Description
Military Lessons Learned (LL) processes aim to derive insights from experiences to foster organisational learning in both peace and war. Research rooted in rationalist and positivist frameworks often treats LL as knowledge management, emphasising efficiency, optimisation, and technical solutions. However, while identified ‘lessons’ are based on testimonies, memories, and judgments of individuals within military organisations, the human dimension is sometimes overlooked. This paper, therefore, asks whose perspectives shape LL and what forms of knowledge are regarded as authoritative. Drawing on military sociology and military innovation literature, it examines how military and civilian personnel in the Swedish Armed Forces engage with LL processes in practice. By analysing how ‘lessons’ are narrated and justified through the construction of shared meanings around success, failure, and change, the paper offers a reflective account of how such narratives shape learning within military organisations.
