1. Defense Logistics Agency
Warfighter Stewardship Business Workforce
Support Improvements Process Development
Improving the Communications
Capability of DLA
2. Task
To build communication capabilities and
programs that effectively communicate
with internal and external audiences
through the full range of focus areas
3. Vision End State
A DLA culture that promotes agile, leader-
driven and effective communication that
meets the needs of a values-based,
flexible logistics enterprise as it enters the
complex 21st Century global information
environment. DLA becomes a transparent,
accountable organization; responsive to its
publics, stakeholders and influencers
4. COA
Mission Statement
DLA establishes, resources and institutionalizes a
disciplined, leader-driven strategic communication
program geared toward building stronger
relationships and achieving desired outcomes.
Purpose/Intent
Research and identify quick wins as well as mid-
and long-term actions to build needed strategic
communications capabilities, enabling DLA to
communicate effectively with its many audiences.
Actions
Determine needed key actions to effect a cultural
shift to a culture of engagement, where leaders and
empowered subordinates aggressively
communicate with target audiences; synchronizing
words and actions with consistent messages;
determine impediments to this cultural shift,
including existing policies and regulations
End-State
By earl-October 09 present the Director and Vice
Director of DLA with a coherent plan for decision
that offers quick wins and other actions that
dramatically improve the logistics enterprise
strategic communications capabilities and
establishes/re-establishes stronger relationships
with relevant audiences
5. Environment
• 24/7 global media: pervasive, competitive and business-driven
• Global, immediately available information
– User generated demand
– Viewer provided data and context
• US public intolerance for perceived inaction, waste, fiscal
irresponsibility or fraud is balanced against its willingness to support
the Armed Forces when viewed as individuals
– Holding DoD to a higher standard of morals, ethics and legality
• Limited knowledge of the complexity of the Agency and its tasks
• Increasingly political nature of Defense, tied with inherent constraints
and mandates of Title 10 and Title 32
• Member of a Joint team; OSD, Joint Staff and the Services impact on
the logistics enterprise and its communications goals
• Varied audiences requiring varied communications techniques
• Increasing ability of social media to drive issues
– Blogs, podcasts, etc shaping public knowledge of issues
– Act as unofficial release points for information, sometimes incorrect or
deliberately damaging
6. Current Perception of Communications
• Slow
• Reactive
• Neither creative or dynamic
• Speaking varied messages with varied voices
• Actions/words mismatch
• Inability to articulate complex problems to the right audiences in a
way that allows them to be ingested and understood
• Defensive, overly concerned with blame instead of pro-active
remediation
• Not transparent, not accessible
• Poor at planning and execution
• Poor at providing context; perspective of enterprise
7. Reality of Communications
• Resourcing does not match priority
– Limited, inflexible
• Finite nature of time drives senior leadership support
– Communications is labor/time intensive
• Established culture is both a strength and a hindrance
– Dedication to enterprise, commitment to mission, loyalty to
leadership
– Risk adverse, apprehensive, constrained, perceived lack of
empowerment
• Actions and words don’t sync
• Not a clear image to publics
• Poor at creating understanding and management of
audience expectations
8. Reality of Communications
• Lack of planning and executing for the enduring nature
of communications and actions
– Distracted by the next “emergency”
– Failure to seize and remediate challenges at the pre-emptive
phase
– Failure to adequately analyze, assess and forecast
• Side effect of resourcing limitations
• Lack of adequate training/capability for 21st Century
Communications
– Social media has made every DLA employee and member of the
logistics enterprise a “communicator”
– Creativity is in the eye of the viewer which is influenced by
externals
9. What Must Happen
• Culture change
• Commitment and involvement of the leadership; provision of
long-range guidance and shaping messages
• Top-down planning with bottom-up refinement
• Proactive and integrated approach
• Speed, agility, flexibility and creativity
• ID’d audiences for relationship building; execution of audience
targeting with the right medium and message
• Assessment and analysis capability; enable COP at all levels
• Credible, integrated messages that match words to actions
• Better leverage of technology
• Political and public astuteness
• Clear, favorable image
• Enact organizational changes to prepare for enhanced
execution
10. Quick Wins
• Establishment of DLA Director’s guidance on
communications
• Inclusion of communications requirements as a
necessary part of/adjunct to the upcoming strategic plan
– Communications strategy written and released ICW the strategic
plan; allotted a similar weight of significance
• Research and acquisition of enabling technologies and
capabilities required to deploy those technologies
– Bacon’s (media directory and database)
– Vocus (media analysis)
– Up-to-date IT hardware and software packages
– Social media (Blogspot, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc)
– 3+2+1 Database (record, assess and focus engagements of DLA
senior representatives; analysis of spread and throw)
11. Quick Wins
• Establishment of cross-functional teams to support and
deploy communications objectives
– Chaired/coordinated by communications professional(s)
– Working under auspices of a formal charter to facilitate cooperation,
synchronization, and acceleration of communications planning and
execution
– Dedicated to specific focus areas and initiatives
– Tied to the strategic plan
– Provide a brain trust/writers pool to support DLA communication priorities
• Identify, prioritize and define DLA audiences, both
traditional and non-traditional
– Enable precise engagement
– Enable precise delivery targeting
• Identify and analyze existing engagement techniques
– Align with audience structure
– Refine delivery and distribution
– Identify gaps, seams and misfires
12. Quick Wins
• Establish a DLA communications “kit”
– Online, Web-based, by seniority/responsibility level
• Communications strategies, plans, themes, messages
• Relevant research and analysis
– Media, demographics, individuals, regions, technology, special
topics
• Talking points: hot topics, priorities by areas of interest;
briefing cards
• Speeches, testimony, presentations/presentation templates
• Video series by topic/initiative (as developed)
• Tips, tactics, techniques
• Events calendars: communications triggers, community
relations activities, commemorations, holidays, etc.
