I Wonder if We Could...?

“At its most potent, collaboration is joining people you’ve never met, to work a problem you’ve just conceived together, by means you will attempt to collectively discover - and you haven’t told your boss yet.” - John G., Sandia National Laboratory

Morning!

As promised in my previous blog, I wanted to take a moment and talk about the difference between collaboration, cooperation and coordination. Terms that are used interchangeably (unfortunately) by many but in my world, they are quite different. In my previous career it was very common for our team to hear these terms thrown around quite frequently in meetings, briefings, etc. with really no understanding. In fact, when we were invited in to observe and provide recommendations for an organization on how they could enhance their collaboration activities we typically did not see much collaboration being accomplished. What we encountered were individuals and teams that displayed little or no trust, a key ingredient for collaboration. They were simply coordinating their efforts or in a few instances they were cooperating to get things done. Their level of trust? Missing in action. Were they actively involved in collaboration? Not so much.

The definition I prefer for collaboration is displayed at the top of this post, courtesy of John G., Sandia National Laboratories, who developed this over the course of observing multiple organizations and operational environments. Three points that are made in this very unique definition:

1. Discovery - Joining people you’ve never met
2. Opportunity - To work a problem you’ve just conceived together, by means you will attempt to collectively discover
3. Empowerment - And you haven’t told your boss yet

Pretty interesting definition, eh? This definition always created great dialog and discussion when entertaining visitors in the CollabZone. 

There are a lot of graphics that have been built that speak to the differences in these terms. The one I favor is this one from The Economist Intelligence Unit 2008. Note the words for collaboration ... "Requires a high-level of trust."

Another graphic I like when discussing collaboration is shown below. I think it is helpful primarily because it overlays Trust and Time along with Turf Wars when looking at the terminology and descriptions. I expect many of you can identify with the simple exchange of information (and nothing more) as it relates to Turf Wars.

You knew this question was coming...

Is your organization really collaborating on a daily basis? Collaboration is a contact sport - how is your emergency operations center doing? What training would be beneficial to them so they can truly move into the realm of collaboration?

Do you know an organization that struggles with this? Please feel free to share this blog post with them.

Humbly, 

Collabman

More Just Builds More...

"It is really important to lay out an overall plan. What are we trying to accomplish? Are we doing just one task at a time and the person you are leading is only aware of one task at a time? That doesn't allow them to be very forward thinking. It doesn't allow them to see the things that you are missing. That's where leadership either exemplifies itself - or fails."
- Colorado First Responder

Morning and Happy Monday. How was your weekend?

For me, it was time spent with family and friends plus a little reflection on last week. What a great week. I was blessed to be able to spend time with an outstanding leader from Public Safety followed by multiple interviews with folks in the first responder community. That time brought great insight and even more respect for all of these folks and the job they do every day. Thank you seems so inadequate. These are truly special people with a sheepdog's heart.

Was last week all a great success? Nope, there were moments where disappointment came calling but hey - it didn't last long and I know that's part of this journey. So I press on with the passion and commitment that brought me to this season in my life. Never say never.

This week is shaping up to be super busy as I have the opportunity to ride-along with Law Enforcement on Wednesday and Thursday to get an up-close look at their job and how they get on the same mental frequency for situational awareness. This will be a first for me so stay tuned for some blog posts on these ride-along experiences.

I was up early this morning to continue the review of the audio recordings from last week. Some important statements I heard as I sipped my coffee as the sun streamed through the window in to my personal CollabZone. Training, leadership and the concept of forward thinking...

• Communication is massive - "That's just not communication, but communication prior-to. When you are in the thick of it, you don't have time to discuss or argue theory or whatever. That comes before, at breakfast or coffee table chat. It also comes from a good leader and his or her expectations - if you can't meet them, why?"

• Training brings people together - "...train, train, train, train. Continuing education and a well displayed idea on [a leader's] expectations are super important."

• Good team cohesion - How do you build a tight team? Here is one first responder's experience described under the umbrella statement that "more just builds more."
• "Well understood standard operating guidelines built on years and years of experience on how we do this...and why."
• "Very similar ideas, similar faiths, similar work ethics, similarities within personalities."
• "Off times they enjoy each other - families get along."
• "Six months to a year, you know that when you get on scene everybody does their thing."
• It's not just a job. It is a calling for a lot of people. It's a passion. It's a career, not just a job to get you by..."
• Life happens at the firehouse too ... we know a lot about one another. You know when your buddy is having a hard day and you have his back. You take care of each other."

