Stefan's Proposal to Change the Hierarchy

In early May 2007, Mission Commander Stefan De Young proposed a new hierarchy for the running of Spacesim. Essentially the system is an application of the Storey Model integrated with other important hierarchichal factors such as directors.

Introduction

Spacesim has had longtime problems with motivation, order, and procrastination. I believe that the principal reason for this is members not knowing what they’re supposed to be doing. While school is easy because everything is provided for you in a certain framework (for example, after doing a certain lesson in Maths class, you will obviously be applying that topic to that night’s homework and not another), Spacesim, and yea, real life is one giant TIPS problem. You must both choose your methods and find the solution, as no framework is provided for you. This creates difficulty when people don’t take the initiative, and get things done. Therefore, in an attempt to provide some sort of framework to aid in next year’s commanders in organizing the club, I will submit this document for consideration.

Purpose of the Hierarchy

The purpose of this proposed hierarchy is not to put constraints on the leadership of Spacesim, or to limit the powers of its members, and create an oligarchy, but to provide focus. When the leaders know exactly they are responsible for, it will be much easier for them to organize themselves, and that should translate in more facility in organizing the club in general. Thus this document presents specific roles for certain leaders of the club, which should harmonize together to form a splendiferous organization.

This document also seeks to redress the senior-imbalance, whereby junior members are incensed at the perceived lack of leadership opportunities available to them.

The Chain of Command

The chain of command (COC) will consist three branches (Mission, EEPs, and Planetariums, abbreviated M, E, and P, respectively) and seven ranks within these three branches.

Ranks

The seven ranks will be: 1. Admiral

2. Commander (Cmdr.)

3. Sub-Commander (S-Cmdr.)

4. Lieutenant Commander (Lt. Cmdr.)

5. Lieutenant (Lt.)

6. Warrant Officer (WO)

7. Sergeant (Sgt.)

Each officer will report to an officer of rank higher than theirs as indicated in Figure-1: The Hierarchy.

Admiral

The Admiral is synonomous with the position of Teacher Advisor; no student may hold this position. The Admiral is in charge of making sure that the club retains its vital functions, acting as a sounding board for the ideas of the Cmdrs., and acting as a liaison between “Adults” (when necessary) and Spacesim.

Commanders

There will be one and only one Cmdr. for each of the three branches of Spacesim, Mission, EEP, and Planetarium. These commanders double as Spacesim’s Co-Heads, and are the primary leadership of the organization. The reason to give each branch of Spacesim equal representation at the highest level of student government is to represent our dedication to the diversity of our enterprise (ie. Not only the Mission, but educating the general public as well).

Each Cmdr. will be in charge of making sure that the interests of their branch are fairly represented.

The Mission Commander will make sure that the club retains as large a membership as possible. He (and I will use the male case throughout to avoid He/She, so get used to this. Sorry ladies.) will consult with the Sub-Commander on the readiness of the Habitat for the Mission, will be in charge of the Planetary Surface construction, and the choosing of Simulators (if possible). When in doubt of which commander should take charge of a certain initiative, default to the M-Cmdr., if no other Cmdr. volunteers to take charge. However, the Mission Commander’s prime responsibility is the training of all Spacesim members in preparation for the annual 96-hour mission.

The Sub-Commander and Warrant Officer of Web-related Affairs (WO-W) (not to be confused with World of Warcraft) are under the direct command of the Mission Commander.

The EEP Commander will be in charge of assembling a staff of competent EEP presenters, who are to be led by the Lt. Cmdrs. of the EEP branch. The E-Cmdr. also has the ability to rewrite any of the EEP demos to his satisfaction. Primary responsibility for publicizing EEPs falls to the E-Cmdr., but he may request the services of the Warrant Officer of Public Relations, through that officer’s commander, the P-Cmdr. All EEP requests will be sent through the E-Cmdr., and the E-Cmdr. will make sure that each EEP is staffed.

