Thinking to Win

[1.3VStall]

I have just lifted the following paragraph from the "Aerospace Insight" blog on the Royal Aeronautical Society's website:

"Sponsored by the Air Force Board Standing Committee and led by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford personally, T2W represents an intention to re-ignite Whole Force innovation culture for a ‘Whole Force’. I suspect that a key aim of T2W has been built around a perceived need to ‘apply’ Air Power more effectively today and to think more imaginatively about the needs of tomorrow through an attempt to better clarify focus, inspire innovation and in better advocating Air Power influence. T2W is physical, moral and conceptual in its design and as I suggest, is intended to create a culture of innovation within the Whole Force and to applaud and encourage the thinking power and opinions from all individuals."

Hmmm!

[MPN11]

Great buzzwords, Sir.

Does that mean "Get a grip of your sh!t and start thinking"?

PS: Was I ever in Whole Force?

[CoffmanStarter]

Here is the T2W presentation deck ...

CAS : Thinking To Win (http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/28DBDA58_5056_A318_A8AA043B147E9F02.pdf)

[Speedywheels]

Awards (http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/campaigning/awards.html)

Might be a contender for an award? :confused:

[Courtney Mil]

In my day, T2W would have meant (had text speak been invented then) Transition to War.

Maybe the change of definition has something to do with the need to try to refocus attention on the true purpose of the Armed Forces.

[Danny42C]

Seventy-one years ago, we didn't Think To Win - we just got on with it, and won.

[NutLoose]

Sounds all well and good... What can possibly go wrong... U.K. Plc flogging off the assets like the Harriers comes to mind..

[Pontius Navigator]

CM, with you there which may be why he went for that rather than TTW.

To use an old quote:

When you are up to your area in alligators it is difficult to remember your mission was to drain the swamp.

Decades ago, during the cold war when we were manned to establishment, we worked day to day and next week was a future problem, we didn't have the luxury of thinking ahead. Now your lean, mean, under manned . . . has time to T2W?

"OK boss, will do, next week all right while we think this through?"

[Danny42C]

"Well, when you haven't actually got an Air Force, I suppose the next best thing is to think about one!"

(This proposition is so bizarre that it is taking on the nature of a Caption Competition)

D.

[Kengineer-130]

I had the (Mis)fortune to attend the presentation at Shrivenham as part of the rent-a-crowd... I don't think I have ever seen so many people looking as utterly clueless about what they have just been told than "thinking to win".

It seemed to be a collection of buzzwords & management/corporate speak stuck together, which really didn't make much sense at all. I think the point was "do more with less".

[tartare]

What a crock of business b/s.
And I speak as a former head of corporate affairs with an MBA.
The job is simple.
Project force.
Kill people.
Or break their stuff.
Using aircraft.

[keith williams]

It seemed to be a collection of buzzwords & management/corporate speak stuck together,

Isn't that how he and every other senior officer got their jobs?

[MPN11]

I've now read the slideshow ... and it's even worse than the initial summary posted by 1.3VStall.

What a load of meaningless verbiage. I think Slide 6 is the worst ... In the future . . .
We will come up with better ideas, in time to make better choices.And how are we expected to come up with better ideas, Sir? How do you make that happen?

[Danny42C]

MPN11,

Answer came there none.

[Pontius Navigator]

MPN, like you I have now read it, fortunately brief if lacking accuracy or clarity. One thought is frightening.

Is he old enough to remember when we didn't have a phone in every office and signals took hours? We had to talk to each other albeit lines to Group were hard to get.

Urgent emails may be ignored because if they were really urgent they would have been sent last week!

So he is also saying "not invented here" is no reason to reject an idea.

