text: Chapter 8
  command and that forces need to achieve unity of effort. This is especially important when units are task-
  organized and have different command structures than they had prior to an operation.
  8-46. Coalition, joint, and Army C2 systems can enable distributed operations in a permissive environment.
  Some systems, however, will be degraded by enemy or other action to a point that they may not be usable.
  In these instances, the previously developed shared understanding enables subordinate leaders to take
  effective action on their own while still working towards their commander’s end state. (See paragraphs 8-23
  through 8-26 for more information on degraded communications and leadership.)
  COMMUNICATING WITH STAFF AND SUBORDINATES
  More than 50 percent of battle command in VII Corps was non-electric. That’s because we
  were a team forged together quickly during deployment. We practiced using intent.
  Commanders talked to each other. We were inside each other’s heads.
  Lieutenant General Frederick Franks
  8-47. Written orders continue to have an indispensable place in exercising C2, particularly before operations
  commence and during their early stages. Clearly written orders promote consistency of approach in all areas
  of C2, and they provide a common frame of reference from which to depart. During operations, oral
  communications tend to be more important than written communications, for reasons of time and because of
  the importance of personal interaction while leading. Face-to-face communication is the most effective
  method, because humans use more than words to express themselves and understand each other. It is,
  however, impossible to communicate face-to-face with all subordinates during engagements and battles.
  Operations at the BCT level and below during close combat are largely dependent upon rapid, efficient
  tactical radio communications. The military bearing of leaders when interacting in person, and the tone of
  voice they use during communications when not in person, have significant impacts on their subordinates.
  8-48. Effective leaders take positive steps that encourage, rather than impede, communications among and
  with their subordinates and staff members. They make themselves available for dialogue, and they are open
  to new information. Leaders who react rashly to new information, or who create barriers to communication,
  whether intentional or not, decrease the chances that they will receive the timely information needed to make
  critical decisions, and they may hinder the initiative of subordinates. Failure to properly receive and act on
  new information leads to mission failure.
  DEVELOPING TEAMS
  8-49. Successful operations require shared understanding across domains and effective teamwork with the
  joint and multinational organizations operating in those domains. Developing teams requires continuous
  effort. It begins during home station activities and continues throughout preparation for and execution of
  operations. Leaders may serve with unfamiliar subordinate units or serve under an unfamiliar higher echelon
  headquarters, and they may have their task organization change multiple times during execution. To
  effectively understand capabilities and lead across domains, Army leaders must also build trust with elements
  of the joint force and Army units they may never see to effectively employ their capabilities. They need to
  interact effectively with host-nation, allied, and partner nation forces, along with interagency and
  intergovernmental partners, to ensure unity of effort when bringing to bear effects controlled by those outside
  the joint force.
  8-50. Operational requirements may cause units to deploy with different command structures than those used
  at home station. Often they will not have trained with the higher echelon headquarters that employs them.
  Collaboration and dialogue across echelons can mitigate these potential obstacles to team building. Through
  these interactions, commanders gain insight into the needs of unfamiliar organizations while also sharing
  their own vision and understanding.
  8-51. By circulating among subordinate units, commanders can assess readiness, get to know new units in
  the task organization, and personally motivate Soldiers. Leaders also visit and build productive personal
  relationships with civilian leaders in other agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the local population
  in their AOs. Knowledge gained during these visits enables commanders to maintain situational
  understanding and continuously update their visualization prior to and during execution.