfortunately, it is all too easy for a Sailor to allow their emotions to get caught up in what they see as being done wrong aboard ship. This sense stifles their ability to articulate beyond framing the problem.

Additionally, the opportunities to learn in the Fleet with regard to something outside of one’s rate aren’t appreciated enough. In my experience, I would have to catch someone who knew something I wanted to know on the smoke deck or on watch, and begin a meandering conversation regarding ‘stuff’ I was interested in knowing–Yes I know that ESWS and SWO qualifications cover the full gambit of ship operations. But such knowledge isn’t complete, as it is technical know how and does not comprise forward thinking of how we might do something better. Social barriers (which LT Kohlmann spoke towards in a Twitter conversation we had) have to be broken down in such a way that casual conversations can lead to the opportunities that VADM Sims eventually found.

What’s important is that I had a Chain of Command which did not put me down for wanting to know. CAPT (then CDR) Kastner on the SAN ANTONIO let me ask any question I wanted to anyone (within reason) after I asked two good questions to CDR SECOND Fleet when he came aboard. He attended my Sea Warrior’s Symposium and encouraged the Wardroom to as well–with LT Mowbray (Chaps) supporting me in allowing the use of the Ship’s Library. My DH LT Michalski read a powerpoint I put together describing the similarities between Nelsonian tactics and swarm tactics today, and he arranged for me to be able to give officer training in the Wardroom.

Imagine if I were told to shut up and just type instructions.

Had it not been for those men I wouldn’t be writing this.

*Here is where I will go off the deep end a bit.*

The opportunities to have conversations wich allow each of us to learn our profession and make off-hand remarks that spark a sense of innovation usually occur over drinks, or something similar that put a mind at ease. The link that LCDR Armstrong provides to “How Creativity Works” cites examples of such situations through out its hour length. It is the mind which is at ease, thinking back upon the stresses caused by inefficiency or anything else we may seek to improve, that leads to insight. There must be more opportunities for such situations to foster that type of thinking.

My recommendations:

Bring back the allure of Enlisted and Officer Clubs. Allow ranks to intermingle and share experiences–out of uniform on a first name basis. I can’t stress enough how seeing someone in uniform makes someone else not say something they probably should. At the very least, don’t have the Navy dissuade Sailors from talking to each other in a social setting.

Spend more time mentoring junior Sailors in how to talk to their seniors. Do not formalize how to make recommendations, rather teach them how to speak respectfully while also critiquing programs and initiatives that whomever they are talking to owns.

Chiefs run the workspace, but give them more clout in terms of actual tactics and war fighting, use the vital role they play between the deckplates and the wardroom and allow them to facilitate the ideas, better, that junior enlisted are brave enough to say to them.

Embrase the anonymous person with ideas. I wouldn’t be typing this if I didn’t have a nom de plume for so long. My legs still shake when I ask questions at conferences, and I still feel dumb after I push to the ‘post’ button at any blog. Imagine how those who don’t get up to the mic feel.

Create another innovation competition like Roosevelt did. The Battle E is old, and is no longer relevant in terms of innovation. So what’s next? Incentivize a CO to have their guys implement solutions that fit the challenges they face.

After all, the X prize has gotten private industry into space. Where’s the Navy’s newest version of that?

There’s no substitute for getting the POTUS in your corner, and if he’s TR, your odds go up considerably

It’s extraordinary what CPT. George Bond was able to accomplish in the early days of saturation diving. It helped that he was a medical officer (rank) from a wealthy background (confidence) but it was the backing and leeway given him by his superiors that led to SEALAB and undersea ops.

Good news from deckplates is that silent majority are continuously innovating to answer “warfighting first, operate forward, be ready” – no small feat given fiscal environment, personnel distribution challenges, and mission-requirements driven by real-world events.

Goatlocker feedback up TYCOM chain could be better but thanks to senior Flag Officers who listen, we’ve seen opportunities to fast-track some ideas (eg ATFP OPORD and OPNAV revisions) and even a gripe or two (eg Paint Floats ).

