Know your wares
Understanding the difference between clockware and swarmware can help with problem solving, writes WGCDR Callum Brown

Air Power Development Centre

MUCH is currently being written about the use of complex adaptive systems thinking in Defence, particularly relating to effects-based operations and approaches to security issues.

Without going into definitional discourses on complex adaptive systems, one “lesson” from these systems for managers and leaders is to manage and lead using both “clockware” and “swarmware” in tandem and to know the difference between the two.

Clockware describes the management processes that are most common and involve operating the core operational processes of the organisation in a manner that is rational, planned, standardised, repeatable, controlled and measured, for example checklists, standard operating procedures, bench-level instructions and orders.

Generally, in the Air Force, we are very good at developing and using clockware. This is largely due to our military and specialist training which places an emphasis on clockware – pre-flight checklists and systems fault finding.

Swarmware refers to management processes that explore new possibilities through experimentation, trials, autonomy, freedom, intuition and working at the edge of knowledge and experience.

Swarmware is needed in situations for which the traditional clockware processes are no longer adequate for accomplishing the purpose, in situations for which the purpose has changed, or in situations in which creativity is desirable.

Not all organisations are good at using swarmware or understanding the difference between clockware and swarmware problems.

Checking the tyre pressure before a flight is an example of a clockware process.

Photo by CPL Craig Eager

We need to use swarmware techniques on “fuzzy” problems where we may not be so sure we know what is the actual problem.

Swarmware can involve gathering a group of unlike individuals together to think about the problem and think about the nature of the problem from different perspectives and then offer approaches to solving it and considering solutions.

Many of us already do this to an extent in both our work and our private lives and find it enriches our decision-making processes.

We may consult others informally about challenges we face or perhaps, more formally, set up project teams to tackle complex problems. A word of caution though – our partners are usually very good at finding the “obvious” cause of our problems!

To make things even more challenging, “fuzzy” problems are almost always never quickly solved and often do not have particularly well-defined solutions – often a number of possible solutions will emerge. Try to find one that will do the job so that you can progress and not delay unnecessarily in an attempt to find the best one. Good luck!

WGCDR Callum Brown is the Deputy Director - Future Concepts at the Air Power Development Centre.

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