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THE BRITISH ARMY INTRAPRENEURS’ NETWORK PROPOSALIssue1.The world is facing a period of great uncertainty, which requires a future force that is adaptable, innovative and creative. Many of the desired qualities are already present in serving personnel but these are not identified or harnessed, as there is a persistent culture of conformity present among the ranks. This current approach does not maximise the huge talent that is available across all ranks, from both the regular and reserve force. The British Army Intrapreneurs’ Network (BrAIN) is intended to enhance the innovative culture within the Army. It should seek to inspire, connect and empower millenials who will be the future force.Background2.“The most successful leaders restlessly innovate and sell innovation to their teams”. “Leaders at all levels must be creative in order to achieve surprise or to identify novel solutions”. In order to evolve the Army requires thinking personnel with agile minds who are able to provide creative solutions to problems. British military doctrine frequently refers to these requirements yet in reality individuals are finding themselves blocked by bureaucracy or a reluctance to change.3.The quick and easy solution to innovation and creativity is to buy it in from outside, but this costs the Army money and demotivates the serving employees who weren’t asked for their ideas before outside help was sourced. To highlight this further, it is often the case that the contractors hired in are ex-servicemen and women who got frustrated with the system, left to set up their own consultancy firms and are then asked to come in and pitch their ideas to the MOD.4.The Army has the capability to build a culture of innovation internally. There are many employees who are passionate about the future of the Army and who want to contribute to making it the best it can be. Too often these are the people who end up leaving the Army after they have become frustrated with the bureaucratic system. Providing these passionate individuals with an opportunity to contribute and have their voices heard may go some way to showing people that the Army is moving forward and is open to new ways of thinking. “If the Army ever wants to show its best that it wants to help improve the Army, it needs to allow them to voice dissent and propose changes. Doing so is not an act of disloyalty, it is the act of a professional trying to improve his profession”.5.Many organisations, including other militaries, are encouraging the incorporation of an entrepreneurial culture designed to harness the energy and drive of a start-up within the larger safety net of an existing organisation and framework. The intent for the BrAIN is to create a network of innovative thinkers who are able to challenge the status-quo in a productive manner. It intends to empower individuals within the organisation to take an element of ownership for the Army they will go on to lead in the future. 6.Defining intrapreneurship. Intrapreneurship has been defined as the “Successful adaptation of entrepreneurial attitudes and strategies inside of a bureaucratic organization”, or the “Implementation of start-up practices within a large organization, producing valued innovation”. 7.Defense Entrepreneurs Forum. The US has implemented the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum (DEF); this aims to encourage innovation and creative ideas from all ranks across Defence. “We believe that great ideas do not depend on rank and that creative problem solving cannot be developed rapidly. Today’s junior and mid-grade Defense professionals will be the future military leadership of this country”. a.DEF Australia (DEF-AUS) describes itself as “an association of emerging military leaders networked with senior mentors/sponsors”. It is “like a Defence Sporting Association – networking and maximising talent outside an individual’s appointed chain-of-command but with key sponsorship from within the chain-of-command”. b.DEF-UK is a partner of the US version of DEF, however, this group is not currently particularly active. Lt Skinner is engaging in discussions with the creators of DEF-UK to discuss what challenges they have faced in running the group. Lt Skinner is also seeking guidance from the other strands of DEF (DEF (US) and DEF-AUS) in order to discuss how they have made their versions successful. The BrAIN could bring together Service Personnel (both regular and reserve) with those from the civil sector to discuss ideas and propose innovative solutions to current issues. The BrAIN could then feed into DEF-UK once it becomes more established. The Army could lead the way with the BrAIN and champion a culture of innovation for wider Defence.8.Structure. In order to retain an authentic culture where individuals are able to challenge the status quo without it affecting their annual reports, it is vital that the BrAIN is primarily run by junior leaders but with the public support from senior leadership. a.In order to maintain the desired culture it is suggested that the BrAIN sits outside of the formal Army structure but with a ‘think-tank’ affiliation to the Army. Although it is acknowledged that this will require significant commitment from those involved in running it, this will only strengthen the intention for it to be a group of passionate and like-minded individuals with a desire to contribute to the future force.b.The BrAIN intends to open up a two-way communication channel between the ‘grass roots’ and senior leadership. It is vital that senior leaders publically support the BrAIN as they will be paramount in mentoring and guiding any new ideas through the institutional inertia to reality. c.Annual pan-Army conferences could be modeled on existing structures such as those demonstrated by DEF where the focus is on attendees discussing ideas rather than constantly listening to speakers.d.Smaller-scale events may also be run by motivated individuals who choose to organise their own discussion groups. These may be similar in format to TEDx events where groups meet and then share videos or documents online so others who could not attend are able to participate in discussions afterwards.Summary9.The BrAIN is intended to be a practical opportunity to encourage a culture of innovation and change within the British Army. The BrAIN is a forum for serving personnel to contribute to the development of the Army they will lead in the future whilst offering senior leadership a chance to identify, develop and mentor talented individuals across a range of ranks and cap badges. ................
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