Creativity in Military Complexity: Design, Disruptors and Defence Forces

This work offers a groundbreaking exploration of the urgent need for creativity and innovation in contemporary military thought.

In an era characterised by the ceaseless flux of global dynamics, traditional paradigms of warfare have become increasingly obsolete. The pursuit of victory no longer lies in the fixation upon past conflicts but rather in the discerning assessment of and adaptation to the challenges that will shape the conflicts of tomorrow. This innovative work dissects the barriers that have thus far hindered the realisation of this potential. Furthermore, it challenges the status quo and advances a series of recommendations poised to steer international militaries towards success in the theatre of contemporary conflicts. Drawing from their extensive involvement with defence forces worldwide, the authors introduce concepts such as military design thinking as catalytic instruments of change. Through introspective reflections and real-world case studies, they present implications for mitigating cognitive biases, heralding a transformative epoch in military operations. It is this very transformation that furnishes militaries with the capacity to surge ahead of their adversaries, a capability proving to be indispensable in modern warfare.

Offering a well-illuminated path for military entities to adapt and flourish within an ever-evolving global landscape, this book will be of much interest to students of military studies, security studies, and international relations, as well as military professionals and leaders in the field.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Cara Wrigley is a Professor of Design within the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology at The University of Queensland, Australia. She has published a number of books, including Design Thinking Pedagogy (2022), Design Innovation and Integration (2021), Design Innovation for Health and Medicine (2020), and Affected: Emotionally Engaging Customers in the Digital Age (2018).

Murray Simons is the Chief of Air Force Fellow at the University of New South Wales, where he teaches and supervises military students at the Australian Air and Space Power Centre. He has a doctorate in professional military education.