These areas are of great interest to me, especially when it comes to an operations center and how they collaborate internally and externally. A bigger question is - is it possible that your team is not collaborating? Maybe they are simply coordinating or cooperating? These are three very different concepts with different meanings and something I will talk about in a future blog post.

What does your train like you fight approach look like for your Incident Command Post (ICP) or Emergency Operations Center? How forward thinking is your team and do they have each other's back when things go sideways? How are you building that tight, team cohesion that this first responder spoke to at length?

or...does your collaborative teamwork during an incident resemble a pick-up basketball game?

All of this is hard work and... there is not a piece of technology or process enhancement  that will address these challenges.

More just builds more - how is your team doing?

Humbly,

Collabman

It's Not My Emergency...

"As a First Responder you have to realize that it is not your emergency - you are the one they called to be calm, cool and get the job done. If I am fumbling around and super excited about a call, I am not doing my job well." 

- Colorado First Responder

Good afternoon and happy Thursday. What an interesting and educational week I have had - and it is only Thursday. It started with an outstanding meeting on Monday with a super talented, accomplished senior leader working in the public safety arena. Lots of insight and a fascinating story which they shared. The older I get the more I believe - everyone has a story... and I'm that guy who will ask.

These past two days I had the opportunity to sit down with three First Responders from Fire and Rescue and two from our Law Enforcement community here in Colorado. Yes, those individuals "we invite in to our lives on our worst day ever." What an honor to talk with them and understand what runs through their minds when the alarm tones go off. Words that come to mind include passionate, committed, well trained - exactly who you want next to you when your life is on the line. Thank you to these professionals and the job they do every day. Your time and the energy you invested to share your thoughts - is something I will never forget. Thank you!

So, from where I sit there seems to be a lot of work on getting First Responders on the same radio frequency (and other capabilities) using cutting-edge technology. Right behind that is a focus on moving and turning lots of data into visual pictures that show time-sensitive information for an incident. Good stuff, all of it but don't miss this - "information is important but insufficient for shared situational awareness which is in minds, not machines." Check out my previous post on how this community might use this new tech and information during a major, complex incident to make the knowledge leap towards shared situational awareness (SA) - using the Human Net.

Now...

Thanks to John G. and his questions, the past two days had little to do with technology. It was spent listening to how these first responders get on the same mental frequency. I wanted a clear understanding of their domain and how they worked through the mental SA as an individual, as a team and as a team of teams responding to an incident. That's what I was listening for during these interviews. By the time I finished at 7pm last night my head was about to explode. Wow, just wow.

5+ hours of audio recordings (with the first responders permission) to work through over and over again to pull out their super insight. Lots of work still to come listening/transcribing all of it but it will answer a lot of questions for me...and maybe even plant seeds and create ideas for tomorrow's collaboration supporting this community.

Here's how it worked - I began by describing a scenario. Yep, some were "red-centric" (fire), others were blue-centric (law enforcement)...and since I am such a rebel, I even threw in a red/blue scenario because that teamwork is very likely (check the headlines from Colorado over the past few years) during a major incident. Plus, anyone who has been through my collaboration training and certification knows the scenarios may be laced with ambiguity, conflicting information, red herrings, fog of war - just like life.

...and then I invited them to take over.

1. Tell me what you are thinking about during "turn out time" and/or as you begin to move toward your vehicle. What information are you getting and from whom?
2. You are en route to the scene... what's going through your mind? What information are you getting from the radio, etc. that helps you form a picture of the scene?
3. Arriving at the scene, what are you looking at, in what order, that helps you size up the situation? What are you hearing, other senses? [cues]
4. Have there been instances where what you expected and what you found at the scene were significantly different? Please share some recent examples. Thoughts on why?
5. Have there been instances where the situation changed significantly during the incident or your understanding changed? What tipped you off and why?
6. Your team... what are some specific examples of being in total synch, on the same page mentally, etc.? Are there examples where this did not happen or the teamwork started to fall apart? How did you respond?
7. Think about all of the above... what difficulties would a less experienced person have? Have you seen specific examples of this happening? How did you and/or your team handle the situation?

As I begin to re-listen to one of the audio recordings, their response to question #2 caught my attention. Maybe it's just me, probably is but... I resonated with this statement. In some ways it didn't surprise me but yet, to hear it from a First Responder was important.

