Catalyzing Change in Complex Organizations: The Department of Defense Office of Force Transformation.
详细信息
文摘
In 2001, the Department of Defense launched an effort to transform, or radically change, the U.S. military to remain ahead of would-be adversaries and fully execute the 2002 National Security Strategy. Its primary vehicle for doing so was the establishment of an independent office, the Office of Force Transformation OFT), charged with catalyzing change, in coordination with other major actors throughout the department. The office existed from 2001 until 2006, at which point it was closed for a variety of reasons and under mixed reviews. Although both military history and organizational theory provide some insights into the experience, neither provide analogous cases involving a small, independent office responsible for promoting change within an organization as large and complex as the Department of Defense. Therefore, prompted by the departments recent experience with OFT, the research presented here considers whether the office was successful at advancing its key initiatives. In doing so, it seeks to address the bureaucratic prerequisites to successfully promoting a change agenda and also to provide recommendations for the department or other agencies interested in pursuing similar agendas in the future. This dissertation reviews leading scholarly and policy research regarding military change, organizational theory, and defense resource management. Building on this review, it presents an evaluative framework and a series of key dimensions intended to address the primary research question and related policy questions. It then applies the framework to three leading OFT initiatives&mdash；Operationally Responsive Space, Project Stiletto, and Education for Transformation&mdash；and broadly to the offices portfolio. These cases are based on primary research, including twenty interviews with key participants serving both inside and outside of the office during the timeframe studied. The evaluation of these cases provides ample evidence suggesting that OFT was successful in advancing its leading initiatives. The research yielded findings that both confirm and elaborate upon existing scholarly research on topics such as the role of leadership, bureaucratic resistance, and the necessity of resources in motivating change. Key policy recommendations include emphasizing the role of senior leadership in providing vision and direction, the need for a balanced strategy demonstrating immediate results, and giving the change agent a formal role in decision-making processes.