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Disruptive Thinkers – Intrapreneurship or Entrepreneurship?

The war is almost over. We can’t have a bunch of cowboys running around making up the rules as they go along. The time is nigh to bring them to heel.

You may recall my recent comments on surviving as a disruptive thinker in conventionally minded organizations. Looks like folks on active duty are starting to consider what they have wrought and what a future military will look like.

Navy officer Michael Campbell has penned an interesting read, “Disruptive Thinkers: Intrapreneurship vice Entrepreneurship – Why this Distinction Matters” in which he asserts that entrepreneurs work outside the system and intrapreneurs work within the framework. I’ll throw in my two cents that anyone who has only served during wartime doesn’t have the length of view to see what things were like during the peacetime military. Lockstep adherence to the status quo is what we had. Even after the war began, unconventional thinking was looked at with suspicion by ‘company men.’ While the author suggests that the intrapreneur “puts the goals of that organization first,” so does an entrepreneur. He just looks outside the organization in order to make it better, and doesn’t allow the dictatorship of ‘good enough for government work’ to stifle his efforts. Rather, author Campbell vilifies the concept of entrepreneurship, writing, “failing as an entrepreneur in uniform can very well result in breaking a solemn promise between you and the American people.” Spoken like a future member of the board. For examples, he cites Lt Col Oliver North and PFC Bradley Manning. Laughable. He equates being a military entrepreneur with being a criminal. Too bad he didn’t suggest such examples as Gen Billy Mitchell.

I once had an O6 SF officer call me a used car salesman because he was threatened by my confidence, knowledge (as a mere O3, and an Air Force one at that) and ability to move in circles outside our organization to bring in new, enabling capabilities. What makes this completely outrageous is that this was in 04 and I worked in a future capabilities cell at a Theater Special Operations Command. If anyone should have been thinking outside the box, it was me. He was just very threatened by unconventional thinking. Then again, he was serving as a Chief of Staff and not a Group commander. I’d say the system had his number but that doesn’t mean that he couldn’t do damage outside of command.

Remember, bucking the system isn’t for everybody. You’ve got to decide if the juice is worth the squeeze. And, coming up with a new way to conduct arms room inventories doesn’t make you a disruptive thinker.

Please take the time to read the article I referenced. It is well worth your time and will give you insight into the future groupthink.

smallwarsjournal.com

And…make sure you keep up with disruptivethinkers.blogspot.com.

6 Responses to “Disruptive Thinkers – Intrapreneurship or Entrepreneurship?”

  1. jrexilius says:

    Damn good commentary. The military needs people to push the boundaries. If they can keep the innovation momentum they got started during ten years of war going during peacetime and draw down than we will be in incredible shape.

  2. Leo says:

    *High Five*

  3. Reverend says:

    And this type of thinking isn’t just military! Work in a huge corporation, they have kudos for the “invisible man” who just seems to be attached to a project, but never put his neck on the line. It kills me to hear some Big Wig Uppies say “Think outside the box”, but put everyone in a cubicle.

    Reminds me of a quote:
    It’s not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or when the doer of deeds could have done better.
    The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worth cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.

    Theodore Roosevelt

  4. Chuck says:

    There are quite a few career Os and senior NCOs (we’ll call them “dinosaurs” for lack of a better word) who have been outside of their comfort zone over the last ten years of war and constant deployments. Many of them can be identified by the large swatch of blank loop pile on their right sleeves. They are usually found in non-MTOE organizations but they are starting to creep back into MTOE units as the chances of being deployed diminish. Among this group, there is an intense nostalgia for the pre-9/11 Army of spit-shined boots, starched uniforms, zero tolerance, and training for the CTCs rather than actual combat. Those of us who have spent time in both Armies are beginning to see the handwriting on the wall and are keeping an eye on the exit signs.

  5. D Willy says:

    Dead on my friend!!! “Qui audet adipiscitur” ,?????? ??????? ?????????, Qui ose gagne ….it’s all the same WHO DARES WINS!