The Lieutenant Commanders of EEPs (E-Lt. Cmdr.) and Warrant Officer of the Galileo Challenge (WO-GC) are under the direct command of the EEP Commander.

The Planetarium Cmdr. has responsibilities analogous to those of the E-Cmdr., but for Planetariums, and not EEPs.

The Lieutenant Commanders of Planetariums (P-Lt. Cmdr.) and Warrant Officer of Public Relations (WO-PR) are under the direct command of the Planetarium Commander.

All Commanders, together, are in charge of the net governance of the club. Together, they will set the agenda, ensure that all tasks are completed on time, and make sure that their subordinates don’t slack-off too much.

Sub Commander

The creation of this position marks the largest change from the current Spacesim COC, but is, in my opinion, well worth the perceived demotion.

In imagining a Starship, or even a submarine, the Captain (analogous to M-Cmdr.) may make the decisions, but it is the First Officer, or XO’s responsibility to make sure that the ship is “battle-ready” at all times, and to organize the staff underneath the Cmdr. This is the vision I had in mind while creating the position of Sub-Commander.

The sub-commander will be the second Mission Commander. Mission Branch has two high-ranking officers instead of one Commander only to represent our commitment to the edification of our own members through the annual mission.

The sub-commander may perceive being labeled as lower than the other Cmdrs. as a demotion, especially since the two Mission Commanders have historically doubled as club co-heads, but the responsibility of being a good sub-commander is much more exhaustive than being a Cmdr., and a lot more hands-on.

The Sub-Commander is in charge all work completed in preparation for the mission excepting training. This will include all Task Forces.

The Warrant Officer of Quartermastering (WO-Q) will be under the direct command of the Sub-Commander for the reason that the Task force Master will be the one most needing the tools.

In an event where any commander is unable to fulfill his role, the sub-commander may act as an acting commander. Essentially, the sub-commander is someone who would be commander, but has been given other equally important responsibilities instead.

Lieutenant Commanders

Lieutenant Commanders exist only in the EEP and Planetarium branches of Spacesim. These are like Sub-Commanders to the EEP and Planetarium commanders in that they are in charge of the nitty-gritty execution of the Commanders’ plans, however, they rank lower than the actual Sub-Commander, and are essentially only more experienced Lieutenants, who have been recognized to be particularly good at EEPs or Planetariums by their respective Cmdr.

Preference is given to Gr. 11's and 12's for the position of Lieutenant Commander by virtue of their supposed experience.

Lieutenants

Lieutenants, like their senior counterparts (Lt.Cmdrs.), are in charge of actually executing the EEPs or Planetariums.

At this point it is important to distinguish between officers (Lts. and Lt.Cmdrs. in this case) and general members who would act as EEP or Planetarium Presenters. For every plan that the Cmdrs. put together, they will create a team that will be led by either a Lieutenant or Lieutenant Commander. Lieutenant-grade officers will be the primary presenters, emergency-backup-presenters, and presentation-team-leaders. In the event of complete depopulation of the club excepting officers, the Cmdrs. and Lieutenant-grade-officers should be able to run any and all EEPs and Planetariums.

Preference for Lieutenant Positions is given to Gr. 10s to allow younger members a leadership role in the club.

Warrant Officers

Warrant Officer is the new title for the positions formerly known as Directorships. At the time of writing there are four directorships: Webmaster, Public Relation Director, Quartermaster, and Galileo Challenge Director. These four will be renamed WO-W, WO-PR, WO-Q, and WO-GC respectively. More Warrant Officers can be added if the situation warrants the new office.

Each Warrant Officer is responsible for the planning and executing of events related to their department. Essentially, they will have free reign to act in the interests of the club, while still reporting to and obtaining the support of their Commander.

Each WO will be assigned to one Cmdr. The proposed scheme in this document is the following:

WO-Q : S-Cmdr. WO-W: M-Cmdr. WO-PR: P-Cmdr. WO-GC: E-Cmdr.

