The Life of a Boundary Broker...

Decker Fire burning on the mountain, Salida in the foreground-
Kimmie Randall, Twitter via KOAA News5, 2 October 2019

As I track the growth of the Decker wildfire in Colorado over the past 72 hours (using social media) there are a number of events that caught my eye:

• Significant Growth of the fire
• Mandatory Evacuations
• Colorado State Emergency Operations Center (SEOP) moved to Level 3 to provide support
• A Type 1 Incident Management Team is now in command

Decker Fire, Firefighter Update, 3 October 2019 -
Decker Fire Facebook Page

As a result, I couldn't help but wonder if there is an online, real-time collaboration enterprise supporting all the elements involved to include the Incident Command Post (ICP), Colorado SEOP, etc. and what collaboration chat tool they are using online to tip, cue, share and make sense of the flood of data and information coming at them? In my humble view, this is a perfect situation where an online Human Net could be a force multiplier. 

This also makes me think of the Boundary Broker Concept we developed within the Intelligence Community (IC) that numerous organizations implemented to navigate the world of online chat connecting IC and Department of Defense (DOD) personnel. 

What is a Boundary Broker in an online collaboration enterprise? I am glad you asked...

John G., Research Scientist, Sandia National Laboratories describes a collaboration broker in an online chat environment as someone "who can access the tacit knowledge of the organizational experts while protecting their time and working memory." 

Their role includes:

• Acting as first observers who sit on a team with first responders (analysts, subject matter experts, etc.)
• Using "persistent attention" while engaging in real-time collaboration to discover "situational awareness" and tipper information useful for <fill in the blank> communities
• Brokering information and making connections for customers - both internal and external
• Exchanging information with various organizations, to better understand recent, unfolding, and upcoming events
• Leveraging analyst’s expertise in an attempt to provide quick, accurate information in response to dynamic events

Take a look at the Boundary Broker graphic John G. developed:

Boundary Broker, John G., Research Scientist, Sandia National Laboratories

On the left are descriptions of the collaboration environment encountered outside of the Boundary Broker's organization. On the right is a look at their internal organization and the personnel they have access to in-person and/or via chat on a moment-by-moment basis. Very distinct environments that bring great mission value to the fight. Also, the return on attention (ROI) highlighted on the right-hand side of the diagram is described in the Power of Pull (Hagel, Brown, & Davison, 2010) as the "value we get for the time and effort we invest in focusing on someone or something."

What services can a collaboration Boundary Broker provide to an online enterprise internally and externally? As outlined by John G. in a pilot project (Collaboration Desk Officer) he directly observed and supported, a broker implements uniquely valuable services linking their organization with the crowd in the cloud that includes:

• Relationship service: Connecting people across organizational boundaries

• Questions service: Anyone can ask any mission-related question and get a response that taps the knowledge (not just information) of the community

• Gisting service: Quick, short but accurate situational summaries

• Caveating service: For a situation, make clear what is known, what is unknown, and what is currently thought

• Sensemaking service: For a situation, provide explanatory framework to organize evidence and explain inconsistencies

Additionally, a Boundary Broker can provide these services:

• Opportunity detection service: Identify and highlight external opportunities to assist
• “We’ve got a call for help in the operations chat room”

• Responder discovery service: Identify internal first responders (analysts, subject matter experts, etc.) in the organization to provide assistance
• For complex needs, the best solution may be group and individual self-identification, self-dispatch: “I know the guy who knows that”

• Resource discovery service: Identify sources for needs of internal personnel
• “Any other analysts working this situation right now?”

What are the effects a Boundary Broker can have externally and internally during an incident? Based on the pilot program John G. supported the implications include:

External effects

• Reputation
• Customer affinity
• Customer loyalty

Internal effects

• Fast, appropriate responsiveness
• Coordination
• Resource conservation and investment
• Saving time and effort
• Reduce stress of surprise

So, hear me out. What if...the Decker Fire was being supported by an online, real-time collaboration enterprise and a number of Boundary Brokers were active in the chat - basically serving as basketball point guards. What type of time savings and efforts could be achieved for the team of teams working this fire? How many surprises might be avoided?

“A point guard's job is to create scoring opportunities for his/her team, or sometimes attack the basket. Lee Rose has described a point guard as a coach on the floor, who can handle and distribute the ball to teammates. … Point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. A point guard needs always to have in mind the times on the shot clock and the game clock, the score, the numbers of remaining timeouts for both teams, etc.” -Wikipedia

Is this collaborative concept in action today? Maybe it is and I just can't see it. If not, please know this Boundary Broker concept is easy to train, coach and implement - and very cost effective. Let's talk...

Humbly,

Collabman