Solving the People Puzzle: Cultural Intelligence and Special Operations Forces

By Emily Spencer

The twenty-first century has brought the perfect storm of conditions to create substantive global instability. This contemporary operating environment (COE) is characterized by complexity, ambiguity, volatility, and constant danger. It is a human invention that requires a human solution.

Special operations forces (SOF), a group comprised of highly trained personnel with the ability to deploy rapidly and apply special skills in a variety of environments and circumstances, is the logical force of choice to achieve success in the COE. Increasing their effectiveness is cultural intelligence (CQ) – the ability to recognize the shared beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviours of a group of people and then apply that knowledge toward a specific goal. Empowered by CQ, SOF are positioned to dominate in the COE.

Solving the People Puzzle makes a convincing argument for the powerful union of the "force of choice" with the "tool of choice." This book will inspire and inform.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: May 24, 2010
• ISBN: 9781459711679

Emily Spencer

Dr. Emily Spencer is an assistant professor at the University of Northern British Columbia and a research associate with the Canadian Forces Leadership Institute. She is the author of Solving the People Puzzle and the editor of The Difficult War. She lives in Prince George, British Columbia.

Book preview

Solving the

People Puzzle

Solving the

People Puzzle

Cultural Intelligence and

Special Operations Forces

Dr. Emily Spencer

Copyright © Dr. Emily Spencer, 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.

Copy Editor: Cheryl Hawley

Design: Jennifer Scott

Printer: Marquis

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Spencer, Emily

Solving the people puzzle : cultural intelligence and special operations forces / Emily Spencer.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-55488-750-7

1. Cultural awareness. 2. Cultural competence. 3. Intercultural communication. 4. Special forces (Military science). I. Title.

1    2    3    4    5       14    13    12    11    10

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and The Association for the Export of Canadian Books, and the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book Publishers Tax Credit program, and the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions.

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Contents

Foreword by Joel Sokolsky

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index

Foreword

I am delighted to introduce Solving the People Puzzle. By examining the topic of cultural intelligence (CQ) from the standpoint of special operations forces (SOF), this book goes to the heart of operations in the contemporary security environment in several important ways. First, it focuses on the human element, which is, after all, the core strength of SOF the world over. Second, it speaks directly to the primary, and pivotal, component of the SOF mantra of think, move, communicate, shoot. Finally, this volume captures the SOF emphasis on fundamental conceptual philosophies such as the indirect approach and integrated operations.

The application of CQ defined as the ability to recognize the shared beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviours of a group of people and, most importantly, to apply that knowledge toward a specific goal, should prove to be a most welcome formalization and addition to the SOF skill set. After all, SOF is a strategic asset, and its operations are both intelligence-driven and human-centric. As such, it is absolutely vital that SOF operators, enablers, and leadership fully utilize CQ to maximize operational effectiveness and mission success.

It has long been acknowledged that the greatest strength that SOF possesses is not its technologically advanced equipment, platforms, or weaponry, but rather its personnel. In this vein, CQ provides another tool to build the cognitive strength and effectiveness of our SOF men and women in the current ambiguous, uncertain, volatile, and ever-changing security environment. It represents a force multiplier that will assist in potentially alleviating the need for kinetic solutions; however, should that not be possible, it also enables SOF to ensure that its actions are as surgically precise as possible. In the end, it is an important enabler in ensuring that SOF consistently do more good than harm to achieve its nation’s aims.

Solving the People Puzzle is an important addition to the scholarly body of knowledge on military affairs. Such knowledge and understanding are essential for the proper conduct of national security affairs, and education is the key to success in today’s challenging environment. This means, as the book also rightly stresses, a reliance on more than just equipping and training soldiers to fight with the most advanced technology and weapons systems available. It requires military personnel who are well trained and equipped, but also well educated. It demands individuals who are not only capable, but who thrive in ambiguity, complexity, and change.