• Viewpoint/information exchange capability
13. Quick Wins
• Engage “outsiders” for advice
– Customers
– Stakeholders
– Legislative and OSD overseers
– Communications professionals from academia and
industry
• Conduct review of communications capabilities
across the organization
– Gap analysis
• Include communications messages and
concepts as part of decision briefs for DLA
initiatives and major programs
14. Mid-Range
• Provide timely, predictable, adequate funding of
communications as part of achieving desired end-state
– Resourcing agility to fund capability gaps as identified
• ICW senior leader staff, establish a senior leader “battle
rhythm” for engagement
– Senior leader review group for engagement proposals
• Expertise and bid system
– Weekly/biweekly joint meetings with CS, XO, DP, J-5, and DL to
present communications update: short range focus
– Monthly D meeting: update long range planning guidance; shape
themes, messages
– Monthly (as required): communications assessment and way
ahead to seniors and principal staff. Possibly as add-on to
currently scheduled meeting
15. Mid-Range
• Inculcate communications into the planning
process
– Development of issue and communications
collaboratively vice sequentially
• Develop appropriate training programs to turn
DLA employees into DLA “representatives”
• Establish academic alliances
– Internal and external
– Increased message distribution
• War college, command and staff colleges, logistics schools
and courses, logistics programs at civilian universities
• Effective sensing mechanism for new ideas, concepts and
perspectives
16. Mid-Range
• Establish a DLA/DAU professional journal
• Establish an incentives and recognition program
for effective engagement/communication
• Establish “grass roots, hometown” program for
DLA employees
– Engage the public on a personal level
• Refresh/reestablish DLA as a “brand”
– Clear picture of who and what DLA has
– Review and re-release of branding guidelines
– Emphasis on one-enterprise, one-DLA
17. Long-Range
• Creation of a “culture of engagement” throughout the
enterprise
• Increase/realign video capability
– Increased personnel and resourcing
• Concentration on DLA news
• Establish a “fly-in” program catered to non-traditional and
outside audiences
– WHO
– Executive Leadership Council
– Amer. Society of Assoc. Executives
– Conference of Mayors
– World Presidents Organization
– Executives of non-Defense industry and retail organizations
– Regional news outlets and personalities
18. Long-Range
• Propose communications engagement and
effectiveness as part of performance objectives
• Conduct enterprise wide communications audit
• Realign communications functions and
capabilities from across enterprise into a more
operational construct
• Establish a communications course at the DAU
• Establish a marketing/communications LTT with
industry for mid- and senior leaders
19. Roadmap to Cultural Change
Sr.
Leaders
promote/
support
communic
ations,
issue
formal
guidance
Conduct needed
surveys/evaluations/a
nalysis; review of
applicable structure,
organization and
supporting
infrastructure
Establishment of
cross-functional
communications focus
teams
Establish DLA
communications
Website
2009-2011
Action plan set in motion
Communications
budget
established
Communications
and issues
planning develop
collaboratively
Academic
alliances firmly
entrenched
Grass-roots
programs show
ROI
DLA “brand”
refresh prove
effective
2011-2013
Culture
change
firmly
established
Communication
functions aligned
for optimum
effectiveness
Establish of
measurement and
analysis functions show
ROI
2013-2015
Begin development
of Mid- long-range
budget/resource
documents
Advanced and
long-term
training shows
ROI
20. Vision of the End-State
A DLA culture that promotes agile, leader-
driven and effective communication that
meets the needs of a values-based,
flexible logistics enterprise as it enters the
complex 21st Century global information
environment. DLA becomes a transparent,
accountable organization; responsive to its
publics, stakeholders and influencers
22. Example Battle Rhythm
Legend
J-5
DP
DL
SL
Proposals
Introduced/
Reviewed
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
0800-0830 Director’s Stand-Up
Communication
Update (DP)
Sr Ldr Rev Gp
(DL/DP/J-5)
Communication
Update (J5)
Communication
Update (DL)
J-5 Stand-Up
FA1 Tm Mtg
(J-51/52)
FA2 Tm Mtg
(J-51/52)
FA2 Tm Mtg
(J-51/52)
J-5 Exec.
