OPINION — Not long ago, I was talking to an old friend and China analyst about the need for Intelligence Community (IC) analysts to spend significantly more time looking at themselves and their own agencies, processes, procedures, habits, biases, etc.—in other words, to be more introspective. I thought this an uncontroversial assertion as it has been well established in management literature that healthy organizations have robust introspective proclivities. But his response proved me wrong: “Do you have any idea what my read pile looks like? I have no time for navel-gazing.”
The above comment beautifully captures not only the IC’s aversion to introspection but also what is probably the main reason for that aversion—our “mission focus.” In fact, for most of us “mission, mission, mission” becomes a mantra from the day we take our oaths. But that admirable mission focus also comes with a very real downside: we tend to see introspection as a distraction from the mission rather than as a prerequisite to mission success. Add to that another compelling reason for our aversion—our historical and cultural wariness about looking at “blue” (U.S.-related) issues—and the roots of our introspective deficiencies quickly become evident.
That said, our aversion to introspection might well be disputed by some observers. After all, most of us take multiple personality assessments (e.g., Myers Briggs, DISC, etc.) during the course of our service. Additionally, we do have many of the trappings of an introspective community: organizations (e.g., National Intelligence University, Center for the Study of Intelligence, etc.), personnel (e.g., methodologists, tradecraft specialists, historians, etc.), and publications (e.g., NIU’s Research Notes, Shorts and Monographs; CIA’s Studies in Intelligence, etc.) that are specifically dedicated to thinking about the practice of intelligence. Why, then, do I posit that we are not sufficiently introspective?
Well, relative to the IC’s size, the aforementioned trappings are, by any measure, tiny. Moreover, although a sub-community of extraordinarily introspective officers exists, the majority of them are at their most introspective when—and because—they are not working on the line. As part of my research, I talk to many intelligence officers, especially line analysts. And in doing so I never fail to be amazed at how few seem to view routine introspective activities as vital to high performance. Sure, they see value in the occasional class, tradecraft-focused article, or ticking off the boxes on an Intelligence Community Directive 203 (Analytic Standards) checklist. But as a systematic, thorough, and routine activity? Not so much.
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Given this, the IC needs to fundamentally reassess its whole conception of introspection. No longer can it be sufficient to expect introspective initiatives to be carried out mostly by non-line or support entities, although their foundational introspective efforts will remain vital supports to mission. Rather, on top of that foundational work, the IC must start building introspective activity into the regular routines of officers actively and directly working on the mission. Just as practicing doctors and lawyers are required (at least on paper) to engage in self-assessment—”reflective practice”—even as they confront ever-increasing numbers of patients and caseloads, intelligence practitioners too must consciously invest time and thought in regularly reflecting on how we conduct our work and ways in which we could better achieve our mission.
There is no set form this reflective practice must take. It could be conducted in a group, individual and/or hybrid format. The only aspects that are non-negotiable are that it be regular, resourced (particularly with regard to time), and required.
Ultimately, and as mentioned at the outset, healthy organizations have strong introspective tendencies. It is crucial then, that the IC reconceives and incentivizes introspection as a fundamental prerequisite to mission success and not the distraction or “navel gazing” it too often is deemed to be.
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