I therefore recommend this book to all military personnel, whether SOF or conventional, as well as those who interact with, or are interested in, the profession of arms. It provides insight and an important philosophical, if not doctrinal, foundation to CQ that must be embraced by SOF, as well as by all military professionals, to ensure that we provide our men and women, and the nation itself, with the greatest chance of success in operations in a very challenging security environment now and into the future.

Joel Sokolsky, Ph.D

Principal

Royal Military College of Canada

Acknowledgements

First, I wish to thank the men and women of the Canadian Forces. Without the courage, tenacity, and sacrifice of these individuals there would be no need for this type of scholarship. Their efforts on behalf of all Canadians are truly noteworthy.

In particular, however, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Colonel Bernd Horn, the former deputy commander, Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM), for his generous feedback and guidance throughout the writing process. This book would not have been possible without his support and encouragement. I know that I am a better person for this experience—thank you!

Finally, I wish to thank the design and editing team, specifically Cheryl Hawley at Dundurn Press, for turning the raw manuscript into the polished volume you have before you.

Introduction

Militaries spend enormous amounts of money, time, and energy ensuring that their troops are trained on weapon systems, vehicles, and equipment. They spend small fortunes on preparatory exercises and training to test tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs); drills; and general soldier proficiency and effectiveness should they need to exercise force protection, demonstrate a deterrent posture, or actually fight during an operation. This preparation and expenditure is only prudent. It makes perfect sense, particularly when lives are at risk. It is, after all, just due diligence. Moreover, it better positions an organization to be successful on operations. However, what makes less sense is that, comparatively speaking, very little effort, if any, is spent solving the people puzzle.

In reality, most stability and counter-insurgency operations are all about the people. People are one, if not the, key component to mission success in the contemporary operating environment (COE), a space characterized by complexity, ambiguity, volatility, change, and danger. People are important at all levels, whether dealing with adversaries, the host nation population, the international community, or even one’s own nation. To be successful in these potentially diverse environments, cultural intelligence (CQ)—that is, the ability to recognize the shared beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviours of a group of people and, most importantly, to apply that knowledge toward a specific goal—is critical.

The fact is, understanding the people you work with—whether other Canadians, international alliance members, or host nation inhabitants—makes for smoother relationships, better communication and comprehension, and, therefore, more effective results. Grasping differences in how others think, behave, make decisions, view the world, and interpret actions assists in providing strategies and options for how best to engage them to achieve your own objectives. Effective relationships, based on high levels of CQ, will assist in gaining support for operations, whether in the form of co-operation, information, or participation. Enhanced CQ will also enhance communications and interaction and have a direct impact on improved human relations. High levels of CQ will ensure that both parties actually communicate and hear what is meant rather than simply what is being said. In essence, CQ helps to mitigate the gulf between the intended message and the received message. Proper interpersonal skills (i.e., informal personal chat prior to getting to business), verbal expressions understood by both parties (i.e., avoiding jargon or slang known only to one party and that may have ambiguous or potentially negative meaning to another), and proper body language (i.e., that may be innocuous to one party but offensive to another or, conversely, understanding and accepting practices in other cultures that are alien to your own) will enhance clarity and effectiveness of communication and ensure there is less confusion or breakdown due simply to misunderstanding.

Furthermore, a better understanding of one’s adversaries is equally as empowering. Abandoning preconceived, superficial, or erroneous perceptions and making an effort to fully comprehend the enemy can provide invaluable insights into their attitudes, behaviours, decision making, and motivations. This knowledge can provide options and strategies for disrupting, neutralizing, and defeating adversaries by addressing real or perceived grievances, discrediting their informational/ideological messages with erosion of support bases, disrupting their decision-making processes and alliances, and possibly co-opting the more moderate adversarial membership.