NWDC’s Junior Leader Innovation symposium was a very encouraging forum for E5 – O4 to learn from one another – It was terrific to hear from guest speakers – was particularly encouraged by sea-stories on LT Sims & CAPT Sinclair. Also, found the videos from SUBFOR’s TANG initiative to be awe-inspiring. . Although not showcased in the symposium, recently read about similar initiatives from CNAF in latest hardcopy of AIRSPEED newsletter:

Perhaps NWDC could be the portal for Innovation sea-stories and maybe serve as a clearinghouse for fast-tracking inputs from junior leaders through its leading role in the Navy’s Concept Generation Concept Development (CGCD) program

I relish the idea of being able to bring “big change” to how the Navy does business. However, “the system” is set up against change. I’m not talking about various aspects of shipboard systems; in my experience, unit-level innovation was rewarded by at least a pat on the back, and big, positive, changes were great FITREP bullets that gave a Sailor a leg up on their contemporaries for promotion and career milestone screenings. Beyond the unit, however, no matter how great the idea was there were three primary ways positive change and innovation die on the vine.

First: For as many people out there who embrace change, there are those who are either: 1) stuck in the “mud” of doing things the same way they’ve always been done, or 2) eager to embrace _their_ vision of change. We’ve all met both types of people; the first ones are the ones who are happy doing the same thing they’ve always done, and their interest is in maintaining the status quo. This keeps life “easy” and consistent, and they will do everything in their power to stifle innovation. The second type of person is the one who doesn’t want to embrace someone else’s good idea…because, well, it wasn’t their idea! These are the people who scoff at the best practices put out by others, but are eager to create their own…because _they_ are the innovators–and they want to take the credit for it.

Second: “We have a failure to communicate”. Let’s face it, communication of ideas is tough. I applaud the JO innovation symposium. That’s the first step in the right direction. There ARE a lot of great ideas across the waterfront, but those ideas never make it out of the ships, staffs, or squadrons where they were created. I can’t tell you how many times I saw units doing something (whether it ranged from a better way to do administrative paperwork to better shiphandling skills) and wondered how they were able to do what they were doing. Sometimes I’d ask, and often the answer was surprising. More importantly, what I tried to figure out was why that information wasn’t being promulgated to other potential beneficiaries. I had a vision when the CLASSRON concept was developed wherein they would be the ones to spread the “best practices” across the ship classes, creating a repository of the “best of the best” information and providing this information to their subordinate units. Sadly, this never happened.

Third: This is perhaps the point most applicable (and counter) to the story of ADM Sims: today’s bureaucratic “enterprise” won’t allow it. While the tooth-to-tail ratio of Sailors has been a topic of conversation for several years, the burgeoning “tail” of civilian technical bureaucracy has been less visible, but certainly all the more potent, in stifling fleet innovation. I will likely no longer be on the SPAWAR holiday card mailing list with this opinion, but I can tell you from personal experience as a “waterfront warfighter” that plenty of our big-ticket innovations have never seen the light of day because of being stifled by bureaucracy, and yet seemingly useless (and most definitely outdated) technology has been forced on the fleet. I will not belabor my point with a series of sea stories, but suffice it to say, the stories and examples are manifold.

What it boils down to is a cultural problem. On a local level, innovation is typically valued and encouraged from what I’ve seen. However, when it gets outside the unit or organization, innovation is either lost in the shuffle, not communicated, or stifled by someone who believes they know better than the Sailor on the “deckplates” (or conversely, is simply trying to justify the existence of their job…) Innovation needs to be encouraged by the upper chain of command and then broadcasted for action. Being a proponent of innovation is more than just encouraging people to think big. It’s ensuring those novel ideas have the broadest distribution possible to avoid being trapped in layers of “review” and “approval” by cubicle-bound bureaucrats, out of touch with the reality of the warfighter. Good ideas, fostered correctly, might take an investment of time and they may take money, but in the end, they may well create a ten-fold (or more) return on the initial investment and most importantly, encourage the creation of new and continuing innovation.