[MPN11]

I have no doubt lots of innovative ideas will flood into assorted in-trays/in-boxes, especially from newly-appointed Stn and Sqn Cdrs. After due staffing it will be revealed that the idea has been mooted on a bi-annual basis for years/decades and rejected for [usually] the same reasons. It was the bane of my life at 11 Gp :(

However, I occasionally had the pleasure of drafting a response from SASO to a stn cdr referring the latter to his predecessor's correspondence on the same file reference. :D

Ah, PN, those happy days of long-distance comms. "Rothwell Haig, are you still working? ... CLICK." :mad:

[Hueymeister]

I wonder how many people have been tied up for months making sure the slides are the right colour, font and the message looks funky and modern...when they could have been better employed...employing air power n shizzle..really...what a load of honk...:(

[tucumseh]

I hope someone read it out as that font looks mighty small. I gave up after "re-ignition of our innovation culture". Does that include sacking those who blew out the flame? As everyone in MoD seems clueless about this, the cynic in me thinks someone about to retire will soon be working for the comoany who gets the contract.

[bobward]

They missed out the bit that we will ....'boldly go where no one has gone before...'

[Pontius Navigator]

MPN, however I can remember a startling piece of staff work out of 11Gp. At the time the F4 sqns at Leuchars with the Mk1 Phantoms had developed an entirely different code system from the southern Mk2 Sqns for practice intercepts.

No doubt there had been moves the years to get the sqns to agree common cause. However a wg cdr from Leuchars, posted to the staff, implemented the change wef - no warning, nothing. The Leuchars guys got airborne unaware of the change :)

OTOH, more recently, Air Cdre Support at Strike brought in New training facilities; there was no take up by the bomber sqns as they were not under command.

[Mogwi]

Not much of this "thinking" guff in '82 either. "Launch the wing and kill the bad guys" seemed to work. And yes, we did more with c*ck all - 21v180 springs to mind.

Flexibility, as I recall, is the key to air power and the key to flexibility is lack of forward planning. You can tell that I never did staff college.

[Danny42C]

..every cliché in the English language except "God is Love" and "Gentlemen, please adjust your dress before leaving".... [Churchill]

[BEagle]

Just what is this utter 'Thinking to Win' bolleaux supposed to mean?

And why the current enthusiasm for these silly motivational 'vision' phrases, such as 'Agile, Adaptable, Capable' and 'Thinking to Win'? It'll be 'Strength through Joy' and 'Arbeit macht Frei' next....

So glad I never rose above the rank of Sqn Ldr Spec Aircrew as I escaped all such cr@p.

[GlobalNav]

In the US, this is how some field grade officers rise to flag rank. We throw in a reorganization once in awhile, too, that helps. Colorful PowerPoint slides especially with animation help too. Keeps most everyone's minds off the substance. A big wave of this historically appears when we are at relative peacetime and no one needs warriors running things. When the balloon goes up, though, it becomes apparent that PowerPoint has little military value, warriors, who have no time for it or other politically correct claptrap, come out of the woodwork and we get on with it.

[MPN11]

I guess it's nice for us 'older persons' who have escaped from the system. Our leaders used to speak English, instead of 'Management Scribble'. The curse of the MBA strikes again?

I just hope that today's generation can make some sense of what CAS is talking about. I am, sadly, not optimistic. I'm saddened that this gibberish, along with all the cretinous new civvy-style job titles, is imposed on the guys/gals today.

"What do think of the show so far, chaps?"
"Bolleaux!"

[MSOCS]

It's encouraging innovation within the RAF. I fail to see the problem with that? Or is it the "way" that it's being encouraged that you old cantankerous codgers detest? Plus ça change! Don't worry though ye Dinosaurs! When the job needs doing, it'll once again be done with all the grit, determination and hallmarks of past heroics that you vaguely recall after 18 whiskies. It'll just be done smarter.

[CoffmanStarter]

I'm still trying to work out the Logo ... and struggling !

[MPN11]

I'm still trying to work out the Logo ... and struggling !I think they're supposed to be representative of neural synapses [ooh, get me!].

Has anyone emailed CAS to say we think it's cr@p?
>>> bottom of the slide show
CAS-AS CC [email protected]

[chinook240]

Every time I read "Thinking to Win" I think of
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/503257b184ae7fae2e6874d1/t/526858c5e4b05b8fbefaae72/1382570185463/The+Men+Who+Stare+at+Goats+%282009%29+-+Wallpaper.jpg?format=1000w

[Danny42C]

"Quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat"
"Those whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first make mad"

D.

