Internal company communications and Bletchley Park
by Miki SaxonBack in 1998, when I left headhunting to start a company that coached managers on retention and hiring, ex client/retired CEO Al Negrin was the angel present at its [RampUp Solutions] founding. Since then, he’s served as Chairman and is an active contributor to PMC (and other products).
Since his retirement, in addition to RampUp, he plays golf (Tiger need not worry), takes Spanish classes, travels, and reads history (he’s a real history buff). He also occasionally sends really interesting comments stemming form something he’s read. Some are general, others specifically tie to RampUp’s MAP and I thought I would share them when apropos to this blog.
BTW, when he was working, Al frequently signed with his initials, when he retired he continued to do so, but changed them, he said, to reflect his new status. I leave it to the reader to figure them out.
“Miki, I recently finished the book Delusions of Intelligence: Enigma, Ultra, and the End of Secure Ciphers, R.A. Ratcliff, Cambridge University Press, 2006, on the famous British codebreaking center, Bletchely Park. During World War II, Bletchely Park was given credit for breaking the output of the famous German Enigma coding machine, and providing secret intelligence to help (some say to enable) the war to be won. This book concentrates more on strategic and organizational concerns (there have been many other books on the exact technical methods employed to break the German ciphers).
Bletchley Park was organized as we [RampUp Solutions] have suggested modern corporations ought to be—with wide dissemination of information and strong delegation of authority. The book offers the opinion that this, as much as the genius employed in cracking the codes, was responsible for the British success. Here’s some quotes from pages 229 – 230:
“The very organization structure and culture increased the probability of [British] success. The insistence that analysts see the big picture fostered cooperation and collaboration. Section heads encouraged the flow of information across service lines . . . They offered everyone a view of how their own work fitted into the big picture and solicited from everyone suggestions for improvement . . .
“Along with knowing one’s position in the big picture came considerable autonomy. Although their financial allocations and external operations did require official approval, the [staff] pursued their attack on enemy codes as they saw fit. [Problems were] defined broadly and staff were given considerable leeway in the attempts at solution . . .
“A remarkable amount of autonomy filtered down even to the lowest ranks . . . [Bletchely’s management] encouraged everyone . . . to collaborate and brainstorm ideas for improvement. Initiative was assumed. This diffusion of autonomy and information produced powerful results. Not just cryptanalysts but log readers learned to [search for clues]. Young recruits produced remarkable solutions and innovations came from unexpected quarters.
“Bletchley Park and its success of World War II have become ideals and models for today’s cryptologic agencies.”
One wonders what it is that prevents so many companies from pursuing something that so obviously worked very well at Bletchley Park—in fact something that worked so well it is often referred to as one of the crowning achievements in human organization and effort. One wonders, why, instead of harnessing the power of informed and motivated employees, today’s management so often keeps employees in the dark and vigorously pursues and punishes any show of initiative.
— OF”
