The independent group empowers junior leaders to share their ideas across organizational silos, organizer says.
« I wanted to bring TED to the military, » said Ben Kohlmann, a fighter pilot and member of the Chief of Naval Operations’ Rapid Innovation Cell, which allows junior leaders to find and implement innovative solutions.
The popular technology, entertainment and design (TED) conferences and online TED Talks started as a way for speakers of different disciplines to share ideas. Last year, Kohlmann helped launch the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum (DEF) at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business as a TED-like event that also incorporated elements of popular startup weekends, where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to judges or investors. DEF is not affiliated with the military or government but allows military members, government workers, academics and entrepreneurs to convene to solve the most difficult problems they face, he said.On June 14, 757 Makerspace in Norfolk hosted the forum’s third event called DEFxHampton Roads that included lectures from potential military mentors, a veteran business owner and an entrepreneurial expert. Throughout the day, participants — primarily military or government personnel — were tasked with identifying a problem in a typical day, generating possible solutions and finally building a prototype or plan for the best solution.
« I know in my heart, I believe, there are other people like me who are just as frustrated at having brilliant ideas but having no one listen to them, » Darryl Diptee, a Navy information technology worker in Norfolk who helped organize the local event.
About 250 people across the country participate in DEF, he said. The purpose is to build relationships that break down barriers among agencies and to empower junior leaders to share new ideas within their organizations.
For example, Diptee is developing a smartphone app called the « Emotional Vitality Assistant » as a way to help deployed troops or other military members connect with chaplains or other vetted listeners in a Facebook-like way that allows for « interactive journaling. » He conceived the idea when he co-wrote a paper on military suicide last year following a Naval Postgraduate School course that called on students to solve wicked, or the most difficult, problems.
« My passion is social entrepreneurship, » Diptee said.
During the first DEFxHamptonRoads, one team pitched an idea to incorporate information on available innovation resources in training from boot camp on up. Another team pitched an app that would collect patient feedback to get a snapshot on what’s happening in Veterans Affairs hospitals, which is where The Washington Times reported Tuesday that 1,000 veterans lost their lives due to subpar care.
« What the forum does, it tells Naval sailors that are brought up in a highly regimented organization that it’s OK to think, » said Capt. Jon Rodgers, whose 26-year Navy career included command of the USS Ponce, which was converted from a transport dock ship to an afloat forward staging base to avoid decommissioning in 2012.
Converting the ship required scavenging for parts to outfit it. Rodgers, who was the first commanding officer for the Ponce when it deployed to the Persian Gulf, thanked the Hampton Roads shipbuilding craftsmen who « assaulted that ship and got it ready to go. » In an experimental move, the ship was manned by Navy sailors and civilian mariners. Rodgers said it took the ingredients of entrepreneurship to blend those two cultures. (Earlier this year, the Navy announced it would test a laser system prototype on the Ponce.)
« You don’t do this without an open mind, » Rodgers said. « This was an unscripted challenge for a lot of people. »
Rodgers said he didn’t have any independent groups like the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum when he was a junior officer, but like with his Ponce experience, he understands the need to deviate from the norm and nurture an idea to execution. He’s looking for young entrepreneurs to join his crew when he takes command of the USS Somerset in San Diego at the end of the year.
« Everybody wants to feel relevant and be able to think and act on their thoughts, » Rodgers said. « As a leader, if you allow that, you inherently raise the morale of the organization. »
Kohlmann, now stationed in Norfolk, shared his story during a regional TEDx conference, which is independently organized with licensing from TED, in Norfolk on Friday. Before DEF, he started a Disruptive Thinkers group in his living room in San Diego.
« I’ve always believed if you can’t find an organization you want to be a part of, simply create it yourself, » Kohlmann said at TEDx. « It’s the power of these young officers who have incredible ideas that we need to harness. »
Source: www.dailypress.com
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