[CoffmanStarter]

The RAS has had a crack at 'decoding' T2W :ooh:

RAS : RAF T2W a New Leadership Strategy (http://www.aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/4216/Thinking-To-Win-the-RAFs-new-leadership-strategy)

Thanks MPN11 :ok:

I thought more along the lines of an 'impressionist' interpretation of 'Young Boy Flying Ballon' :E

[GlobalNav]

To take T2W seriously for a brief moment (limited by my attention span) it seems that they are seeking out of the box thinking since they expect to employ some novel 21st century technology. Wouldn't wargaming be a good way to assess the possibilities of new capabilities? It can be helpful for highlighting strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. No guarantees, obviously, but maybe better than just scratching one's head.

[Fortissimo]

If this is aimed at enhancing the conceptual component of fighting power, surely it should be "Conceive to Win"? Both involve getting screwed anyway!

[MSOCS]

GlobalNav. T2W is a way (not the only way) to encourage a culture of innovative thinking by all. It is akin to the old but true mantra of, "Flight Safety is everyone's responsibility!", which was aimed at encouraging wider involvement and responsibility towards the air safety culture. To think of it as a solution or tool (a wargame) is to miss the point IMHO.

[GlobalNav]

MSOCS Thank you for clarifying that, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I was clearly too optimistic and humbly withdraw my suggestion. Clicking on PowerPoint.

[Sir George Cayley]

Sorry, is this the CAA we're talking about?

SGC

[PersonFromPorlock]

We had something similar in USAF circa 1970 called, IIRC, the 'Creative Officer Program'. The object of the program seemed to be to have a program with that name, and it eventually faded away.

[4everAD]

I'm sure this will get a stiff ignoring by all, well apart from those 'yes sir', 'that's a great idea sir' types. CAS needs to realise everyone's a little busy, he does know the RAF is in the middle of a manning crisis doesn't he?

[Krystal n chips]

"is intended to create a culture of innovation within the Whole Force and to applaud and encourage the thinking power and opinions from all individuals."


There is but one small flaw within the above.......the bit about offering an opinion which may be well be different to that of the recipient.....it can, and usually does, get a shade problematic thereafter.

It's always concerning however, when, senior management be they military or civilian decide to produce such presentations, because you have to wonder if there is more to come......and why.

However, you should be grateful for the omission of a recently viewed, and similar in content, proclamation to the masses ....

"Our centre of gravity is"......I kid you not.

[BEagle]

Even if 'Thinking to Win' is considered to be A Good Thing, it loses all credibility by being shrouded in the management wanqueword bolleaux which is so utterly despised by normal, sane folk.

Perhaps the PowerPoint should have included subtitles for normal readers?

[1.3VStall]

Dear CAS,

To summarise the views so far:

Please remove your head from your posterior orifice, start talking to your wonderful people in real English rather than wanqueword bolleaux and try to take the RAF back to being led by leaders and commanded by commanders - rather than being managed by "managers", fecked over by "executives" and shafted by "stakeholders".

If this proves to be impossible, perhaps I can recommend the following to your long-suffering servicemen and women:

http://www.heretical.com/miscellx/ww-print.html

[cornish-stormrider]

I can see a fortune to be made translating this managaameant crap into real words

[PapaDolmio]

So an organisation that requires a chain of command and that individuals follow a set of rules and processes is going to encourage free thinking, and deviation from established processes, along with being able to challenge openly and suggest alternatives to decisions made by seniors without fear of retribution?

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me (admittedly I've been out 4 years)

[Pontius Navigator]

1. CAS is tourex.

2. The baton has been handed to Air Cdre Harry Atkinson https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Atkinson_(RAF_officer)

Anyone remember a certain CAS who mandated the RAF adopt QNH vice QFE? That lasted how long after he left?

[4mastacker]

It seems nothing changes.

That presentation reminds me of the time the AMP's Liaison Team paid a visit to Scampton to deliver the message from 'on high'. When the Wg Cdr team leader had finished speaking, Jack Parratt, one of our Warrant Officers stood up and said to the Wg Cdr "WTF are they smoking in Main Building?"

