Approaches to Innovation in the Naval Construction Force "Seabees"

Abstract

The increasing competition from China and the resurgence of Russian aggression has emphasized the need for innovation. The naval construction force (NCF) provides general engineering to the United States Navy and similarly needs to innovate to remain relevant and provide value to the warfighter. Innovation can be categorized as small incremental improvements (exploitation) or major disruptive shifts (exploration). This paper looks to define what exploitation and exploration mean to the NCF and what intangible assets and resources will be required to meet those innovation goals. This paper uses principles from literature in business academia and applies them to the research questions to establish a best practice recommendation for the NCF. In order to apply rigor to the paper, it uses metrics of effectiveness to determine which approach to innovation provides the greatest value to the Navy. Based on an evaluation of five measures of effectiveness, the NCF would be best served by pursuing the exploration approach to innovation. To do this, the NCF should create a dedicated Development Company to develop and validate new concepts for wider adoption.