"One of the biggest aspects and I am still training myself to do it...is to slow down. It's a funny saying but it stands true...it's not my emergency."

In the middle of the chaos where you will see things you can't unsee how hard is it do what they are describing? What impact does it have on their mental SA picture on scene if they can't get their mind around this? How about in the Incident Command Post or the State Emergency Operations Center? Same approach? Is this simply about being clinically detached or is there something else going on here?

What if there was a trained collaboration facilitator leading an online chat room with 500+ people during a major incident that has morphed into something even bigger. This is a challenging way of thinking, even for the most seasoned, experienced operators.

The phrase, this is not my emergency is something that will stick with me.

Thoughts?

Humbly,
Collabman

Train Like You Fight

Quarterly Colorado State EOC Exercise

Yesterday, two tweets with photos on Twitter caught my attention. These tweets were shared by the Colorado Emergency Management team and Mr. Mike Willis, Director, Office of Emergency Management. They show Colorado's State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during a large-scale exercise involving nearly 90 participants from local, state, federal and non-goverment agencies. For those who have been part of real-world and exercise operations on a watch floor, I expect you can identify with the activity in these photos. I will always be interested in how an ops center conducts an exercise, especially one this large. No doubt these EOC's become a beehive of activity during an actual large-scale incident. As someone who calls Colorado home, I applaud Mr. Willis and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management team for leading these exercises as part of their preparedness in case of a large scale disaster. Thank you all and well done!

Quarterly Colorado State EOC Exercise

These photos caused me to think back to my experience with exercises, certification training and the statement that I use often - "train like you fight." When I had the opportunity to lead an exercise or provide a hands-on, certification exam you could expect it to be:

• Challenging - not your typical, expected scenario 
• Thought-provoking - just like real-world incidents; twists, turns and events you didn't or couldn't see coming
• Collaboration-centered; a team of teams approach
• Technology-rich - chat, video, and audio heavy; limited email use due to the speed and tempo
• Stressful - to simulate your emotions during a complex, high-tempo event where life-safety is a priority

Why did I dial these scenarios way up during exercises and then on game day for a certification? Why did some call it "death by Collabman?" Simple. I wanted their investment in the exercise or certification to mean something. Most importantly, I wanted to instill confidence in the individual and/or team that they could handle whatever came their way at 2am on a Saturday morning. Easy, predictable incident? Check, no problem.  An incident that was complex, fast-moving, over the top with unknowns? Bring it - no problem, we are trained to collaborate, share, adapt and flex. Sure, they cursed my name under their breath during the training but when they finished they would be ready when the "you know what" hit the proverbial fan.

What influenced my approach? Throughout my career I had been part of and witnessed numerous exercises/certifications that were so tightly scripted, so unimaginative and predictable they were not the least bit helpful nor did they prepare me for what was to come during real-world ops. They were a walk in the park (maybe a crawl), built on an "if this happens, then do that" approach. No need to really think. Simply grab the binder from the shelf, turn to page 6. Skim down to paragraph 4 - everything you needed for this incident was covered. We were checklist driven.

There was no hint of what reality looks like on an ops center floor when a commercial aircraft, loaded with fuel, carrying precious human life is hijacked and flown like a missile into a tower on a clear, sunny morning in Lower Manhattan...

Human Net
John G., Sandia National Laboratories

What does your exercise look like for a major, complex incident? How effective is your Human Net? What state-of-the-art, online technologies (i.e., chat) are being used to connect with external partners and customers to create a team of teams approach? How does the entire team maintain shared situational awareness (SA) and understanding (SU) when the flow of information is overwhelming? Is SA a state-of-mind or just a visual on the big screen? How is streaming video being used in your ops center? I will stop there.

Just curious...

I look forward to comments on the state of exercise play and certification training in your ops center. How can I help?

Thanks for your time!

Humbly,

Collabman

Team of Teams Operations

“We live under the knowledge illusion because we fail to draw an accurate line between what is inside and outside our heads. And we fail because there is no sharp line. So we frequently don’t know what we don’t know.”

Steven Sloman, The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone

National Guard Joint Operations Center

Camp Beauregard

Pineville, La.

Photo by Sgt. Noshoba Davis

10 July 2019

Aaron slammed the phone in the cradle and immediately stood up as his adrenaline began to rush. His tone was serious yet respectful, his words were crystal as he shouted at his watch supervisor just across the isle: "Boss, we need to talk now - our helos and convoy are headed into the teeth of a threat environment!

