In this podcast episode, Strategic Institute, reiterates their two main points, that developing improved concepts of ‘teaming’ can make better use of resources (talent) to more effectively fulfill mission goals, and the importance of applying critical thinking to the use of flexible acquisition authorities for R&D and delivering new capabilities. Both ideas have been rejected by insiders who vehemently protect the status-quo (while confusingly pay lip-service to the contrary). They believe ‘teams’ are most effective when they are siloed-off into functionary roles focused on compliance. Flexibility and critical thought, seemingly, makes them very uncomfortable, thus solutions and opportunities go unexplored, instead are either ignored or hurried into a process they can understand, much like paint by number. Never-mind if the process doesn’t make sense or is counter-productive to achieving mission goals and fails to deliver.
Is this current thinking (ideas, philosophy, concepts, perceptions, and resultant culture) focused on compliance and deference to highly-regulated purchasing system (for R&D), which has essentially gone unchanged for many decades really the right approach as so many would have us believe? Without even a small shake up in thought, much less a revolution, will efforts to ‘streamline’ the FAR and the knee-jerk reactions to severely constricting the potential of flexible acquisition authorities for R&D just produce more of the same results? Predictably, yes. How can it not? The thinking has NOT changed.
This moment is brimming with opportunity and the need for change has never been more pressing, yet bureaucrats and insiders seemingly are unwilling (or unable) to operate outside of a process for process sake mentality… Prioritizing mission and goals, assembling high performing teams, and exploring the flexibility Congress has provided (and mandated) is either too hard and too much for them -or- is not being incentivized and championed? What do you think?
If received by email click upper right to go to website.
There is a alternative to the status-quo. Learn from the OTA pioneer and the team that has put thousands of hours of thought into their training.
