Operational Guidelines
Transparency
One of the most important prerequisites to ensuring organizational performance and effectiveness is transparency. Transparency could be defined at its basic level as openness of communication, action and intent and subsequently accountability of action. Given the competitive nature that generally defines the operational environment of the times transparency must be weighed against operational security. In the case of Soldiers to Statesmen foundation transparency focuses on ensuring accountability encouraging communication between stakeholders, donors, sponsors, program beneficiaries, staff, local – state - national government and the public.
Moreover within the operational scope of the Soldiers to Statesmen foundation transparency is further differentiated around two main categories; the knowledge of the product and the knowledge of the process. Within the operational scope of the Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation knowledge of the product is defined as personal information on attendant scholarship awardees, events that are held as well as the good and services provided to scholarship awardees, local veteran community and student body.
It is the goal of the Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation to ensure the maximum amount of transparency regarding the knowledge of the product. Congruently within the operational scope of the Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation knowledge of the process would be defined as funding both where Soldiers to Statesmen receives its financial support and how much was received as well as comprehensive accounting as to where and how that money is spent.
Moreover transparency surrounding the knowledge of the process includes both the decision making process that underwrites as well as open and accurate reporting on the outcomes derived from Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation advocacy and action based programs.
Accountability
entities involved with Soldiers to Statesmen foundation will be held responsible for their actions as well as openly recognized for their achievements that pertain to the foundations operation. The rubric used in part to measure accountability include entities acting in accordance with the Soldiers To Statesman foundation values and codified procedures as well as a comprehensive assessment of the outcomes of both advocacy and action based programs. Within the operational scope of the Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation the strategies adopted to ensure accountability include a clearly stated mission, transparent organizational structure (to include financing) and where operational security allows, decision-making processes.
Meritocracy
merit defined at its basic level could be defined as capability plus effort. Congruently meritocracy is a system that rewards / positively selects for individuals who illustrate both an inherent capability as well as invested effort to develop said capability in order to meet the requirements necessary for the job sought and or task at hand. In a postindustrial knowledge based society and increasing competitive globalized economy the personal attributes of significance are increasingly defined by intellectual talent measured through examination as well as demonstrated achievement in the field where said intellectual talent is implemented.
Within the operational scope of the Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation, Soldiers to Statesmen was founded to actively seek out and identify United States military veterans who possess the inherent capabilities that directly pertain to the good / effective governance as well as have through their service illustrated a consistent commitment to the United States principles / United States national interests and invest in and develop those United States military veterans so that they possess the skill sets to be successful in competitive political campaigns as well as effective at developing and implementing optimal public policy.
Efficiency
At its most basic elements efficiency is defined as “getting the most for the least”. Given the economic scarcity that tragically defines the general nature of the times efficiency becomes even more important. Soldiers to Statesmen puts the highest priority on efficiency both because efficiency directly translates into increased quality and quantity of the services afforded to United States military veterans as well as ensures good stewardship over the money / resources donated to Soldiers to Statesmen. One of the general conceptual frameworks that Soldiers to Statesmen applies in measuring efficiency centers around the adoption of a conceptual framework developed by NASA, specifically “good, fast, cheap … pick two”.
Due to the crisis facing United States veterans / United States itself coupled with both the competitive nature that defines as well as the minimum buy in / resource threshold required to successfully operating within said environment that Soldiers to Statesmen looks to operate the resultant operational approach centers on good and fast and subsequently is not cheap. That said Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation understands that “expensive” does not translate into “wasteful”. Put another way even though significant resources may have to be expended on a particular endeavor or to obtain particular goal, such expenditure should always make sure that you get maximum “value” for the resources you expend. That value is measured both in the value of the endeavors themselves as well as how efficiently the resources were expended to support those particular goals and endeavors.
Objective Research/Analysis
Soldiers to Statesmen operational endeavors center on “policy for science” not “science for policy”. All too often a significant amount of organizations, entities engage in advocacy research – read pseudo-science conducted in attempts to legitimize a preordained goal. Quite often the resultant of such advocacy research is suboptimal public policy. This is not to say that there cannot be originations that do not advocate for a particular goal, rather that said advocacy should not get translated into how said organizations conduct research. In contradiction to advocacy research or “science for policy”,
Soldiers to Statesmen operates under the guideline of objective research or “policy for science”. Within the operational scope of Soldiers to Statesmen “policy for science” means research goals are clearly outlined, data accurately collected, objectively analyzed and conclusions are accurately reported. If the data / conclusions illustrate an alternative approach is more effective said approach is adopted. If the data does not support the underlining premise then the underlining premise is reevaluated and a new cycle of research is conducted.