COL Harris swiveled in his chair and locked in on Aaron. There was no mistaking his tone. Within seconds he had unplugged his headset and was moving at a crisp pace towards Aaron who was standing tall at the A&R Desk. For those who could overhear the exchange, they could sense the pulse rate of the watch floor change - in fact, this changed everything.

Their discussion was short and concise. COL Harris plugged his headset into the intercom box on the A&R Desk and pinged the Communication Desk on the opposite side of the watch floor. They had a direct-line to the Marine Forward Air Controller (FAC). COL Harris knew the two-ship formation of helos inbound to the primary Helicopter Landing Zone (HLZ) were minutes out. The young, well-trained Marine on the other end of the headset responded immediately and transmitted the order - "Bravo22...say again, Bravo22...new threat warning information just received; you are directed to divert to HLZ Cardinals at this time; further instructions to follow; how copy?" That same order ripples in seconds to the convoy and security team at HLZ Rockies. 

The execution to "Plan B" was flawless, the rendezvous seamless and the evacuation went off without a hitch. The identified threat was real and dealt with using contingency resources who took care of it without incident. However, there would be questions, lots of questions to answer.

Despite this story and scenario being completely fictitious, it represents a compilation of challenges many, including me, have experienced first-hand when working large, complex operations involving (1) multiple command centers; (2) numerous organizations/teams; (3) a flood of information; (4) lots of fog and ambiguity, and; (5) a fast moving, agile and unpredictable adversary.

Team of Teams Collective Mind
John G., Sandia National Laboratories

Let me close-out this story with the key insights that came up time and again in the after action reviews. Yet, we continue to buy more and more technology to solve what are not technology challenges - they are people challenges. 

Special thanks to John G, Sandia National Laboratories for his outstanding efforts in capturing and documenting these insights throughout the years:

• Data and information are necessary / important but insufficient for understanding and action
• The ascent to understanding cannot be automated - jumping the air gap from

  

  Wisdom Hierarchy
  John G., Sandia National Laboratories

  information to knowledge is hard mental work
• Situational awareness is in minds not machines
• More data often does not reduce situational complexity and ambiguity
• Single-viewpoint situational awareness is necessary but insufficient in complex, adversarial contexts
• Making the knowledge leap requires human attention - which is in short supply
• Collaborative chat allows situational awareness / understanding across semi-cooperative organizations
• Cross-tribal situational awareness and understanding, created through the use of an online Human Net, can help reconcile divergent evidence into a predicative story
• The power of We can answer the timeless questions:
• Has something changed?
• What could happen next?
• Are we still prepared?

Human Net
John G., Sandia National Laboratories

Drop me a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts on how all of this could work in the emergency management world of wildland fires, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, etc.

Thanks!

Humbly,

Collabman

Tropical Storm Barry

National Guard Joint Operations Center
Camp Beauregard
Pineville, La.
Photo by Sgt. Noshoba Davis
10 July 2019

Yesterday afternoon, just after publishing my latest post Anyone Talked to the Analysts?, I took a quick look at Tropical Storm Barry and the preparations that were underway. One of the items that caught my attention on social media and numerous news outlets was the reporting that up to 3000 National Guard troops had been mobilized. All of this is in support of the state of emergency declared by President Trump, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts ahead of the strengthening of Tropical Storm Barry. The request for federal assistance came from Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards who had declared a state of emergency in Louisiana on 10 July. 

A quick look around the web shows the stand-up of various command posts and operations centers all across Louisiana. The photos below, posted on DVIDS and taken by Staff Sgt. Noshoba Davis and Master Sgt. Toby Valadie, show Guardsmen and their Leadership receiving operational briefings on Tropical Storm Barry. These photos caused me to wonder what the Human Net looks like within the Incident Command System deployed for this incident. 

National Guard Joint Operations Center
Camp Beauregard
Pineville, La.
Photo by Sgt. Noshoba Davis
10 July 2019

As expected, this is a massive effort involving numerous government and non-government organizations. Based on the photos on the web, there are a number of geographically-separated "operations centers" that have been activated. Lots of resources and moving parts to collaborate, cooperate and coordinate on - and they span a large area. I expect the speed of need for information is in high demand given the complexity of this incident. 

Put yourself in the shoes of the Incident Commander (IC) and others in leadership positions supporting this incident. I can't help but wonder what their situational awareness ( i.e., their state of mind vice a picture on a screen in the ICP) looks like? A challenge for sure...