There is no group in the military for which these connections are more important than special operations forces (SOF). SOF are comprised of highly trained personnel with an ability to deploy rapidly and apply special skills sets in a variety of environments and circumstances to achieve surgical precision non-kinetic and kinetic effects in peace, conflict, or war. Moreover, despite the focus on technologically advanced equipment, SOF’s philosophical and practical adherence to its core strength—namely its emphasis on cognitive responses to ambiguous and complex situations and its reliance on individuals who are adaptive, innovative, and agile—make it the ideal counter to an uncertain present and future battle space that is won or lost in the human dimension. In fact, one of the principle SOF truths is that humans are more important than hardware. SOF equips and enables the man; it does not man the equipment.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand the natural relationship between CQ and SOF. After all, the COE is inextricably fuelled by human problems and, therefore, needs a human solution. As such, it seems completely logical to empower SOF, the force of choice, with CQ, the tool of choice. Solving the people puzzle—that is, using an understanding of the beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviours of others to empower yourself so that you can influence others to achieve your objectives—is a necessary component of the COE and forms the basis of a compelling argument for the union of CQ and SOF.

Part I of this book underscores the challenges and the solutions to the problems that plague states and their militaries in the contemporary operating environment. Global insecurity in the twenty-first century is discussed, followed by the case supporting SOF as the force of choice for the COE, and the argument for CQ as the tool of choice. Part II flows logically from this contextual information and describes CQ in detail, while Part III develops the SOF-CQ interface. As with all powerful tools and weapons, there is a responsibility to apply CQ ethically. As such, Part IV tackles the ethical considerations of employing cultural intelligence.

In sum, this book provides a compelling argument for empowering SOF, the force of choice, with CQ, arguably the tool of choice in the contemporary operating environment. Moreover, the volume provides not only the rationalization and justification for CQ as an important force enabler and multiplier, but also the means of training and educating SOF in its use. Although written specifically for SOF, the contents of this book apply equally to any military or governmental agency operating in the COE.

PART 1

The Contemporary Security Environment: Challenges and Solutions

Chapter 1

Global (In)Security

Global security or, perhaps more accurately, global insecurity, in the twenty-first century is not simply a linear continuation of the problems that plagued the world during the preceding hundred-year period. While individual aspects of the contemporary operating environment (COE), such as the use of terror as a tactic and the reliance on alliances and coalitions to achieve common goals, are not unprecedented, the COE is markedly different from conflict during much of the twentieth century. Enabled by globalization and the proliferation of the media, and fuelled by the global power vacuum that the end of the Cold War created, the twenty-first century brought with it the perfect storm of conditions that has now created substantive global instability.

Scholars, military and security analysts, and practitioners in particular, tend to agree that the contemporary operating environment is extremely complex, ambiguous, volatile, dynamic, and exponentially more dangerous than previous periods. The enemy is no longer limited to symmetrical, uniformed rivals aligned to one of two superpowers. Rather, our adversaries run the gamut of rogue states, regional rivals or power blocks, warlords, globally networked transnational criminals, narco-traffickers, as well as radical extremists fuelled by ideology and/or religion.

Arguably, the concurrent end to the Cold War and the rise of globalization in the 1990s created the conditions that were ripe for the ambiguous, complex, volatile, and ever changing operating environment in which we now find ourselves. With the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which symbolized the end of the Cold War as a result of the implosion of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union, the rigidly controlled bipolar world tumbled into a free fall. An economic and political power vacuum was created as the superpowers disengaged from many areas around the world. Very quickly, failed and failing states mushroomed around the globe. Exacerbating the situation were other significant problems such as ethnic violence, narco-trafficking, transnational crime, and competition for resources. At the same time, the world was becoming more interconnected or globalized, as demonstrated by an increase in international traffic, both economic and cultural, linking peoples of disperse geographic regions and thereby redefining power relationships and enabling the proliferation of non-state actors on the world stage.¹

Certainly, throughout the 1990s the security operating environment continued to become more challenging for Western nations. With only a single global superpower, the United States, the West, following the lead of the Americans, began a series of selective interventions. In this context the landscape for militaries also dramatically changed. The belligerents were no