After the presentation, one of the occupants of Hand Brake House "suggested" to Jack that he apologise for his comments. As Jack was in his final week at work before retiring, his response came as no surprise to anyone.

[MPN11]

4mastacker ... those are rare opportunities indeed. Glad Jack made use of the moment :)

Oh, and a tidier link than PN's ;) >>> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Atkinson_(RAF_officer)

I particularly likes "he attended the Royal College of Defence Studies for a year-long intervention regarding international relations and strategy.", which sums up the garbage being spoken these days. He's clearly afflicted already, poor sod.

*Other buzzwords also exist in that Wiki ;)

"capstone education" = RCDS = Big Boys' Skool
"strategic narratives" = talked about BIG abstract subjects
"leading tactical delivery" = sqn cdr

[PPRuNeUser0139]

I'm afraid whenever I encounter the "vision" word, I select the 6,000 yard stare mode..
What's wrong with having an aim..? FFS!:ugh:
In what way does the word vision improve upon having an aim..?

[MPN11]

You are clearly not a visionary, but merely a gnome who looks straight down the rifle sights.

A visionary would call in CAS, instead of just pulling/squeezing the trigger :)

[ExAscoteer]

But I thought CAS was Tourex?

[Wander00]

MPN11 - but then he was in PR before that so must have a degree in yuck-speak, if not a Masters

[Melchett01]

So if we have decided that thinking is good, and that implicit in the suggestion behind the T2W concept that we have expertise up and down the ranks, does that mean we're going to stop the outsourcing of thinking to consultants who seemingly know very little about what we do, but charge us a small fortune to tell us how to do it?

Probably not, but it would be a nice idea wouldn't it?

[Flap62]

Genius strategy.

You have a plan with the laudable aims of encouraging everyone in the RAF to think actively and laterally. You encourage every member to mentally challenge established methods and to suggest appropriate new strategies.

You then deliver this plan using language that is incomprehensible to 75% of the audience. What on earth are they thinking? Are they thinking? Who is advising these VSOs (not that they should need advice on getting a simple message across in plain English). What would this message mean to a 17 year old new recruit from Toxteth say? It will only resonate with the Sqn Ldr/Wg Cdr/Gp Cpt ranks who are already losing touch with reality and speak in this London-centric media babble anyway.

If you cannot communicate your plan to the audience then you should not be in that leadership role; applies to lead of a 4 ship all the way up to CAS.

[PlasticCabDriver]

I started at the "conceptual component" page. Didn't take long:

[Pontius Navigator]

So if we have decided that thinking is good, and that implicit in the suggestion behind the T2W concept that we have expertise up and down the ranks, does that mean we're going to stop the outsourcing of thinking to consultants who seemingly know very little about what we do, but charge us a small fortune to tell us how to do it?

Probably not, but it would be a nice idea wouldn't it?
You clearly haven't experienced the better class of consultants. They will consist of a team led by a retired Army colonel as figure head and window dressing and a PhD student who will 'thoroughly' research the project by interviewing you and your staff. They will then write a report stating what they think you told them and produce reams of data regurgitated from some JSP you already hold.

Your CoC will then require you to work through all this and you will have to correct and convert it back to useable form. Once done it will remain on your bookshelf until you're tourex and it gets thrown out on handover.

[CoffmanStarter]

And there speaks the voice of experience by the sounds of it PN ;)

[Melchett01]

You clearly haven't experienced the better class of consultants. They will consist of a team led by a retired Army colonel as figure head and window dressing and a PhD student who will 'thoroughly' research the project by interviewing you and your staff. They will then write a report stating what they think you told them and produce reams of data regurgitated from some JSP you already hold.

Your CoC will then require you to work through all this and you will have to correct and convert it back to useable form. Once done it will remain on your bookshelf until you're tourex and it gets thrown out on handover.

PN,

That doesn't sound too dissimilar to what I am working through at the moment. I was particularly impressed with the work that went into analysing manpower numbers and requirements - they just took a cut of the email global address list based on whoever happened to have my unit's name in their email and the abbreviation for my team. Funny old thing, it bore no relation to reality and they got upset when I kicked it back as a load of tosh.