Role playing aside for just a moment, we continue to work at finding a model that will promote growth and sustainability for Artemis social groups, communities and crews across Canada.
To ensure the members continue to play on a regular basis while meeting the values of the community, we move into the last phase of building the nation wide Artemis community. The vision to sustain our local crews and play together remains intact. How we do that is further described below.
Our previous operating model followed the Incident Command System Canada (ICS-CAN) which we've abandoned due to how social community culture generally evolves, which is more consensus driven, using flattened management structure. Our attempts to merge role playing and real life with an incident management structure that is contrary to our sociopolitical culture inevitably lead to series of operating and strategic issues. We believe we should use ICS for tactical work only, and that is applied to the role playing aspect on the bridge while in play; to respond to a situation quickly and effectively.
This is not to say that we should discard ICS-CAN. The system has proven itself over time and provides a solid base on which to build response. However, we need to be less rigid in how we employ it, focusing on ICS principles rather than just structure and being open to adjustments based on community needs.[1]
The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized on-site management system designed to enable effective, efficient incident management by integrating a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure. Primarily ICS is used to manage an incident or a non-emergency event, and can be used equally well for both small and large situations. [2]
Restructuring the crews so they all operate autonomously, seeking to organize and play together when schedules permit. Where an elected community leader provides one voice for their crew.
Reorganizing certain members, where a new group is formed to operate as an advisory board, which they provide guidance on as needed for community leaders.
Rebranding to the Terran Stellar Navy 42nd Fleet now becomes a service based entity rather than only a support system. The 1st Battle Squadron describes a group of eight ships working together during a game only. We understand the dynamics of crews wanting to belong to either several, one or no association at all; and that is all fine because it is part of the ebb and flow of society.
The administrative team in the fleet provides the service of scheduling, coordinating and delivering fleet wide games on some date and time. This process typically is done through polling and consensus with all the crews, of course, with the understanding that fleet works towards optimizing best case scheduling scenarios. Crews decide to participate or not given their availability and resources.
Cooperative Model
This new cooperative model does allow the crews to agree to meet and make decisions democratically only when needed as a whole. Consensus can be reached rather quickly, leaving to voting if required. The community leaders would need to appoint a spokesperson to communicate on their behalf. Then all the community leaders would task the spokesperson to schedule, organize and run fleet level meetings only when required.
Business as Usual
Otherwise, crews continue to operate their own communities autonomously, choosing to participate or not when schedules and resources allow. Efforts to not make this social group top heavy and a bureaucratic nightmare, leaving more time to coordinate and play together, since this is all based on our personal free time.
An Advisory Board
Adding an advisory board to provide support local social communities. The main reason to create an advisory board is to seek expertise outside of the local group. Advisory board members should provide the local social group with knowledge, understanding and strategic thinking of the industry or management.
Local social groups should seek advisory board members whose qualities complement the existing leaders and not mask gaps in knowledge or skill in the main leaders. An advisory board strengthens the existing crews, but does not interfere with authorities of the existing community groups. The former editor of The Economist, also an advisory board member, once said, "They (advisory boards) are there to give focus to or sometimes challenge research and intelligence work being done in the social group, thus avoiding groupthink and giving direction on big picture issues.".
In Real Life (IRL)Multi-agency Coordination Systems (MACS) are a part of the United States standardized Incident Command System.[1] MACS provides the basic architecture for facilitating the allocation of resources, incident prioritization, coordination and integration of multiple agencies for large-scale incidents and emergencies.[3]
Strategic Planning and Stakeholder Management for Corporate Business and Political Leaders.
Multi-Agency Coordination Systems/Emergency Support Functions for Operations.
Role Playing (RL)
Incident Command System for Tactical.
Most communities and their crews manage their own resources, prioritization and coordinate their own events, with invitations to join them for scheduled games. Larger scale MACS such as the 42nd Fleet casts a bigger net to capture and optimize as many crews regardless of their geographical location to play together.
In the end, we look at several measurable to indicate if we indeed built and sustain a community of people who want to meet up and play. We ask the big questions of a) did you have fun?, b) was your free time well spent? c) do you have a sense of belonging to both the local and bigger Artemis community?
Answering yes to this is what we work towards.
The hopes of further refining, creating and understanding boundaries within the three area of strategic planning, operations and tactical work is important. Applying systems to easily manage this has been a big trial and error journey for me.
So, upwards and onward to bringing people together to play this fun game.
References
1. Are We Too Dependent on the Incident Command System? Lucien G. Canton / January 29, 2015 https://www.govtech.com/em/emergency-blogs/managing-crisis/Are-We-Too-Dependent-on-the-Incident-Command-System.html
2. Incident Command System (ICS) http://www.icscanada.ca/
3. Multiagency Coordination Systems (MACS) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiagency_Coordination_Systems
Community social groups and crews used in this entry are interchangeable, as they describe a group of people in one geographical area who assemble to play. Given the game's sub culture genre, most communities usually have one crew. Although, I have seen two crews form in the same municipal area to date.
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