Vision to Victory - Space, Mahan, and Mitchell: The Role of the Visionary in Cross-Organizational Innovation
Abstract
Accomplishing the space changes recommended by the Rumsfeld Commission requires a major national security (MNS) change. The term MNS change is coined in this thesis to define a change that requires multiple Departments of the United States government to alter their internal functions. MNS change is, by definition, a cross-organizational change. In this light, this thesis expands upon existing military innovation thought by using the concept of strategic vision to investigate the role of the visionary in MNS change. The initial hypothesis is that the cross-organizational nature of MNS change makes it more difficult to accomplish than innovation within a single organization. In order to investigate this hypothesis, a tailored step-by-step model for effective visionary leadership is developed by adapting existing vision models found in strategic management literature. The adaptation is necessary to overcome the limits of existing models, which are largely focused on a single organization. After establishing the necessary visionary framework, the framework is employed to systematically evaluate the historic changes to the US security structure brought about by the movements commonly associated with Alfred Thayer Mahan and William "Billy" Mitchell. The Mahanian vision led the US to develop a modern navy while Mitchell's vision led to an independent US Air Force. The results from the case studies are used to clarify the role of the visionary in MNS change as well as the relative importance of a visionary to other previously identified factors associated with military innovation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA408005
Entities
People
- Fred W. Gaudlip
Organizations
- Air University