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(U) Write Right: Management Theory Applied to Reporting
FROM:
of the Reporting Board (S12R)
Run Date: 09/19/2005
(U) "Peel" -ing back old habits to avoid "slip-ups"...
(U) Instructors of reporting classes frequently report receiving
phone calls and e-mails from students complaining that "my office
doesn't do it the way you said we're supposed to" and asking for
arbitration. In some cases, the matter is a misunderstanding that
can be cleared up quickly, or the office in question has special
reporting instructions documented and approved in consultation
with policy organizations. In others, however, old habits , or even
urban legends, have contributed to misunderstanding of
official reporting policy.
(U) This is especially understandable in these times of great change
from a need-to-know world to a need-to-share one, but resolving
conflicting guidance requires that all concerned parties work
together to ascertain current policy and the rationale underlying it,
and establish procedures that conform to that policy (and, we
hope, keep the instructors apprised of results so that course
material may be updated if necessary).
(U) Cases in point are documented in the latest issue of The
Reporting Forum #003-05 in the lead article, "Fallacies of SIGINT
Reporting." Situations like this bring to mind the following
management-class parable:
Start with a cage containing five apes. In the cage, hang a banana
on a string and put stairs under it. Before long, an ape will go to
the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he
touches the stairs, spray all of the apes with cold water.
After a while, another ape makes an attempt with the same result - all the apes are sprayed with cold water. Turn off the cold water.
If, later, another ape tries to climb the stairs, the other apes will
try to prevent it even though no water sprays them.
Now, remove one ape from the cage and replace it with a new one.
The new ape sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his
horror, all of the other apes attack him. After another attempt and
attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be
assaulted.
Next, remove another of the original five apes and replace it with a
new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The
previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm.
Again, replace a third original ape with a new one. The new one
makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four apes
that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb
the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the
newest ape.
SERIES:
(U) Write Right '05
1. Write Right : Too
Much Redundancy is
Redundant
2. Write Right -SIGINT Myths: The
Traffic Fairy
3. Write Right : There
Is No Index of
Forbidden Words
4. Write Right :
Avoiding SIGINTisms
5. Write Right : A Note
on Validity Wording
6. Write Right : Brevity
Can Impede Clarity
(or, A Capital
Situation)
7. Write Right :
Opening the Traffic
Fairy's Packages
8. Write Right :
Management Theory
Applied to Reporting
9. Write Right : Give
the 'Key Points' Style
a Try
10. Write Right : Still
More on the Traffic
Fairy
After replacing the fourth and fifth original apes, all the apes that
have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced.
Nevertheless, no ape ever again approaches the stairs.
Moral: if you find your fellow apes attacking you when you go for
that banana, ask them why, and if they explain about the cold
water, ask whether anyone's checked with the primate-house
manager about the status of the cold-water-spray policy. If they
say, "because that's the way we do things here," look outside the
cage for answers. You'll be doing all the apes a favor.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108