Photo by Master Sgt. Toby M. Valadie
Baton Rouge, La.

11 July 2019

Photo by Master Sgt. Toby M. Valadie
Baton Rouge, La.

11 July 2019

I will be tracking this storm and response as it hits close for my family. Special thanks to everyone responding with support - I appreciate your efforts. I will be keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers. Stay safe!

Humbly,

Collabman

Anybody Talked to the Analysts?

The dust trail was thick as the convoy of four vehicles carrying precious civilian cargo rolled toward the HLZ. The sky was moonless on this night, the lunar cycle aligning by chance with this evacuation. So far, it appeared the Marines on the ground owned the night.

In the 24x7 command center, the oncoming junior analyst (Aaron) who had just arrived to sit the Analysis and Reporting (A&R) Desk, was coming up to speed by talking with his counterpart, quickly skimming the flood of emails waiting in his email tool and glancing at the digital visualization picture on the misnamed "knowledge wall." The items shared by the outgoing analyst, who was anxious to head home, included (1) status of the Ambassador; (2) movement of the convoy; (3) status of the HLZ and helos; (4) projected timeline for the last of the Marine Security Forces to be wheels-up from the HLZ; and (5) a veiled reference to a rumored threat in vicinity of the HLZ. 

The analysts exchanged some parting best wishes as Aaron sat down to get immersed in the flow of information, feeling somewhat overwhelmed as he was coming in from a three-day break. During pass-down with his counterpart on console, the rumored threat reference caused Aaron's "spidey senses" to tingle and his mind to think hmmm. His current Situational Awareness (SA) was focused on what had happened and is happening. Not much of what was shared during pass-down spoke to the future and an understanding of any options if threats appeared. Aaron's SA could best be described as single-viewpoint and poor since each supporting element had systematically defaulted to stove-piped, point-to-point communications using email and phone calls. Cross-talk amongst the teams? It was limited at best. 

Aaron swiveled in his chair and quickly picked up the phone. Like sands through the hourglass, he could feel an opportunity slipping away.

Back at HQ, the three-person analytical team was head-down sifting and scanning the flow of information to identify threats to the convoy and helos inbound to the HLZ. The phone came to life on the desk of Jack, a senior analyst who picked-up after the third ring and with irritation in his voice, curtly identified himself. On the other end of the phone he heard "Hey Jack, this is Aaron at the command center A&R Desk - I have a question on this unconfirmed threat you guys sent out awhile back - can you talk for a minute 'cause this looks eerily familiar to me."

The analytical teams in the command center were making final preparations for the upcoming brief to the Ops Commander. The convoy was still 20 minutes out, its overwatch still on station. Radio comms on the lead helo crackled asking for an estimated time of arrival for the birds...

To be continued...

Single-viewpoint SA - John G.

Single-viewpoint SA - a challenge for any 24x7 watch center like an Incident Command Post, State Emergency Operations Center, Tactical Operations Center, etc. and something that is not done with malicious intent. My experience has shown that organizational culture is typically a driving factor. When asked why, a classic response is usually: that's just how we do things here. The point I want you to remember is shown in the graphic to the right: Single-viewpoint SA is important but insufficient in a complex, adversarial context. Why? An individual or a single team simply cannot reconcile contradictory information and multiple causes and effects. 

The solution?

Using the Human Net concept you build an online collaborative environment (typically chat channels) were people can talk to each other in a team of teams setting. John G. describes it as "rapid dialog with people whose mental model of the situation are correlated but slightly different." Thus, the quote at the top of this post - "Anybody talked with the analysts about what they are really thinking?" What do we know, what don't we know, what do we think?

Additionally, single-viewpoint SA can be minimized within the Human Net through application of collaboration tradecraft and behavior. As John G. shared, humans are very good at mimicking the behavior they see. Imagine a team of skilled, trained online collaborators modeling the behavior built on the cycle: observe, share, discuss and if appropriate, act. Simple and it works. I have witnessed countless exchanges from new folks in a chat channel where they were mimicking this behavior they observed over time. Basically saying, "I see how this Human Net works, I can do this too." Following that behavior comes praise and encouragement from the facilitator and others in the chat channel which encourages more of the same. Over time, you begin to build a high-performing team of teams where this type of tradecraft and behavior is the norm. Yes, this actually works and I have been part of a team were the Human Net, using enabling technology, got us "left of bang."