However, the plan proposed in this document will let each year’s commanders and sub-commander pick their own warrant officers, or cabinet, as it were. The Commanders themselves will still be chosen by their predecessors.

Sergeants

Sergeant is the new title for Task Force Leaders, though Task Forces will still be called Task Forces. The new terms “Squadron,” or “'Color'-Team” may replace “Task-Force” if the Sub-Commander decides to institute this change.

Sergeants are completely responsible for the complete completion of a task from planning to polishing. Jobs may not be left uncompleted, as they must be completely complete, and work properly, as they would if they were completely complete and tested completely. Sergeants may command higher level officers if said officers are placed under their command by the Sub-Commander. They are responsible for motivating all of their subordinates to complete their assigned task in a certain time frame.

Sergeants are appointed by the Sub-Commander, and any one person can not command more than one Task Force at a time. The Sub-Commander is responsible for finding recruits for each TF, but Sergeants may conscript members, if said members are not already involved in a project.

Summary

Spacesim’s organizational structure will be revamped by creating three commander positions, one for each branch of the club, that double as club co-heads. Under these commanders will be a Sub-Commander who is in charge of the daily operations of the worksession with respect to the mission, Lieutenant Commanders and Lieutenants who are responsible for the proper functioning of EEPs and Planetariums, Warrant Officers who are in charge of certain non-Task Force long-term projects, and Sergeants who are in charge of Task Forces.

Analysis of the System

By allowing each branch of Spacesim its own commander, the club loses the possibility of becoming “mission-centric,” and has a greater possibility of emphasizing EEPs and Planetariums to the degree they deserve.

The creation of the Sub-Commander position should create a greater focus within Task Forces, allowing for more efficiency.

By reserving certain positions for Gr. 11s and 10s, we allow younger members to become part of the leadership process, and gain valuable opinions that might otherwise go unheard. We also encourage our younger members to take on more of a leadership role in Spacesim, and in general, which hails to our Mission Statement.

Analysis of Possible Break-Downs in the System

As with most of the regimented ideology I have presented over my carreer as a Spacesim member, most notably the New Deal for Task Forces, which I presented in 2005-06, in an attempt to create an analogous system to the Sub-Commander system presented in this document, there is the possibility that this idea will fall flat. Spacesim does not like changing its core organization, and is not receptive to new systems designed to increase efficiency by forcefully imposing order. Thus there is a medium probability that my suggestions presented here will not last a year. However, by starting a new year with this system in place, we reduce the chances of having the system totally overridden by the old philosophies.

Members may balk at having so many different ranks. They may feel that the system is too strict, and attempt to remove it. However, the reason that the leaders need order is that it is notoriously difficult to manage a club that doesn’t always listen to you. All members need to realize the value of following orders towards a common goal, but in exchange, Commanders need to actually know what they’re doing, and must be people that the general members do not mind following.

Possible Future Changes to the System

EEPs and Planetariums answer the same goal: educating the public about Space. As such, it is highly possible, and equally likely, that they will one day merge into the same branch of Spacesim. I would support this merger. However, I do not propose it here because I’d like to take things one step at a time, and see how this works out before doing something as radical as merging two branches.

If this merger does take place, I would suggest that the positions of Lieutenant Commanders become more important, as they will present the only real distinction between EEP and Planetarium leaders.

Additionally, I am unsatisfied with the current Director, and proposed Warrant Officer system, and I would request that future commanders inspect that area in particular for future amendment.

Conclusion

The system proposed herein is a radical revamping of the current command structure designed to target most of the prevalent command-related concerns raised by today’s constituents of my riding. It provides a diversity of leadership both in ideology and in age-range, while increasing the focus of each leader, and thereby improving efficiency. The system should make Spacesim more productive, enjoyable, and much easier to manage.

Thanks for reading, Stefan