Blogs

by Mathieu Primeau

Enthusiast 🟢

[REGARDEZ – 7 mins] Pourquoi le Design est un besoin opérationnel? Écoutez le Mgén Simon Bernard des FAC vous partager ses perspectives. Why should planners become designers now? 

https://aodnetwork.ca/inspire-pourquoi-le-design-est-un-besoin-operationnel-pt-1/

https://aodnetwork.ca/inspire-deux-outils-dapplication-du-design-en-unite-pt-2/

[WATCH – 7 mins]  MGen Simon Bernard from the CAF shares his perspectives on why planners should become designers now:

[English]

https://aodnetwork.ca/inspire-why-should-planners-become-designers-now/

[WATCH – 3 mins] Of course we learn through playing games! Watch this video on how AOD built a fun game that can be played by your team(s) with no preliminary design theory lessons. See how your team can already leverage design thinking for winning, and use it as a diagnostic to tailor a learning plan. Click here to order the deluxe pre-release game sets: (coming soon)

https://aodnetwork.ca/successful-playthrough-of-breakthrough-at-canadian-forces-college/

[READ – 7 Mins] Read on “The making of” of AOD’s new game, and learn what another “Enthusiast” found out when stepping into the rabbit hole of Design in Defense. Many golden lessons from Andrew Lovett-Barron here:

https://aodnetwork.ca/designers-in-the-military/

Engaged Learner 🟦

[READ – 12 mins]  Design in Defense is its own beast. Steep centralized hierarchies and governance mechanisms built to prosecute wars are not implicitly compatible with the type of disruptive innovation required of modern organizations. This article by Ben Zweibelson explores the role of the strategic sponsor for Design in Defence and provides guidance for building the right high-level engagement for winning.

https://aodnetwork.ca/the-role-of-the-strategic-sponsor-in-designing-through-complex-security-challenges-leading-without-knowing-all-the-answers/#topPage

[WATCH – 31 mins] The paper roll exercise is by far one of the most effective methods for senior leaders to understand the scale at which their creativity is hindered by “non-rules” and habits of the mind. Watch this YouTube video from the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) to learn how to apply it with your team. Remember that this is not a tool at the beginning of a design seminar, but generally after a few days of work, when a tendency towards premature convergence is observed.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-khjRpZ5ncQ

Practitioner ♦

[READ – 15 mins]  Some concepts critical to design can be hard to conceptualize, let alone explain to our teams and leverage for winning. “Emergence” is certainly on this list. Read here a short blog on this topic, and consider this fundamental thesis with the author Ben Zweibelson: “we cannot comfortably stretch ourselves to let go of obsolete or outdated concepts [yet it is required for successful innovation]”.

https://aodnetwork.ca/understanding-emergence-how-complexity-theory-requires-getting-out-of-the-militarys-favored-newtonian-box/

[READ – 30 Mins +] Nerd out, and validate whether your conceptual understanding of Design Thinking is coherent with that of Dr Murray Simons and Samuel Simons. An ideal vector check for those aiming to build their confidence with Design. 

https://aodnetwork.ca/contextualizing-military-design-thinking/