This afternoon I had a brief Twitter exchange about the state of the US Intel communities highly publicized efforts in information sharing and their current state of adoption plateau. It brought to mind a position I hold regarding how change works within densly siloed organizations. I thought I'd spell it out and see what you have to say about it. Here goes. Think about the path of a skunkworks implementation, or even a sanctioned pilot. Many start with some small identified group of enthusiasts or early adopters then slowly work their way out to the larger community where a more representative view of the cultural spectrum emerges. Enthusiasts> the willing> the concerned> the resistors> the combatants. Think of a level meter. You start in the green (path of least resistance) and move to the red (welcome to the wall). While measuring a linear path, it's a path that's in constant flux. There is no 'finished'. Adoption changes, the needle keeps moving. The thing is, humans are involved. We have to go through a change cycles for each point on the meter. There are a number of change management approaches you could apply toward this. For example, ADKAR or PCI. You have to remember that the methodology chosen doesn't simply apply to a one time application for the entire platform or an overarching user-culture, it applies to each point on the meter, as well as the organizational sub-points beneath (strategic users, teams, geographies, etc.). Business cultures aren't check boxes that live in a finished state. They have to be lead strongly, cared for, supported, guided, nurtured, and tapped for direction in a long-term, real-time way. Despite our need to see climbing adoption numbers (an assumed indicator of success), cultures, as living entities, operate in phases of construction and deconstruction. Lasting change comes in waves and sometimes those waves recede. I'm not surprised to hear of difficulty in coaxing siloed and deeply rooted cultures to share openly among one another. I don't believe the situation represents a death knell for information sharing in the most protected industry around. I believe it represents the difficulty of the task. I'm hopeful for them. Thanks for reading. Would love to hear your ideas.