Innovation: Committees in Disguise

(Credit: Geralt/Pixabay)

(This is the second in a four-part series.)

LEADERSHIP

Last week I wrote on the necessity component of innovation. This week, we focus on leadership. The inspiration for this blog comes from a statement by Sean Roach Associate Deputy Director, CIA, Digital Innovation, in Blackbird - Legacy of Innovation.

"You can do a lot with a small team. In fact, you really want the smallest team possible. Over time, if you hire more and more people, they will do more and more good things for you; but you can lose agility and decision making, especially. You won't grow your people. They will self-select out of tough problems, and you won't groom the next generation to bring on the next kind of A-12."

Small Teams Versus Committee 

Since its inception in January 2002, the NWCG Leadership Committee has overseen the implementations of recommendations found in Report of the Leadership Task Group to the Training Working Team (February 2001).

Recommendation 13: Establish a standing group (e.g., Leadership Steering Committee) that will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the recommendations in this report. It is widely recognized that, regardless of their quality, reports alone do not accomplish change in an organization.

The Leadership Committee (LC) oversees all aspects of the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program, including this blog.

One of the first things the LC did was to create subcommittees and task teams. The LC was to oversee the effort to ensure the 14 recommendations from the report were completed and task teams were to get stuff done. As I reflect back upon the last 17 years, I cannot help but wonder if our roles of responsibility have become blurred and compromised of effectiveness and ability to innovate. (One outsider contends the high-water mark of the program was the release of Leading in the Wildland Fire Service.)

Somewhere along the way, a change happened and innovation stalled. Maybe it was the committee/subcommittee shuffle imposed upon the main group. Maybe it was completion of the original tasking. Maybe it was decreased funding. Maybe the leaders wouldn't let go. Maybe leadership development lost its allure. Maybe, maybe, maybe...

When I watched the Blackbird documentary, I began to ponder the following questions: 

• Are we suffering a slow "death by committee"?

Death by committee - "The slow, painful death of a project prior to completion due to its assignment to a committee. May occur due to squabbling, apathy, or a lack of individual accountability among the members." - Urban Dictionary

• Have we become "The Man"?

"The man - A reference to any sort of authority, be it the police, the government, the boss, or, in a more abstract sense, the general high- or ruling-class." - Urban Dictionary

Then I came upon Susan Mazzo's article "Is Your Team a Committee in Disguise." I think maybe, just maybe, the lines have become so blurred between the committee/subcommittee and the task teams. I began to wonder if our teams become committees in disguise or if our committee become a team in disguise. Here is what Susan had to say:

• Committee members participate and represent; team members promise and deliver on a shared goal.
• Just because you may be assigned to a team doesn’t mean you still can’t choose how you will participate.
• If you are on a team, you owe it to your team members to authentically choose to be a fully participating member of that team — or take yourself out.
• Committee members vote. Team members choose to align. 

Whatever the LC has experienced, we are determined to make the most out of shortcomings (including being vulnerable in this space). Sean Roche shared a great lesson for the LC to remember from his experience with the "Blackbird": 

Lesson Learned: The leader's job is to clear a path, to remove the obstacles.

Spoiler alert:  The last meeting provided clarity of vision and purpose. The LC once again has committee status and will focus on oversight. Innovation is happening and task teams are determined to make the future of wildland fire leadership development bright. You won't want to miss out on Wildland Fire Leadership 2.0!

Fast Forward: Stay tuned for our next installment on innovation—disruptions!

Rewind: If you missed the first blog in our series on necessity, be sure to check it out and watch the trailer for Blackbird - Legacy of Innovation.

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Pam McDonald is a writer/editor for BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development and member of the NWCG Leadership Subcommittee. The expressions are those of the author.