Description
This paper examines the complex dynamics of organisational learning in the public management context of a national military force, the Portuguese Army. Drawing on 70 interviews with officers across multiple levels, missions, and specialisations, our analysis explores the situated and practice-based nature of lessons learned processes. We find that a range of informal and semi-formal active learning processes and related practices are embedded in the day-to-day practices of units as they gain experience and share tacit knowledge across deployments. This unit-level learning, while essential, also poses challenges for diffusing innovations and improvements across the broader organisation. Tensions emerge between the formal lessons learned bureaucracy and informal or semi-formal learning networks that drive adaptation in practice. Additional insights point to issues of identity, politics, doctrine, and leadership in enabling military learning under uncertainty.
