Welcome - Who We Are & What We Do
 

VISION AND MISSION

The Center for Collaborative Command and Leadership (CCCL) serves as the pivot for national and international training, practice, and research in collaborative interactions among leaders and teams of leaders in business, health care, administration, and governmental affairs. The primary goal of CCCL's activities is to improve organizational efficiency and efficacy of complex operations through collaboration based on actionable understanding™ and the Teams of Leaders (ToL) concept.

The Center is engaged in the scientific study, implementation, and practice of ToL-based collaborative leadership and command in both “steady state” operations and in turbulent settings of crises and disasters. CCCL focuses on:

  • ToL-based development of fully collaborating High Performing Leader Teams (HPLTs) tasked with addressing improvement of organizational efficiency and agility during steady-state operations in complex environments.
  • ToL-based development of Collaborative Command Leader Teams™ tasked with the development of organizational intent and support of collaborative execution of intent-based activities of the organization.
  • ToL-based management of organizational change.
  • Establishment of collaborating intra- and inter-organizational High Performing Leader Teams focused on ToL-based development of crisis and disaster-preparedness, response readiness, and recovery.
  • ToL training and education.
  • Research in ToL and ToL-related practices and innovation in collaborative HPLT interactions.

Depending on their target, all activities of the Centre can be performed at the local, regional, national and international setting in co-located, distributed, and mixed delivery setting.


THE ESSENCE OF ToL

Teams of Leaders (ToL) method is a novel and unique approach to the rapid building and operational employment of cross-boundary High Performing Leader Teams (HPLTs) that adapt together, learn together, make decisions together, and execute them together.

Individual HPLTs interacting within the ToL environment consist of already recognized leaders representing a wide range of, often, entirely unrelated organizations charged with the application of their expertise, experience, and resources – often of their entire organizations – to address a specific task of joint interest or significance. Collaborative Command Leader Teams™ consist of senior/executive level leaders whose principal task is formulation of the strategic organizational intent, mission definition and facilitation of mission execution and coordination across the entire operational spectrum of the organization. Command Leader teams collaborate but do not supervise HPLTs engaged in mission execution. Practically implemented, ToL promotes growth of shared purpose, trust and confidence among the collaborating individuals and teams – the attributes that are the foundation for the subsequent development of a clear, shared perception of the operational environment (situational awareness) and all of its requirements.

The final output of all of these interactions – actionable understanding™ – represents an operational state that binds all interacting teams together into collaborative and collaborating entities capable of unimpeded performance that is highly coordinated, purposeful, and consistently mission-focused.

Modern information technology such as decision support, social networking, simulation, geographic information systems, and logistical support applications play a critical role in enabling High Performing Leader Teams to implement actionable understanding faster, more efficiently, and guarantee “time = 0; distance = 0” parameters of execution of actionable understanding across global distances and multiple time zones.

 

SERVICES

DELIVERY OF EXPERTISE

The services of the Center focus on three areas: exploration, education, and delivery of expertise on all issues related to ToL-based collaborative leadership at the local, national and global level. The Center provides on-demand expertise to all governmental, corporate, and private institutions involved in activities demanding high levels of collaboration across boundaries of profession, organization, culture, and nationality. Services are offered both under conditions of day-to-day, routine operations, and on emergency basis, during “time is of the essence” crises/disasters.

Depending on the circumstances and the nature of the task in which the Center is involved, it can provide both in-house and deployable expertise targeted on the accelerated development of actionable understanding among all participating actors, and - through the implementation of such understanding – on the improvement of organizational efficiency and productivity.

Through implementation of ToL at client organizations, the Center can facilitate the process of change and limit the turbulence that often accompanies major shifts of the organizational profile of operations. ToL-mediated processes reduce inherent and often detrimental tensions and uncertainties among the involved parties, help to introduce new processes and activities in a manner that eliminates friction, and enhance the spirit of organizational innovation which promotes improved responsiveness to market, regulatory, or political pressure.

When involved in crisis-related situations, activities of the Center focus on ToL-based reduction of the most immediate consequences of the deleterious event, and the development of the most optimal paths toward full and speedy recovery of normal, steady-state operations.

As a part of all of its activities, the Center assists in the development of organizational adaptability, resilience to sudden changes in business environment, and on facilitation of collaborative interactions that enhance immediate responses to harmful contingencies.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Education of the new generation of leaders endowed with a thorough familiarity of the theory and practice of the Teams of Leaders (ToL) concept serves as a focusing element in the Center’s mission.  ToL-based education/training activities focus on the senior and mid-level executive personnel of federal, state, and local governments, and non-governmental (NGOs) and corporate organizations. Several of these activities are simulation-based in which “free-play” scenarios are used as the training substrate.Highly complex, advanced technology training platforms capable of providing globally distributed virtual reality (VR) and augmented-VR training environments are under current development by CCCL and its US, Canadian and French partners.

The Center provides both in-house ToL teaching/ training coaches and similar programs to its clients who wish to support their own development of intra-institutional ToL programs. Finally, as part of the mission of the Center, appropriate training courses can be incorporated into certificate, master- and doctoral-degree programs operated by both affiliated universities.

RESEARCH

The Center investigates the significance and impact of collaborative leadership on operations performed in complex settings of healthcare, business, research, etc. The Center evaluates the utility of such efforts, the role of collaboration as the promoter of efficiency and effectiveness of task executions in specific settings. The results of studies conducted by the Center’s research personnel are disseminated through publications, workshops, symposia, and conferences, and also through collaboration with the media and professional/trade organizations.

 
 
 

“During my tenure as EUCOM Commander one of the two most significant ‘wins’ was the Command’s embrace of the Teams of Leaders concept. Without question -- ToL was and remains the enabler for a significantly higher performing staff, increased horizontal and vertical communications, and shared priorities and focus of effort. This -- ToL -- is no silver bullet -- not fairy dust -- but rather the application of enlightened, thoughtful, effective procedures by talented professionals -- commencing with a series of ‘ah-ha’s’ that quickly become self-generating. ”

General Bantz J. Craddock
(US Army Ret’d) COM EUCOM/SACEUR 2007-2009

 
 
     
 
  Teams of Leaders