2010 Annual Report - Institute for Defense & Business

2010 annual report17BTA Senior Executive Seminar on Business TransformationThe Senior Executive Seminar on Business Transformation is a custom-designed programfor the DoD’s Business Transformation Agency (BTA). Titled “Leadership & Innovation:Operators Driving Solutions,” this series of seminars is designed to bring DoD’s senioroperational leaders—General Officers and Senior Executive Service civilians—togetherin a collaborative environment to examine the challenges they face in achieving efficiencies throughimplementing defense business systems and to identify key leadership engagement approaches that candrive successful solutions to demanding operational problems.LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATIONAlso included in IDB’s Leadership and Organizational Transformationconcentration area is “Leadership & Innovation: Operators DrivingSolutions,” a DoD-sponsored seminar for senior leaders. If the Depotand Arsenal Executive Leadership Program provides tactical toolsfor immediate process and organizational transformation, then thisSenior Executive Seminar on Business Transformation is its strategiccomplement. This course exemplifies the strong alignment of thecore missions of the DoD’s Deputy Chief Management Office and itsBusiness Transformation Agency with that of the IDB, resulting in themost senior-level program in IDB’s portfolio.The DoD’s BusinessTransformation Agency(BTA) is tasked withguiding the transformationof business operationsthroughout the DoD anddelivering enterpriselevelcapabilities andefficiencies that alignto warfighter needs. Toaddress this dauntingLt Gen Bill Lord, Chief Information Officer, USAF,discusses the imperative need for cyber-awarenessblend of technology andchange - managementleadership challenges, BTA asked IDB to design a program to assistDoD’s senior operational leaders in guiding their organizations as BTAwas streamlining defense business systems. The result was “Leadership& Innovation: Operators Driving Solutions,” a week-long executiveeducation seminar focusing on leadership’s role in organizationalperformance, information integration and decision support tools, culturetransformation, business process efficiency, and emerging informationtechnology innovations. For the second year running, the programhas enjoyed support from the highest levels, with General JamesCartwright, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, issuing the invitationfor the program.Held at the Rizzo Conference Center in Chapel Hill, the March 2010offering of “Leadership & Innovation” attracted an impressive crosssection of DoD’s Flag Officers and SES leaders representing theServices, Unified CombatantCommands, and DefenseAgencies. The curricularsessions, which consistedof individual briefs andpanel discussions, focusedon information technology,cyber operations, andbusiness system acquisitionand implementation froman operator’s perspective.Former Central Intelligence Agency Director Gen MichaelNotable speakers includedHayden (USAF, Ret.) provides his perspective on leadingBTA Director David Fisher; transformational changeGen Duncan McNabb,Commander, U.S. Transportation Command; Gen (Ret.) Michael Hayden,former Director, Central Intelligence Agency; and the Honorable JamesR. Clapper, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.Significantly, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced in August2010 the disestablishment of BTA as one of the efficiency initiativesput in place to achieve $100 billion in savings over five years. This factnotwithstanding, BTA has allocated funds and plans are under way for athird offering of “Leadership and Innovation” in early 2011. This seminarwill focus on the imperative need for leaders to think differently aboutbusiness operations in order to reduce excess overhead and reinvest thesavings in force structure and modernization to support the warfighter.During 2011, the IDB will be working with DoD leadership to seek analternative sponsor for this important program.