Communication and coordination is probably one of the most difficult things mankind has come to grips with.

It is the reason why the tower of babel failed, and probably why Vicksburg fell.

(A) Vicksburg Fell Because Pemberton didn’t ask “Why?”

In the latter case: general Pemberton had two superiors (not one), who gave two (seemingly conflicting orders). In reality, they were giving the same order: hold Vicksburg at all costs. But he failed to understand why: if he had perceived this, then he wouldn’t have followed orders blindly. What good is there in holding Vicksburg through a seige, only to be starved out of it? The true reason for holding Vicksburg, was to ensure the supply of men, materials and commerce to the confederate cause, and the corollary, to deny it to the Federals.

(B) Asking why prevents communication failures:

Just yesterday, I put forward a proposal to my superior. This was met with a flat denial. I assumed that my proposal was properly understood. It was not. I assumed that my superior was properly apprised of the situation (he was not). Those asssumptions colluded against us to produce the perfect storm: to bypass important work that needed to be done. But luckily today, my superior came back to me and suggested the very same proposal I had put forward to him the previous day. I was a little non-plussed and annoyed that this should be asked: wasn’t the matter resolved the previous day? In any case, my failure is that I did not ask WHY the proposal was rejected.

If you ask why, if you understand why, then this will prevent the communication/coordination problems which happened to me. And if Pemberton asked WHY, and if he acted with a basic level of competence, he would have held Vicksburg.