Enhancing Critical Thinking Through Creation of Learning Organizations Within the Confines of an Overarching Mechanistic Organization

Abstract

The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics has highlighted the need for acquisition professionals to apply critical thinking in executing programs. Quotes include [BBP 2.0] is not intended to be a school solution or a checklist of ideas for you to unthinkingly check off. BBP 2.0 is designed to drive critical thought in the daily execution of our work (Kendall, 2013, p. 2); and nothing is more important to our success than our ability to understand, think critically, and make sound decisions (Kendall, 2014, p. 3). This has led to requests for greater education and training in critical thinking. However, these perspectives do not include the importance of organizational structure in fostering critical thinking. Since Fredrick the Great instituted drill and discipline to manage his conscripts, the military structure can best be described as mechanistic, emphasizing hierarchal power, specialized divisions of labor, and formal policies, at the expense of innovation and adaptability (Walonick, 1993). For critical thinking to thrive, the acquisition community needs to transition to learning organizations capable of initiating and conveying knowledge (Giesecke & McNeil, 2004). This research studies workers perceptions of the mechanistic behavior their organizations exhibit and reveals ways to adopt learning organizations within the confines of the Department of Defense's mechanistic organization.