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Steve RoweNavy Center for Innovation

Innovation Campaign Division ChiefNavy Warfare Development Command

07 May 2013

Navy Innovation Campaign Overview

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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

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An enhanced Navy culture of innovation can address these challenges

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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

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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

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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

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February-March 2013Online Crowdsourcing

• Objectives, tools and audiences must be aligned

• Need menu of tools (with supporting policy)

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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

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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

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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)

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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)

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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.

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Questions?

Visit the Navy Center for Innovationhttps://www.nwdc.navy.mil/ncoi/default.aspx

Email us at: NWDC_NRFK_INNOVATIONS@navy.mil

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R. Steven RoweInnovation Campaign Division Chief

(757) 341-4309, DSN 341-4309Robert.s.rowe@navy.mil

Robert.s.rowe@navy.smil.mil