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?
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| Wisdom Hierarchy John G., Sandia National Laboratories |
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
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