The Fourth Revolution-Hyper-Learning

IN THE NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2013 Military Review article "Leader Preparation to Support Rebuilding," I discussed the development, over the past 30 years, of several parallel development paths of both the Army Training System--"hard power"--and generic Teams of Leaders--"soft power." I believe the performance potential of Teams of Leaders (ToL)--Information Management (IM) X Knowledge Management (KM) X High Performing Leader Team (HP LT) building is equal and perhaps greater than the improved performance achieved routinely by the Observer Controller (OC) X Opposition Force (OPFOR) X After Action Review (AAR) X Instrumentation System (IS) paradigm of the highly successful Army Training System. I sense that the accelerating impact of both has generated a Fourth Revolution (4R)--"hyper-learning"--the product of the Army Training System (summarized as Combat Training Center [CTC]) multiplied by ToL [IM and KM supporting shared skills, knowledge, attitudes [SKA] generating then sustaining high performing leader teams [HP LTs]). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hyper-learning has several important, expanding Fourth Revolution (4R) applications: * Hyper-learning stimulated and supported across various borders of human organization. * Advantaging the expanding explosion of social networking. * Increasing significantly the intensity of learning processes. All advantage the successes of the three preceding "revolutions" in Army learning over several decades. (1) Foundational Forces of 4R The foundational forces of 4R hyper-learning are based on integrated learning environments and high performing leader team building. Framework. The Army Training System framework is represented by CTC mission readiness practices embedded in America's Army learning performance to standard, effective mentoring, and 360 performance effectiveness reviews. The CTC practices today are the application of effective learning to shared task, condition, standard (TCS) accomplished by simulations supported by observer/ controller/trainers and focused by structured situational training exercises (STX)--all accomplished and sustained through the conduct of after action reviews (AARs). This effective process is the CTC development model. Teams of Leaders. ToLs improve performance by developing shared SKA across borders through combining information management (IM), knowledge management (KM), and leader teams (LT) sustained by conducting leader team exercises (LTXs). This process is the ToL development model. (2) Sharing, knowledge, and understanding. The generation of environments of informal sharing of data, information, knowledge, and understanding right, left, up, and down within organizations stimulates good ideas, collaborative "murder boarding," merges address books, and creates adaptive workarounds within leader teams performing consistently to TCS across all borders. CTC x ToL advantages U.S. national strengths. These strengths include Yankee initiative seeking better ways and increasing near-compulsive social networking leveraging IM/KM enabling learning distance and time requirements to approach zero while sharing SKA across most borders of human interaction. Essential TRADOC proponent support. Various Training and Doctrine Command Centers of Excellence (Proponent) operations provide general support developing and sustaining doctrine, training, leader development, organization, materiel, personnel, and facilities (DTLOMPF) capabilities in individuals, teams, and units. This stimulates development of desired combinations of CTC "hard" and ToL "soft" power embedded in mutually supporting high performing leader teams. Developing Military Readiness The central 4R insight is that the CTC and ToL development models are two sides of the same coin--development of military readiness. Teams of Leaders and CTC reinforce and multiply the effectiveness of the other across combined arms maneuver (CAM) and wide area security (WAS) operations. …