Naval Special Warfare 21 : an analysis of organizational change in the 21st century

Abstract

Can we ever truly understand what motivates us to act in particular ways? Can we draw inferences from our understanding of the actions of one to explain the behaviors of many? Can we ever hope to develop broad theories that make human behavior comprehensible? This thesis is inclined to say no. However, this "no" is only a tentative answer. Throughout this thesis we will discuss, observe, and analyze these questions of human behavior in the context of organizational theory: a discipline that is essentially a study of how humans act when they group themselves into bureaucratic organizations. In this thesis, we will use Naval Special Warfare and its NSW-21 transformation effort as an example of how an organization can change, even when that change seems to go against the grain of popular wisdom. We have approached this thesis from the perspective of a curious workman who has just opened the back of a clock to see what makes the timepiece tick. As we analyze what makes Naval Special Warfare tick, we will tell the story of the NSW-21 transformation. In this work, we seek to satisfy three objectives: 1) to provide a broad understanding of NSW-21 and its implications, 2) to explain why NSW-21 was a smart move for the Naval Special Warfare community, and 3) to use Naval Special Warfare's recent transformation endeavors as a means to understand how and why groups must organize, reorganize, and transform themselves in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Essentially, this thesis can be boiled down to one simple question: "Why does the NSW-21 transformation make sense for Naval Special Warfare?"