Dickmann, John

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Ph.D. Program2008Poster SessionESS MIT ESDOperational Flexibility in Complex Enterprises:Case Studies from Recent Military OperationsJohn Dickmann, Ph.D. Candidate Thesis Committee: Dr. Joel Moses, ChairDr. Kirkor Bozdogan; Dr. Joseph Sussman; Dr. Daniel WhitneyStart date: September 2003Research Group:  LAI• Problem:  DoD’s desire to use networks and information toenable flexibility presents key challenges:Military operations are complex, high-paced, socially driven, technically enabledsystems that are difficult to predict and to controlHierarchical structures and the need for accountability create a continualtension between local (operational/tactical) and system-level (strategic)optimizationCurrent approaches mainly address narrowly focused, lower level problems anddo not address issues that can aid ex ante design of enterprise flexibility• Solution:  focus on system-level attributes and propertiesFlexibility is a property of increasing utility in military operations and other largescale systems (manufacturing systems; regional economies; corporatestrategies; complex engineering systems)• Knowledge GapsRole of architectureRole of hierarchical relationships in creating system level propertiesRole of multi-level lateral interactions in enabling flexibilityLittle thought to explicit design of complex enterprises–“What is the relationship between architecture andflexibility in complex enterprise systems?”–“How do we design flexible enterprises?”Meta-analysis of primary andsecondary research usingarchitectural framework andmodel development.  Extensionof previous ESD case studyresearch on combat airoperations.(Kometer, ESD Ph.D., 2005)Motivation / Problem The ResearchMethodologyKey Question(s)John Dickmann401 225 3511jqd@mit.edu• Hierarchical architectures with lateral interactions at multiplelevels are more flexible than traditional tree-structuredhierarchies ad hoc lateral interactions at the tactical level enable flexibility but cancontribute to loss of coherence Layer violations can result in unintended outcomes• Lateral interactions at higher levels of the enterprise areimportant to maintain strategic coherence Where lateral interactions at high levels failed, did not exist, or were by-passed, either operational problems developed or tactical/operationallevel flexibility was inhibited (Desert Storm, Kosovo, Afghanistan)• Lateral interactions at lower levels are required to gainoperational and tactical flexibility in uncertain and fast-movingoperations• Architectural framework and the flexibility metric enablessystem level comparative analysis of flexibility along aspectrum of possible operational enterprise architectures• Layered hierarchical approaches provide a powerful designtool for operational architectures and present a potentially richsource of insight to many challenging enterprise problems• Architectural perspective builds upon and extendsprocess-based analysis of Kometer• Simple flexibility metric requires further explorationwith higher fidelity data  may provide an enterpriselevel design variable that avoids excessive specificitybut provides enough clarity to support design ofenterprise architectures• Potential applications to other complex operationalproblems such as health care and defense acquisitionResults/InsightsWrap up910168Paths(root to bottom)8Add edge (2,3)1Add edge (1,12)2Add edge (1,5)-BaseIncreaseabove baseStructure12 34 5 6 78 9 10 11 12 13 14 15Operational flexibility in complexenterprises is enhanced by lateralinteractions at multiple system levelsArmy and Air Force architecturein second Iraq WarFlexibilityCombat AirOperations(1990-2003)SystemPropertiesTechnical Systems +Organization Structures =Enterprise• Number of alternatives in a system is a measure of flexibility• Flexibility can be enabled in an enterprise by explicit design of theenterprise architecture using a layered structure with a mixture of lateraland vertical connections

Operational Flexibility in Complex Enterprises: Case Studies from Recent Military Operations

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Operational Flexibility in Complex Enterprises: Case Studies from Recent Military Operations

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