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                         April 12, 2002

Army Officers recognized as 'champions of innovation'

WASHINGTON (Army News Service) -- On a small budget of $20 a month, plus "lots of time and sweat," two West Point graduates have established a virtual officers’ club that’s earned them a place on a "champions of innovation" list.

Fast Company magazine selected them for inclusion on a list of 50 innovative leaders from a "global readers’ challenge" that garnered more than 1,650 entries (and more than 10,000 comments on those entries) representing more than 30 countries, according to its web site, www.fastcompany.com/fast50/.

Majs. Nate Allen and Tony Burgess, both 1990 USMA grads, were recognized for their leadership of CompanyCommand.com and PlatoonLeader.org. These user-driven web sites facilitate the lateral sharing of knowledge among company-level leaders in the Army. The fast-growing sites currently attract over 30,000 visitors and 1.5 million "hits" monthly.

"They are forums where Army leaders share knowledge and learn from others’ experience," Allen said. "Leaders are accessing knowledge, sharing ideas, and tapping into the experiences of others, helping to transform the Army into a learning organization."

Burgess said he and Allen set up the Web sites for a simple reason: to fill a need.

"Even though all Army officers -- literally thousands each year -- command a platoon or company," Burgess told Fast Company magazine, "there was no system that allowed them to share what they were learning in real time, laterally across the entire organization. When they left their jobs, so did their experience."

The sites provide a way to capture and share that experience, and to actually create new knowledge through online discussion forums.

"The Internet makes possible a virtual officers’ club," said Maj. Steve Schweitzer, the site’s webmaster. "We offer a non-time-sensitive, non-location dependent discussion forum that soldiers can access from anywhere in the world."

Burgess said he is not surprised by the success of CompanyCommand.com.

"It makes sense that Army leaders would be passionately committed to figuring out and sharing what works," Burgess said. "We knew that if Army leaders could easily share their ideas and lessons-learned real time, they would enthusiastically do so. That is what professionals do."