What are your thoughts? Share a comment below and thank you!

Preview of Coming Attractions: Up next, the rest of the story and a look at the changes that were made to address the AAR findings. Any guesses on what came out of all of this?

Humbly,
- Collabman

Too Late...

The evacuation of the Ambassador and remaining staff at the embassy was well underway despite the compressed timeline that came out of nowhere. Elements of the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force were beginning to load up embassy staff and their belongings in up-armored vehicles for transportation to the Helicopter Landing Zone (HLZ), which had been established by the Marines approximately 5 kilometers from the embassy. Sunrise was still a few hours away and the on-scene commander would use the cover of darkness to minimize the threat to his personnel, equipment and helos. A team of Marines would stay behind and turnout the lights before heading to the HLZ to catch the last helo out. Overwatch for any threats along the pre-planned, primary vehicle route was ongoing and had been for the last 72 hours. The Marines who secured/prepared the HLZ had radio'd in that the zones were secure and helos were inbound. Everything seemed on track for an uneventful evacuation.

In the 24x7 command center, the flow of information remained elevated and for many they were challenged to absorb it all, let alone make sense of it. Resources were stretched thin but they were doing the best they could to keep up. Additionally, the supporting organizations physically situated in the center, along with those connected at times via email and/or phone, were struggling to maintain a clear, unified situational awareness (SA) picture using their digital displays. Bogus icons and tracks with inaccurate metadata complicated the picture. In fact, what came out in the after action review (AAR) clearly showed that very few (if any) had a complete mental SA model, nor an ability to think through and discuss with the entire team what had changed, what could happen next and are we still prepared? Further adding to the fog, key support units had experienced power outages and their updates were becoming stale by the minute. One additional ankle biter for the commander and her leadership team were the intermittent and garbled comms with the Marines on the ground at the embassy. Was Murphy's Law in play? Did they see any of this coming? What challenges did the exercise scenario include? Another AAR item of note called out the tightly scripted, unimaginative evacuation exercise that didn't include any of the curve balls being thrown at this team. #trainlikeyoufight

Little did the commander know that her SA from the command center was also somewhat broken and garbled. 

Thirty minutes prior to the execute command being given, sketchy, unconfirmed information had been pushed out using numerous email aliases or called in to positions on the command center floor. This information, which originated from a variety of respected organizations, was fragmented at best and incomplete in every email chain sent and phone call placed. However, the information contained a reference to a possible threat in vicinity of the primary HLZ. These fragmented pieces of information were noticed by a few representatives in the command center but given they were unconfirmed, of unknown credibility and appeared disconnected from the digital SA picture on the knowledge wall - the information was initially ignored. One team lead told his analyst to wait until a credible, vetted, polished update was sent before sharing as he didn't want to get everyone on the floor all spun up. A second lead who put eyes on the information, did not feel comfortable sharing unconfirmed, though possibly highly-valued information with the commander and Marines at the embassy. His training had always emphasized the view that you share the right information, to the right customer, at the right time so they can make the right decision. This fleeting opportunity would soon be gone, washed away by the chop chop sound of the blades from the inbound helicopters.

To be continued...

Take a moment and review the storyline above. In your view, what were the critical decisions and behaviors that unfolded in this scenario that would enable the "too late" model to play out? I wonder - are there challenges like these during a major, complex wildfire or weather-related incident? Share your thoughts in a comment - I would love to see them.

Too late. For those who have worked in a command post or operations center (or similar venues in emergency management), I think you would agree that those two words cut like a knife. Especially when spoken by a commander during an AAR. Yes, that key piece of information that was noticed but shared too late or not shared at all. #ouch

Consider the graphic below, built by Jolt a number of years ago to highlight one of the challenges of sharing information. The y-axis represents the value/quality while the x-axis represents time. That critical, yet uncomfortable information action zone (for many) is highlighted in yellow - where information is of low quality but could have high value to commanders and down-range units. What if this unconfirmed information had been identified with the appropriate caveats, sourced, put in context of where/when and shared for discussion? What if?

Of course in a perfect world we would all love to wait for information to be polished and in the 95+% confidence arena before sharing - what we would call the information comfort zone. That's where our traditional priorities push us. Granted, to some there is great value in that information, but for others like a commander is it simply too late?

Too Late Model - Jim H.

