EFFECTIVE LATERAL COMMUNICATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01495R000900010014-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 19, 2005
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: August 4, 1972
• Content Type: MF

ADMINISTRATIVE/INTERNAL USE ONLY
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4 August 1972
MEMORANDUM FOR: Executive Director - Comptroller
SUBJECT: Effective Lateral Communications
The lack of effective communications between individuals,
components, or directorates can handicap the intelligence
analyst, technician, case officer and manager alike. Lateral
communication sometimes is viewed as unnecessary and contrary
to "need to know" compartmentation. However, the younger
officer especially has sought his counterpart in other parts
of the Agency.with benefit to both intelligence production and
operations. The difficulty of defining the lateral communication
"problem" was emphasized in MAG's discussions. Some MAG members
felt that the problem was essentially that people did not know
with whom to communicate. Others felt that the real problem
was to establish effective communication between people who
already know of their mutual existence and concerns. MAG
considered the subject and attempted to identify successful
communications techniques employed by some in the Agency which
could be used by others.
The most common approach to effective communications
involves personal relationships and usually takes the form of
knowing key people or components knowledgeable about a parti-
cular area. These interrelationships depend very much upon
personalities, mutual respect, personal needs and inadequacies.
Much of this communication is on an informal basis but can be
formalized. The situation of learning only too late about
pertinent work or capabilities of people could be alleviated
by a more organized way to identify key people in a directorate
or division whom one could contact for overall direction or
information. Certain people in any directorate seem to have
this capability either through innate ability or their function
in the organization structure which gives them an overall view
of office personnel and activities. These points of contact
should be more clearly identified for all. Another useful mech-
anism enhancing communication with the appropriate people is
the use of a functional directory such as the one published by
OCS.
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SUBJECT: Effective Lateral Communications
An additional method of effective communication has been
used in times of crisis, for example, by OCI. A task force is
set up to ensure that all interested parties are in touch and
contributing necessary information. People with specialized
interest and knowledge in a particular country or problem are
identified and a roster is made with names, phone numbers, and
special area of expertise. Such a roster probably would include
names of economic, political, military, scientific, estimative,
and operational specialists. On any given problem, then, these
people are ready and available. Sometimes meetings involving
all of the people on the task force are set up so that all
have a chance to exchange ideas and discuss probable events
and implications. Modification of this concept might be
workable even in the absence of a crisis. Lists of people
with specialized interest or knowledge could be assembled
and fed into a computer and made available to interested
individuals.
The concept of a roster of personnel with specialized
knowledge can even be extended. Practical implementation
would involTL providing a cross-indexed computer tabulation
which identifies specific subjects and knowledgeable individuals
or Agency components. It is envisioned that this data bank
would reflect more than just those "experts" in a particular
field. Rather, it would, to a manageable level of detail,
truly reflect the activity within the Agency. This data bank
would be updated regularly as "expertise" is developed within
a given office or division. Younger officers who have not yet
learned how to work the informal communications channels would
benefit greatly by being able to tap this data bank. An
important aspect of this question relates to a certain amount
of middle management "inertia" which is believed to exist
within the Agency. Many managers seem reluctant to search for
outside expertise almost to the point of discouraging the use
of the informal communications paths. If a data bank such as
discussed above is to be beneficial its use must be encouraged
from the top down to overcome this management inertia at
whatever level it exists. Finally, security can be maintained;
a valid case can be made for not making the details of the
entire data bank available. At the office level an individual
can act as the interface between the officers in the division
and the data bank. Such an individual having the need to know
ADMINISTRATIVE/INTERNAL, USE ONLY
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 ADMINISTRATIVE/INTERNAL USE ONLY
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SUBJECT: Effective Lateral Communications
and aware of the information needs of personnel in his
division can query the data bank to identify the experts
in other offices or to identify other components where
related work is being carried out. Further, this individual
being knowledgeable of the activity within his office would
be responsible for ensuring that his part of the data bank
is current.
The Agency spends a good deal of money each year sending
people to conferences and seminars. The knowledge we collect-
ively have in the Agency also is significant but unfortunately
we seldom utilize the specialized knowledge our own people
have to inform each other. Perhaps twice a year groups of
interested individuals (compiled and available from the
computer) could get together in a conference or seminar
environment. The agenda should be flexible but include pre-
sentations and discussion from people with differing kinds
of specialized knowledge (whether it's all of the French
experts, groups of computer people or all those who worry
about space or missile problems). Even though on a working
basis many of us are in regular or informal contact with our
counterpart in other parts of the Agency we seldom take time
for a thorough and thought-provoking session. The organization
of the meeting could be a cooperative venture with the agenda
and participants worked out by the Directorates and the
mechanics by the. Office of Training.
Other means contributing to effective lateral communica-
tions are participation in training classes such as the DDS&T
Career Development Course and all inter-directorate courses
(Mid Career, Intelligence and World Affairs, Advanced Intelli-
gence Seminar, and Senior Seminar). These courses serve to
demonstrate positive implications of lateral communication
between operational and analytical components. One of the
most helpful fallouts from these sessions is the contacts
made with people from other components and directorates.
Similar experiences can be gained in attending in-house
seminars and technical working sessions such as the recent
Human Factors Seminar and the working groups under the R&D
technical coordinating committee.
MAG believes that lateral communication should be
encouraged by management. While many intelligence officers
ADMINISTRATIVE/INTERNAL USE ONLY
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 ADrTTNISTRATIVE/INTERNAL USE O'''- Y
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SUBJECT: Effective Lateral Communications
will communicate on their own once they know with whom to get in
touch, others must be encouraged as they are encouraged by their
managers in other respects. Managers should make it clear from
the outset of an employee's assignment that they support lateral
communication and that the officer is expected to keep in touch
with his counterparts in other components and directorates. The
Executive Director's recent memorandum on Country Seminars, which
MAG saw when in the final stages of preparing this report, is an
excellent example of management support for lateral communications.
Management Advisory Group
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