JP 3-0, page 66

Chapter III III-14 JP 3-0 (b) A collaborative environment is one in which participants are encouraged to solve problems and share information, knowledge, perceptions, ideas, and concepts in a spirit of mutual cooperation that extends beyond the requirement to coordinate with others. In joint operations, commanders and staffs tend to collaborate due to an established common purpose. However, collaboration can be enhanced when personnel understand the value of leveraging social networks, establishing trusted relationships, and sharing knowledge. This is particularly important in relationships with interorganizational partners, since their objectives and perceptions of the desired end state will not always coincide with the military’s. (c) Collaborative Capabilities. Collaborative capabilities can enable planners and operators worldwide to build a plan without being colocated. Collaboration also provides planners with a “view of the whole” while working on various sections of a plan, which helps them identify and resolve planning conflicts early. Commanders can participate more readily in COA analysis even when away from the HQ, with the potential to select a COA without the traditional sequential briefing process. The staff can post plans and orders on interactive web pages or portals for immediate use by subordinate elements (e.g., as facilitated by automated machine-to-machine interfaces or “publish and subscribe” mechanisms). Collaborative capabilities require effective and efficient processes, trained and disciplined users, and a usable collaborate tool infrastructure. A fully functioning electronic collaborative environment requires more than just collaborative capabilities that help participants share and protect information and knowledge. A second component of this environment is infrastructure—the various information systems on which the tools reside and the networks that link these systems. The C2 systems, networks, and collaborative tools and participants need procedures—based on accepted theory and practice and established to meet joint force needs—that enable exchanges of knowledge and information. The full benefit of these capabilities is realized only with a fourth component— users who are trained to use the tools and systems and educated to understand the advantages and power of a collaborative environment. (d) Information Sharing. The sharing of information with relevant USG agencies, foreign governments and security forces, interorganizational partners, NGOs, and members of the private sector, has proved vital in recent operations. Commanders at all levels should determine and provide guidance on what information needs to be shared with whom and when. DOD information should be appropriately secured, shared, and made available throughout the information life cycle to appropriate mission partners to the maximum extent allowed by US laws and DOD policy. Commanders, along with their staffs, need to recognize the criticality of the information-sharing function at the outset of complex operations and not as an afterthought. For additional guidance on collaboration and related capabilities, refer to CJCSI 6715.01B, Joint Operational Employment of Virtual Collaboration, and JP 6-0, Joint Communications System. k. Risk Management. Risk is inherent in military operations. Risk management is the process of identifying, assessing, and controlling risks arising from operational factors and making decisions that balance risk cost with mission benefits. Risk management is a