Staff Mtg
Strat. Align
Gp (J-51)
Other Ongoing Plans and Operations
Sr. Ldr. Review
Group
(DL/DP/J-5)
Sr. Ldr. Review
Group
(DL/DP/J-5)
Exec App/Valid/
Pre-brief
FA1 Tm Mtg
(J-51/52)
FA2 Tm Mtg
(J-51/52)
FA2 Tm Mtg
(J-51/52)
Exec App/Valid/
Pre-brief
Other Ongoing Plans and Operations
Sr. Ldr. Review
Group
(DL/DP/J-5)
Exec App/Valid/
Pre-brief
Other Ongoing Plans and Operations
Executive
Board
Governance
Board
Strategic
Alignment
Group
Senior Leader
“Target”
Groups
23. Quick Win Benefits
Establish DLA Director’s guidance on
communications; include communications
messages and concepts as part of
decisions briefs for DLA initiatives and
major programs
•Establishes leader driven process
•Provides for top-down planning, bottom-up
refinement
•Drive culture change
Inclusion of communications requirements
as a necessary part of/adjunct to the
upcoming strategic plan
•Illustrates leader support
•Integrity of message
•Commitment and involvement of
leadership
Research and acquisition of enabling
technologies and capabilities required to
deploy those technologies
•Enables speed and agility
•Improves integrated approach
•Establishes reputation management/repair
capability
•Expands distribution channels
•Serves as force-multiplier for
communications workforce
Win Benefit
24. Quick Win Benefits
Establish 3+2+1 Program •Drives culture of engagements from the
leadership level
•Provides assessment and analysis capability
•Allow for accurate targeting, message, and
delivery
•Assists in determining spread and throw
potential
Establish cross-functional teams to support
and deploy communications objectives
•Demonstrates leadership commitment to
culture change
•Provides resources to achieve accurate and
effective communications
•Improves integrity, speed and agility of
communications
Identify, prioritize and define DLA audiences;
identify and analyze engagement techniques
•Ensures right message to right audience
•Improves integrated approach; speed and
agility
•Proactive, integrated approach
Win Benefit
25. Quick Win Benefits
Establish a DLA communications kit •Drives culture change
•Ensures integrity of message, speed and
agility of response
•Support audience and representative
focus
•Enable proactive, integrated approach
Conduct review/analysis of
communications capabilities across the
organization
•Demonstrates leader commitment
•Identifies gaps and seams
•Enables funding of critical capabilities
during resource cycle
•Enables culture change
Win Benefit
26. Mid-Range
Timely, predictable, adequate funding of
communications
•Demonstrates leader commitment
•Provides resources to achieve end-state
•Allows for leverage of technology
•Enable DLA to establish and maintain
world-class communications programs
Establish a senior leader “battle rhythm”
and senior review group
•Establishes leader driven process
•Enables top-down planning
•Drives culture change
•Enables senior leader direction and
involvement
•Encourages broader engagement
Establish academic alliances; establish
DAU professional journal
•Expands distribution channels
•Establishes effective sensing mechanism
for new ideas, concepts and perspectives
Win Benefit
27. Mid-Range
Establish incentive and recognition
program
•Enables culture change
•Encourages participation
Refresh, reestablish DLA as a “brand” •Enables proactive, integrated approach
•Integrity of message
•Enables clarity of DLA as an enterprise
Establish “grass roots” program for DLA
employees; develop appropriate training
program to turn DLA employees in to DLA
“representatives”
•Demonstrates leadership commitment
•Enables culture change
•Expands distribution channels
•Serves as force-multiplier for
communications workforce
Win Benefit
28. Long-Range
Increase/realign DLA video capability •Enables speed, agility and creativity
•Increases distribution channels
•Enables integrity of message and
audience targeting
Propose communications engagement and
effectiveness as part of performance
objectives
•Demonstrates leader commitment
•Drives culture change
Realign communications functions and
capabilities from across enterprise into
more operational construct
•Enables speed and agility
•Improves integrated approach
Establish communications course at DAU;
establish marketing/communication LTT
with industry for mid-/senior leaders
•Drives culture change
•Demonstrates commitment
•Acts as a force-multiplier for
communications
•Aligns needed skills with appropriate DLA
“representatives”
Win Benefit
29. Teams
• Teams 1, 2 and 3, associated with
strategic guidance goals; established to:
– Provide agile, responsive support to
communications efforts in support of focus
area
• Enable targeting, messaging, vehicles
• Provide SME and writer support to effort
• Enable focusing of DLA communications efforts
• Ensure accuracy of information, speed and agility
of response
30. Team Four – Process Enhancement
• Institutionalize the communications
process in the strategy, policy formulation,
planning and execution processes
– Identify policies and procedures needed to
support DLA communications programs
– Demonstrate leadership support of
transparent, agile, effective communications
– Proactive, integrated approach
