b'InsightsOne of those campaigns focused on learning how the privateHow important is it to change culture? sector does application and software development. Weve leveraged the plethora of software companies that are inFail early, fail often seems to describe innovation cultures, Austin and elsewhere. We have also consulted existingespecially in the private sector. It runs absolutely counter to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) assets such as the U.S.our Army culture, which is in many ways: do not fail ever, Air Forces Kessel Run Experimentation Lab, the Defenseand make sure you deliver. We try to create new ways of Innovation Unit, and a host of other entities across the DoD.operating to anticipate the future needs of our soldiers. It is impossible to get this right 100 percent the first time. AFC is We visited and worked with them to build the model hereworking towards that culture shift where it is okay for one of at AFC. We are asking and trying to solve crucial questions:our cohorts to come up with two or three ideas, and only How can we impact our generating force and solve problemsone of which turns out to be viable. The point is, the Army at the garrison level? Can we put these software developmentidentifies a viable solution even if two of three ideas fail. If teams in a future deployed environment where they are ablewe can put a viable idea into production and scale to do agile software development, diagnose, and provideaccordingly to support the Army, that is a win.solutions on the spot that can help a commander on the ground make better and faster decisions? The experiment isAs a command, we need to know when to challenge the not only to create the talent to build these teams, but also tostatus quo, and at what level and degree to do so. This determine how to employ them across the Army. balancing act keeps AFC from just becoming a thorn in the side of the larger Army. When you are trying to get people to do things differently, to think differently, to shift their mindset, every small conversation becomes significant. Transforming how things are done never happens overnight.To what extent is the Army enterprise moving to a hybrid work modeland how important is it to strike the right balance of work productivity, work location, and flexibility?Regarding hybrid work models, the most important thing we can do is strike a balance that enables flexibility for the workforce but also gets the mission done. Prior to COVID-19, it is safe to say that we were less flexible about allowing distributed work environments. Telework has been available by permission. The COVID environment has challenged us to test some assumptions and assess whether parts of our workforce and their jobs can effectively be done in a distributed way.Right now, we are piloting for Army Futures Command a strategy that allows for telework and is flexible about when and to what degree. It also seeks to create work environments where teams can come together, collaborate, and then go back into those distributed work patterns to produce the next round of the product. Its an exciting time, but the effort continues to evolve to ensure that we find the right balance. Important, we recognize that being more flexible on work location improves our chances of getting a better pool of candidates interested in working in Army Futures Command.50 www.businessofgovernment.org The Business of Government'