As human beings, we develop patterns of behavior and thought that help us achieve our goals with the least amount of effort possible. For example, we learn early in life that we can have greater success and more friends if we cooperate and agree with other people – go along to get along. To save time and energy, we develop shortcuts and apply solutions that work in one area to problems in another, even if the responses don’t fit perfectly. We assume we know more than we really do, and we don’t question our assumptions. The introverts among us, despite having valuable ideas, cede control in meetings to the extroverts and remain mute. These actions and this learned behavior combine to deceive us. We assume we are applying the best solutions without reflecting on our actions and asking if there is a better way, or if we are really applying the correct thought and behavior to get the outcomes we want. When we join together in groups, these human characteristics amplify, and our tendencies and learned patterns of behavior lead us to situations like the planning meeting described above.
Expanding on the words of psychologist Dietrich Dörner, people court failure in predictable ways, by degrees, almost imperceptibly, and according to their own culture and context. In other words, we routinely take shortcuts because of limitations on time, personnel, or other resources, and we accept that as a normal way of doing business. We assume we understand situations because we have been in similar ones before, and we turn a blind eye to ambiguity or don’t fully appreciate asymmetries. We discount potential threats because we don’t fully appreciate the likelihood of occurrence or the complexity of influencing factors. We make many small decisions that are individually “close enough,” but when joined together, become the seeds of failure. We take comfort in the familiar, and assume others, even on the other side of the world, share our views, beliefs, and tendencies. These reasons and more are why we Red Team.
“Every assumption we hold, every claim, every assertion, every single one of them must be challenged.” --CSA Mark A. Milley
What is Red Teaming Red Teaming is a flexible cognitive approach to thinking and planning that is specifically tailored to each organization and each situation. It is conducted by skilled practitioners normally working under charter from organizational leadership. It uses structured tools and techniques to help us ask better questions, challenge explicit and implicit assumptions, expose information we might otherwise have missed, and develop alternatives we might not have realized exist. It cultivates mental agility to allow Red Teamers to rapidly shift between multiple perspectives to develop a fuller appreciation of complex situations and environments. This leads to improved understanding, more options generated by everyone (regardless of rank or position), better decisions, and a level of protection from the unseen biases and tendencies inherent in all of us.
This is built on four main principles:
Last modified 28 April 2025