Collaboration: Working Collectively to accomplish more
Collaboration at its basic level might be defined as working collectively to accomplish more. Within the operational scope of the Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation collaboration is broken down into inter and intra organizational collaboration. From an inter-organizational perspective collaboration is both determine / periodically reviewed on a case by case basis. Moreover inter organizational collaboration is not based on party affiliation, rather on convergence between the goals of both Soldiers to Statesmen and potential partners.
The analysis regarding convergence goes beyond short term superficial convergence centering on a particular goal and instead looks at the long term net sum value that said potential relationship will likely have regarding Soldiers to Statesmen founding principles, organizational goals and operational efficacy.
Furthermore in keeping with Soldiers to Statesmen operational guidelines surrounding transparency and accountability, where operational security allows inter organizational relationships are to be transparent to all members involved in Soldiers to Statesmen.
From an intra-organizational perspective collaboration is defined in a manner similar to the United States military. In the United States military it is often said that collaboration or “team work” constituted a “force multiplier” on the battlefield. Put more simply the ability of a platoon of soldiers working together is greater than the sum of the soldiers that comprise said platoon. Moreover such spirit de core is a part and parcel to the organizational culture of the United States military. It is on the rich tradition of the United States military and kinship shared between United States veterans that Soldiers to Statesmen looks to capitalize upon.
Moreover Soldiers to Statesmen foundation inclusion of the United States military tradition of sprit de core / team work into both the foundations organizational culture and operations is adopted to offset the emotional as well as cultural shock all too often felt by United States servicemen and women at the conclusion of their time in active service and reentrance into civilian society.
Within the operational scope of the Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation professional development program, collaboration is designed to create the competitive political / public policy version of Special Forces teams. Much like the nuances that define Special Forces training, the Soldiers to Statesmen professional development program is designed to develop teams of individuals who in jointly pursuing their academic goals learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses and subsequently will be far more effective at both securing public office as well as effecting optimal public policy when public office is successfully obtained.
Ownership: Individual and group accountability for results, actions and decisions
Ownership is defined as an act of proprietorship or possession of something. Within the operational scope of the Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation ownership is defined as individual and group accountability for results, actions and decisions. Put another way entities involved in the Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation take responsibility for their actions involving the foundation activities.
Such ownership is leveraged to ensure that those involved with the Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation not only fulfill their responsibilities, that they do so to the best of their ability.
Ownership is also included in the Soldiers to Statesmen organizational culture to facilitate real time assessment on the Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation operations with the goal of continuously improving organizational efficiency, reward superior performance and identify laggards to ensure that said laggards do not pose continuous challenges to Soldiers to Statesmen operations.
Quality: Commitment to excellence and the discipline to continually improve
Quality is generally defined as an essential or distinctive characteristic, property, or attribute that distinguishes a thing with respect to fineness, or grade of excellence. Within the operational aspects of the Soldiers to Statesmen Foundation, commitment to excellence is in part measured by the discipline to continually improve the quality of both the services afforded to scholarship awardees, the local veteran community and the student body as well as the Soldiers to Statesmen foundation as an organization.
Congruent to maximizing quality, best practices are identified and expanded upon, challenges are identified and resolved, mistakes are honestly admitted as well as taken ownership of and not repeated and honest feedback is taken seriously. (Admiral Rickover views on quality in research)
Student Service: Responsiveness to the needs of external (prospective) and internal students
As was said by former president Lincoln “the ideology of the classroom of one generation inevitably becomes the ideology of Washington in the next”.
Given the nature that defines a postindustrial knowledge based society and increasing competitive globalized economy as well as the correlation between academia and government one of the core operational aspects of Soldiers to Statesmen foundation centers on responsiveness to the needs of both scholarship awardees as well as the student body in general.
Purposefulness: Deliberate action, focused on the organization's goals and priorities
Soldiers To Statesmen foundation was founded to address the growing crisis facing both United States military veterans as well as the United States itself. During a crisis, time is your most precious / scarce resource. Congruently times of crisis call for decisive action with the understanding / caveat that decisive action (calculated risk) does not mean reckless action (uncalculated risk).
Subsequently Soldiers to Statesmen foundation operations take into account calculated risks when looking to leverage available resources in the pursuit of supporting sustainable, deliberate action focused on the organization's goals and priorities. Moreover Soldiers to Statesmen foundation rewards associated entities who display a propensity for both effective, deliberate action as well as accurate and thorough pre-executionary analysis.