Red Cells: The Antidote to Groupthink
“How can our leadership team avoid groupthink?” This is a question we’re asked frequently when advising on strategy. It’s a problem that many teams face when it comes to thinking strategically and there’s a variety of causes.
Sometimes it’s the team’s composition that’s the challenge—the team lacks diverse perspectives, the kind needed to cultivate truly new insights. In other situations, it’s that the team’s longstanding routines have grown stale generating few new ideas. It could be that novel, offbeat insights are frowned upon due to senior member behaviors or politics. Regardless of the reason, groupthink is an Achilles Heel to teams that prevents genuine creative thoughts from emerging. But there is a solution, one that comes straight from the military: red cells.
Red cells were developed during the 1980’s by special operations leaders to pressure test the effectiveness of American military plans and tactics. The practice is often used in war games to represent an opposing force whose mission is to disrupt the friendly force’s plans. With that background, it’s easy to see how the concept can be applied to strategy efforts. There’s a few simple steps needed to make the practice work:
Charter, Select, and Separate Red Cell Members. A red cell should be expressly included as part of the strategy effort at the start. Team members should be comprised of leaders and employees who are know for their nontraditional views of the business. They should be told their mission but shouldn’t participate in any of the strategy efforts of the main team, at least initially. In fact, they should be separated from the main group entirely.
Steep the Red Cell in Competitor Tactics. While the main team engages in strategizing, so too should the red cell—but from the perspective of competitors. Red cell members diligently study competitor plans and strategies to get themselves into the mindset of their organization’s most significant competitors. This outside-in perspective is needed to ensure they are adequately prepared to respond from the viewpoint of an adversary.
Focus on Disrupting the Core Strategy. When the strategy is complete, the red cell analyzes it with the express purpose of identifying gaps and undermining the effort. They should make choices and conceive responses that would severely hamper or fully disrupt the strategy.
Update the Strategy Using their Findings. When their interrogation is complete, both teams should unite—main members and the red cell—to review their findings, revisit the core strategy, and make key adjustments. The red cell’s perspective will be both informative and instructive for the overall team.
If you’re unsure whether the red cell concept can be successfully applied outside of the military, don’t be. The idea has been similarly tested in a business book entitled Kill the Company (a very red cell like title). In short, it works.
Groupthink is a debilitating behavior that undermines the kind of strategic thinking teams need today. Employ a red cell and watch how the effectiveness of your strategizing improves.
If you’d like to learn more about strategic thinking, check out the Twelve Skills brief Mastering Strategic Thinking.
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