Navy Innovation Campaign - Energizer Lightning Talk
10
UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Steve Rowe Navy Center for Innovation Innovation Campaign Division Chief Navy Warfare Development Command 07 May 2013 Navy Innovation Campaign Overview
description
This presentation was delivered by Steve Rowe of the Navy Innovation Center, Navy Warfare Development Command, on May 7 as part of GovLoop's Career Energizer Event.
Transcript of Navy Innovation Campaign - Energizer Lightning Talk
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Steve RoweNavy Center for Innovation
Innovation Campaign Division ChiefNavy Warfare Development Command
07 May 2013
Navy Innovation Campaign Overview
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Why is the Navy Focusing on Innovation?
• The Challenge– Global proliferation of advanced technology is closing our
advantage over potential adversaries– Reduced budgets mean many proposed solutions will be
unaffordable
• Increasing the pace and scope of innovation will yield more, and potentially more affordable, solutions, allowing us to maintain our warfighting edge
2
An enhanced Navy culture of innovation can address these challenges
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Easier Said than Done: Roadblocks and Resistance
• Junior leaders perceive senior leadership as unreceptive to new, disruptive ideas
• No time in workday remains for innovative tactics development
• Limited resources allocated for new ideas in fiscally-constrained environment
• Lack of incentives exist to innovate
• Policies not in synch with current techniques and technologies
3
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
The Innovation Campaign:Mission, Goals, Efforts
• The mission: Improve warfighting capabilities by reinvigorating and sustaining a Navy culture of innovation
• End State Goals:– More strongly embraces
innovation– Reap the benefits of new
ideas– Leverages new technology
developments
• Lines of Effort: How we are trying to do it– Major Innovation
Campaign Events– Fleet (headquarters) and
Waterfront Engagement– CNO Rapid Innovation Cell – Virtual Presence
• Discussion and debate• Idea collection (harvesting),
refinement, and voting
4
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Major Events: What We Learned…So Far
March 2012Maritime Symposium
• Tested physical /virtual hybrid event
• Identified best practices and historical lessons
• Led to development of Innovator’s Guide
• Ways to become more creative
• Conditions conducive to innovation
• Ways to move ideas through complex organizations
• Contacts and resources
June 2012Junior Leader Symposium
• Senior advocacy needed to get an idea adopted
• Must embrace the unique strengths of the Millennial Generation
• Navy technology often makes life harder, not easier
• Innovation largely eclipsed by other duties
• Junior leaders dissatisfied with the personnel system
October 2012Pacific Rim Symposium
• Must move beyond major programs• Need compelling story and strategic
communications approach • Policy is often greatest barrier • Periodically revisit “failed” ideas
5
February-March 2013Online Crowdsourcing
• Objectives, tools and audiences must be aligned
• Need menu of tools (with supporting policy)
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
6
Fleet and Waterfront Engagement
• Develop partners at the “Fleet” (headquarters) and “Waterfront” operating force levels – Help understand requirements– Build stakeholder support for rapid innovation – Gather ideas and grow local (bottom up) solutions– Co-opt operators into testing innovative ideas
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
7
CNO’s Rapid Innovation Cell Disruptive Thinkers
• Select junior leaders to develop disruptive technological and tactical solutions that can be rapidly fielded
• Monthly virtual / live workshops • Small team (~ 12 junior officers)• Each member proposes and “owns” a
project – Laser communications– Shipboard 3D Printing– “Madden” Navy
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
What I’ve Learned
• All levels are important– Senior leadership advocacy and resources to turn ideas into capabilities– Middle management foster ideas and test / adopt small scale innovations (or
not)– Working level closest to the problems, less constrained by current paradigm
• It takes time to find what works…for each purpose and audience
– Still learning and adjusting 1 year into our innovation campaign
• It takes a network
– You’ll need expertise and support outside your own organization
– “Big” ideas often come from combining different perspectives (Medici effect)
8
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Navy Innovation Campaign Summary
• Top down (senior leadership) support• Defined goals with activities based on
strategy-to-tasks analysis • Collaborative – growing network of partners,
stakeholders and advocates• Adjusting as we go (and learn)
9
The Navy practices innovation on a daily basis – but we can do a better job of tapping the potential collective creativity of our personnel. Innovation will
become more important in the face of rapid change and financial constraints.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Questions?
Visit the Navy Center for Innovationhttps://www.nwdc.navy.mil/ncoi/default.aspx
Email us at: [email protected]
10
R. Steven RoweInnovation Campaign Division Chief
(757) 341-4309, DSN [email protected]
