Methods

The staff ride is a flexible tool that can be employed using different methods and approaches. The most frequently applied methods include the following:

Socratic Dialogue Method

This traditional method enables a group to conduct a staff ride in a true seminar learning format. It requires a well-prepared staff ride leader who can easily solicit engagement from the entire group, so that the staff ride focuses on its objectives through various discussion threads. When well executed, the Socratic dialogue method can offer the greatest return on investment. This method seeks to avoid devolving into a simple guide-led discussion of decisions made during the event itself. It is not a suitable method if there is limited time available for the staff ride leader and the students to prepare.

Character-Driven / Role Player Method

This popular method seeks to immerse the participants in a historical campaign by allowing staff ride leaders and participants to assume the roles of key actors in the event being studied. Its advantages are that it reduces the preparation time needed for all involved in the staff ride and that, when well executed, it creates rich opportunities for peer discussion both during and after completion of the field study portion of the staff ride. On the negative side, participants tend to forgo addressing larger contextual questions with respect to the event being studied, instead focusing solely on the part their assigned character played. This method is suitable if preparation time is limited, but unsuitable if objectives include larger discussions concerning operational or strategic objectives.

Decision Game Method

This method adheres more closely to Clausewitz’s original model of “re-enactment,” which placed the staff ride participant(s) at a critical decision point in the battle or campaign and then walked them through why a decision was made, without the bias of hindsight. A selected student or students receive the scenario, spend a few minutes developing a course of action (COA), and then deliver it to their peers for discussion and criticism. This method therefore focuses on the difficulties of the decision-making process and the influence a commander’s decisions can have on subsequent actions. It highlights the challenges of fulfilling the higher commander’s intent while understanding the possible impact that second- and third-order effects may have on a decision. This method works well with a smaller group and when more time is available. It is less suitable for larger groups or in cases where the study of command decisions is not the central objective of the staff ride.