The Influence of Harmonization Levels on Multi-Domain Operations Effectiveness:the Moderating Roles of Organizational Environment and Command and Control Variety

EasyChair Preprint 4162

Abstract

This paper presents a research model regarding inter-entity collaboration. Today’s mission environments often require collaboration between and among entities. Such collaboration we conceptualize as harmonization: transforming a set of entities into an effective enterprise by using harmonization arrangements to achieve collaboration. Harmonization varies as to the closeness of collaboration and we call this variation harmonization levels. Recent command and control (C2) theorizing in the NATO research group SAS-143 have suggested that selecting the appropriate harmonization level, closeness of collaboration, may positively influence multi-domain operation (MDO) effectiveness. In this paper, we discuss whether specific aspects of the organizational environment, uncertainty and ambiguity, and C2 variety moderates a positive relationship between harmonization level and MDO effectiveness. We argue that higher harmonization levels will be more positive for MDO effectiveness when environmental uncertainty and ambiguity is high. C2 variety we define as having three dimensions: the C2 approach of an entity, its harmonization options available, and its ability to make use of its C2 approach to integrate with other entities. We suggest that higher C2 variety together with environmental uncertainty and ambiguity will further strengthen the positive relationship between harmonization level and MDO effectiveness. We draw on a case study to develop the notion of C2 variety; we then develop hypotheses about the interactions among harmonization level, organizational environment and C2 variety. Finally, we discuss theoretical implications, suggestions for future research, and implications for practice.

Keyphrases: Command and control variety, Harmonization levels, Multi-domain operations effectiveness, organizational environment

@booklet{EasyChair:4162,
  author    = {Sigmund Valaker and Rune Stensrud and Torgar Haugen and Aletta Eikelboom and Ingrid van Bemmel},
  title     = {The Influence of Harmonization Levels on Multi-Domain Operations Effectiveness:the Moderating Roles of Organizational Environment and Command and Control Variety},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 4162},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2020}}