Enhancing Brigade Combat Team Adaptability
Abstract
Today's operational environment consists of uncertainty, chance, friction, and complexity. Change and adaptation that once required years to implement must now be recognized, communicated, and enacted far more quickly. To effectively respond to the characteristics of the operational environment, Brigade Combat Teams must be able to learn constantly from experience (their own and others), and apply new knowledge to each situation. This requires Brigade Combat Teams to demonstrate organizational level adaptive behavior. Organizational adaptive behavior consists of three supporting emergent behaviors which are: self-organization, learning, and organizational intelligence. Each of these behaviors is interdependent upon the other; therefore, focusing on improving one behavior alone will not result in the emergence of organizational adaptive behavior. To enhance organizational adaptive behavior, leaders must understand the interrelationships of the supporting adaptive behaviors and organizational components; and implement an organizational strategy that aligns the organizational components of leadership, climate, culture, and structure in such a manner that enables the emergence of supporting adaptive behaviors. Additionally, leaders must be able to recognize and resolve barriers that prevent the emergence of supporting adaptive behaviors. It is through this understanding and practice that leaders can enhance their organizational adaptability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 11, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA524394
Entities
People
- Desmond V. Bailey
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College