Preview of Coming Attractions: Single viewpoint situational awareness is necessary but insufficient in complex, adversarial contexts. The quiet, uneventful evacuation was about to get messy and the digital SA visuals on the knowledge wall were not going to be of much help.

Stay tuned...

Humbly,
Collabman

Who Can We Talk With?

The embassy is in shut down mode and preparations to evacuate are at a fevered pitch. A decision was made a few hours ago by the US Ambassador that the threat was credible and it was no longer safe to stay in the embassy - an attack appeared imminent and it was time to go. The Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force, which had been put on alert 96 hours earlier, was on scene at the embassy and quickly moving through their check list. Hold fast - word just came down that the execution plan had been accelerated and time was of the essence - the embassy needed to evacuate now. The speed at which all of this was moving was unexpected and caught many by surprise. 

During the planning phase "life safety" and the tracking of embassy personnel and hardware was priority one. Numerous organic air, sea and ground assets utilizing state-of-the-art sensors and platforms were in the fight providing overwatch and support. Nothing had been left to chance for this evacuation. 

It is 3am in the morning and the timeline had been moved up - way up. The questions remain: (1) What has changed?; (2) What could happen next?; (3) Are we still prepared?

The 24x7 command center, responsible for maintaining situational awareness (SA), providing threat warning, coordinating resources, deploying assets and updating leadership is challenged to keep pace and make sense of the information flowing through their comms pipes. At the desktop level, they are drowning in a vast and fast data tsunami. As one senior leader commented during the after action review (AAR), the command center did not need more data or information, they needed a way to efficiently share/discuss the information and rapidly make sense of it all. What did it mean, why was it important, what could happen next? In effect, they needed to make the knowledge leap (see the graphic below).

Tempers flared in the command center as the flow of information was almost overwhelming. Collaboration was fractured, piecemeal at best. In fact, it more closely resembled coordination and cooperation than collaboration. Information sharing had become stove-piped. Many were burning up the phone lines and/or firing off a flood of emails, none of which included everyone who needed to see the information to do their job. How could someone even begin to truly know who needed to see their information since so many were supporting the operation? A number of those working in the 24x7 command center were noted with two phones active simultaneously, one on each ear. Regardless, they just couldn't keep pace with what was happening. Things were moving too fast. The opportunities were fleeting and more importantly - being missed. Point-to-point communications (aka email and telephone) had taken over, but were they effective? Did leadership have a clear picture of the situation and an understanding of what was expected next? What was being missed? More importantly some were asking who can we talk with to help with our gaps and unknowns?

Wisdom Hierarchy
John G., Sandia National Laboratories

Make no mistake, the fog of war in this fast-moving situation is forever and cannot be engineered away. This story will be continued...

Good morning and happy Monday. Hopefully that evacuation scenario stirred your imagination and resonated with a few of you working emergency management.

Vast and Fast - words that paint a clear picture of the data stream that typically accompanies a major incident. Those words were linked to this challenged by Jim H. (aka Jolt), an experienced, seasoned, senior collaboration facilitator who I have had the opportunity to work alongside during numerous crisis situations. Why is all of this storytelling important? As John G. observed/documented, more data often does not reduce situational complexity and ambiguity. Rarely is the lack of data or information the challenge. JG asserts in a number of his briefings that top-down solutions involving:

• More data
• More hardware
• More software
• More bits of precision; and
• More quantification

...are simply insufficient.

Yet, everywhere I look I continue to see the emphasis on these areas alone, which are important...but won't help with understanding and knowledge. 

Surprisingly, what was needed by the command center supporting this evacuation was a light-weight, simple, bottom-up solution: the Human Net, built around informal interaction via a continuous chat environment supported by other social media technologies. All of which was guided by a trained collaboration facilitator working to connect people. Just imagine if this online chat space had included sensor operators, planners, individual brokers for down-range elements sharing live updates, analysts, logistics personnel, supporting elements, etc. 

Today, Department of Defense (DOD) teams (and other agencies and organizations) routinely operate this way using the Human Net during complex, fast-moving situations. As a Commander, why wouldn't you want this powerful, force-multiplying concept supporting you and your team?

I can't help but wonder if the Human Net could assist with wildland fires, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief or even your business organization that is struggling with connecting people?

Preview of Coming Attractions: As the story unfolds, another challenge appears - the tactical responsiveness needed to support the accelerated evacuation timeline has inverted the command centers traditional priorities. Now what?

Stay tuned...

Humbly,
- Collabman