ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how, in the wake of the decade's global military experiences, military organizations have adopted ideas of networks and complexity in their strategic thinking. Complexity theoretical understanding of networks also varies. In general, organizational complexity theories view organizations as ongoing interaction processes between people, wherein networks of entangled technologies are involved in the interaction processes and the patterning of people's actions in a range of different ways. Additionally, differences in the social objects of network technologies are produced by variations in levels of investments across the network and different actors having different competencies in dealing with crucial network technologies. In military documents on network-centric warfare, the most important aspects of human cognition are aligned with rational decision theory. Traditionally, military strategic thinking has conveyed the message that operational organizations should have one central point where all information is gathered in order to create an overview and control, so that the leaders can make the right decisions.
