Introducing Microsoft’s new Enterprise Work Management (EWM) Solution
Complexity in Action: Learning in the US Navy, 1905-1945 - Lean Agile Scotland 2016
1. Complexity in Action:
The U.S. Navy’s Learning System
Trent Hone
@Honer_CUT
Trent Hone | @Honer_CUT excella.com | @excellaco
2. Trent Hone | @Honer_CUT excella.com | @excellaco
In the early years of the 20th century
the U.S. Navy developed
a sophisticated learning system
that led to repeated doctrinal innovations
How was this done?
The U.S. Navy’s Learning System
Trent Hone | @Honer_CUT excella.com | @excellaco
13. Trent Hone | @Honer_CUT excella.com | @excellaco
The “Planning” System
Chief of Naval
Operations
Fleet
Command
Naval War
College
General
Board
Trent Hone | @Honer_CUT excella.com | @excellaco
18. Trent Hone | @Honer_CUT excella.com | @excellaco
Tactical Heuristics
Trent Hone | @Honer_CUT excella.com | @excellaco
Aggressive Action to Seize the Initiative
Attack Effectively First (Long Range
Gunnery, Carrier Strikes)
Decentralized Decision-Making
(and Doctrinal Development)
19. Trent Hone | @Honer_CUT excella.com | @excellaco
By 1941…
Trent Hone | @Honer_CUT excella.com | @excellaco
Learning system is well-established
Doctrine presents a diverse set of options
20. Trent Hone | @Honer_CUT excella.com | @excellaco
1941
Trent Hone | @Honer_CUT excella.com | @excellaco
Pearl Harbor: Battle Fleet Crippled
Doctrine is Fractal:
Aggressive Action to Seize the Initiative
Tactical Heuristic Employed Operationally
We tend to think this stuff is NEW.
It's not...
Cruiser HOUSTON
We’ve been offered several definitions…
Mine is virtually identical to Will’s.
Why is this important, because it promotes concerted action
Most influential early president of Naval War College
Learning in Conference
Naval War College
Experience-based learning
Flusser 1909
Sims becomes commander of the Flotilla in 1913
Created “safe space” for collaboratively developing doctrine
Repeatedly bested the larger ships in mock combat
Destroyers
No predominant role… our typical view of military hierarcy does not hold
Community of Need
Nevada and Oklahoma
Exercises within the Fleet
CONSTRAINTS
New ways to formulate and conceptualize doctrine
Principles are gone… Hueristics in their place
Shared framework for decision-making...
New ways to formulate and conceptualize doctrine
Principles are gone… Hueristics in their place
Shared framework for decision-making...
New ways to formulate and conceptualize doctrine
Principles are gone… Hueristics in their place
Shared framework for decision-making...
First offensive raids are in January (Wake) but aborted
February strike in the Marshalls and attempt on Rabaul
March – Wake and New Guinea
April – Japanese Mainland
May – Coral Sea
June – Midway
Fleet is reconfigured
New doctrinal methods in place
The cycle of Fleet Problems acted as a constraint
Fostered self-organization within the Fleet
Leading to new approaches
Every ship was different
These experiments were safe-to-fail
Conducted at low levels, parallel,
Exploited from above when they worked out
DD FARENHOLT
Nimitz… cite his willingness to share details with more junior commanders (like Wylie)
