O Group update

Way, way, way back in the early days of this blog (OK, barely a year ago) I wrote a post about O Groups based on my experience as an Artillery Battery Sergeant Major (BSM).  It is now time for an update.

This weekend my brother, who is a Company Sergeant Major (CSM) in an Air Force command, told me that these days O Groups are delivered via email while in garrison.  What does this tell you outside of the fact that being a Sergeant Major runs in my family?

The purpose of the O Group is efficient information dissemination.  They manage through a single, clearly written, one way email O Group to direct the activities of a large organization (300+ persons) for a period of time that can stretch to many days.  Wouldn't you just love to get this efficient?

Think about it a little.  How many meetings does it take in your organization to get 5-10 people organized and executing effectively for a couple of day?  How much time gets consumed running the meeting, the meeting to clarify the meeting, the meeting to get people back on track, etc.?  Don’t forget the time to write the minute and doing the old back and forth with everyone.  Of course you enjoy those meetings, don’t you?

I say have an O Group, kill a meeting…

What do you think?  As always questions and comments are welcome.

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Comments

[William Nichols]

What you describe sounds fine for single point broadcast, but doesn't address conditions where response is needed, others must share information or organize offline one-on-one exchanges.

[Patrick Richard]

Bill,

Thanks for your comment and you are right, it doesn’t satisfy all the communication needs of a project or organization. An O Group is sure to cause another O Group to be initiated with a different audience. The military uses situation reports or SITREPs to communicate information back up the chain of command. O Groups flow down and SITREPs flow up.

If I go back to the Artillery analogy to illustrate the whole chain; the General conducts his O Group and that triggers O Groups at the Regiment, Battery, and eventually gun crew level. The information required for a soldier to do is job flows from the top leader in anywhere from 6 to 7 targeted communications that take place in a very short time span.

O Groups are sufficient to “steer the boat” and in that regard they have a great quality; they separate the command from the control. The control is achieved through regular SITREPs that are issued as needed, routinely, or as requested.

[Bill Nichols]

Patrick,

Do you have any examples or anecdotes from a business context. It seems plausible, but I can't think of any good examples I've seen, that senior management could use this approach to provide feedback, alerts, or share status on important events.

[Patrick Richard]

Bill,

Sorry for the long delay in responding.

I do not have an example from civilian life but I believe the approach taken by what is basically a military service delivery organization is directly transportable to civilian endeavors.

Business loves analogies until the time comes to put them in practice. Maybe I'm just being sarcastic but maybe I'm right.