"Jointness is Goodness:" Robbins-Gioia Study Reveals Challenges and Road Ahead for DOD Joint Force Transformation.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A Robbins-Gioia study released today provides a snapshot of the progress made to date in achieving DOD joint force transformation. Eighty percent of those interviewed are involved in some type of joint program, and all participants said that joint programs will continue to evolve and increase over the next three years. But the study also identifies cultural and change management barriers that the DOD must overcome to fully optimize its collaborative efforts.

Based on in-depth interviews conducted with a cross-section of high-ranking officials from the U.S. military, Joint Staff, and civilian agencies, the study focused on identifying the challenges, management issues, and benefits of cross-agency cooperation, as well as best practices and recommendations to achieve the greatest benefit for the warfighter, which is the ultimate goal of joint force transformation. The study found that the ultimate goal of better serving the warfighter becomes possible when the logistics pipeline is streamlined and data and telecommunications are centralized for better, faster decision making.

Recommendations for a winning collaborative strategy were presented at a breakfast last December for survey participants and their colleagues. The top three recommendations included establishing a program management office to manage joint efforts; selecting the right people to drive change; and defining governance policies to mitigate an "us versus them" attitude. One survey participant remarked that while morphing into a single service is unlikely, the services are increasingly focused on seeing the big picture and joining forces to achieve results.

"We are deeply appreciative to the survey participants--both for their insights and for allowing us to distill and share them," said John Marselle, Robbins-Gioia CEO, in his opening remarks. "The promise and potential of increased joint force coordination are great. The best practices and recommendations that were identified will help light the path toward joint force coordination and cooperation for many years to come."

Kevin Plexico, executive vice president of operations from INPUT, a research firm specializing in the business of government, addressed the attendees. "The tightening DOD budget necessitates the streamlining of duplicate systems and processes," he said. "This is a critical driver pushing the move toward joint programs. The trend is here to stay and therefore must be done well."

About Robbins-Gioia

Robbins-Gioia is dedicated to delivering management consulting solutions to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Robbins-Gioia combines thought leadership, disciplined processes, industry-based knowledge, and integrated tools to help global customers optimize their business processes, accelerate change, and establish time, cost, and quality improvements to transform their businesses. For more information, please call Robbins-Gioia, LLC at [phone], or visit the web site at www.robbinsgioia.com.