Busting DoD Bureaucracy: Creating Fundamental Change by Leveraging Concepts and Practices from the Private Sectors

摘要

This paper explores ways in which it may be possible to reorient, restructure and reorganize the DoD bureaucracy. DoD's organizational structure and practices are in need of fundamental change. The Defense Reform Initiative that has been on going within the Department over the last several years does not go far enough nor to the root causes to create real change. Today's DoD bureaucracy continues to generate negative organizational effects such as: parochialism, misplaced loyalties, bureaucracy without an object, multiple layers of no value added staffs (and staff routines), endless reports and studies with little value, and gridlock. The basic managerial models and practices within DoD (public sector) are behind those used in business today (private sector). This paper will explore the possibility of altering some or all of DoD's organizational attributes, to include: centralized planning and control, a hierarchical structure, as well as mechanistic and sequential processes. Something needs to be done, to free us all from this malice, we ourselves, our routines, procedures and current organizational - managerial practices are the problem. The system itself facilitates parochialism, entrenchment, mediocrity, decay and inertia. Given these assertions as premises this paper will explore what can be learned and translated from the private sector's organizational structures and practices to cause a renaissance in DoD. Organizational schema as well leadership and managerial philosophies (practices) will be explored for their potential to contribute to a new DoD. Additionally, terms and conditions will be defined between the public sector and the private sector in order to explore, develop and frame the differences between the two sectors. This comparing and contrasting between the sectors is vital to understanding the overlap and exclusion between the two contexts.