"We rely upon your ability...You know what to do"

 There is perhaps no greater underdog story than that of the American Revolution.  Great Britain had more money, more experience, and more resources than the fledgling United States, and yet the United States would eventually defeat the British forces and win their independence.  As one of many examples, American naval commander John Paul Jones helped lead the Continental Navy against the most powerful Navy in the world, at that time.  His actions against the Royal Navy earned him an international reputation and the title, "Father of the American Navy."  While his exploits aboard the  Bonhomme Richard are well-known ("I have not yet begun to fight!"), Jones found his earliest success aboard the USS Ranger.  The American commissioners in Paris (Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee) issued the following orders to Jones on January 16, 1778:

After equipping the Ranger in the best manner for the cruise you propose, that you proceed with her in the manner you shall judge best for distressing the enemies of the United States, by sea or otherwise, consistent with the laws of war, and the terms of your commission...We rely on your ability, as well as your zeal to serve the United States, and therefore do not give you particular instructions as to your operations.

The American commissioners were giving Jones an unbelievable degree of latitude ("...do not give you particular instructions as to your operations").  In other words, go out and do what you think best to complete your mission.  Certainly the nature of naval warfare in the 18th century required this degree of decentralized command, as ships typically operated far from land and were frequently out of communication from leaders for days or even weeks at a time.  In Jones' case, the naval leadership above him in rank could even be across the other side of the Atlantic Ocean!  

As B.A. Friedman and Olivia Garard recently wrote, "John Paul Jones had a mission, the means with which to accomplish it, and the leeway to decide how best to pursue it.  That freedom was not infinite.  It was bounded by the 'laws of war' and 'the terms of his commission.'  Jones knew what to do, what not to do, and had space within which to make decisions."

But that was all a long time ago.  With advances in communication technology, were naval captains in later wars given the same degree of latitude?  The answer to this question is "yes"!  Fast forward to the Battle of Cape St. George during World War II.  A destroyer squadron led by then Captain Arleigh Burke (whose nickname was "31 Knot" Burke) was ordered by his commanding officer, Admiral William "Bull" Halsey to intercept a five-ship Japanese convoy consisting of transport ships and their destroyer escorts.  Here was Admiral Halsey's order:

Thirty-one Knot Burke Get Athwart The Buka-Rabaul Evacuation Line About 35 Miles West of Buka.  If No Enemy Contacts By 0300, Come South to Refuel Same Place.  If Enemy Contacted You Know What To Do.

Again, no specific instructions on what to do when Captain Burke's destroyer squadron contacted the enemy.  Just a simple, "You know what to do."  Halsey trusted that Burke would do the right thing.  And that is exactly what happened - even today, the U.S. Naval War College describes the battle as "An almost perfect surface action."

Here we find two examples of the High Reliability Organization principle of "Deference to Expertise".  Essentially, High Reliability Organizations (HRO's) push decisionmaking to the experts on the front lines.  Here, the leaders that are closest to the action are the ones that are empowered with making time-sensitive decisions.  They are expected to make decisions with certain ground rules and within the boundaries specified by their immediate supervisors.  

"Deference to expertise" is a principle common to most high-performing organizations, and the principle itself is known by a variety of names, including Commander's Intent, Mission-type tactics, and auftragstaktik (a form of "deference expertise used by the German Army in World Wars I and II).  In my opinion, perhaps the best description of "deference to expertise" comes from two phrases used in John Paul Jones' orders and Arleigh Burke's orders - "We rely upon your ability...you know what to do."  In other words, "I trust that I can rely upon you to make the right decision for the good of the organization and our mission."