This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
BLOG: Practice lessons from naval submarines, part 1
Read more from John B. Pinto.
Living in San Diego in the shadow of America’s nuclear navy, I once had the privilege of touring a real, live submarine, courtesy of an admiral friend. In 60 minutes, I learned more about the value of staff cross-training than I had learned in all the previous years as a practice consultant. I also picked up lots of other management pearls. I’d like to share a few of these insights with you.
Virtually all members of a 135-man submarine crew (U.S. submarines are essentially all-male) are interchangeable, with the exception of the captain and one key officer. What’s more, submariners shift from boat to boat throughout their career; fully half or more of a submarine’s sailors turn over every year; and sailors migrate from ship to ship, in an environment that’s vastly more complex and more stressful than the average ophthalmology practice. Get the whole story