Emergent defence organising

Abstract

Defence Command and Control (C2) relies on socio-technical systems and hierarchical methods of organising functional elements. This paper builds from threat projections of future operational complexity to explore the Defence organisational limitations in coping with complex problems, and what type of organisational changes could help Defence start to achieve advantage within the inherent complexity of conflict. Through an understanding of some of the historical organisational contexts, the paper provides visualisations of the most significant C2 organisational capability gaps and proposes the development of a more effective Defence enterprise, using emergent relationships between loosely affiliated functional groups to deliver competitive advantage in complex future operating environments.