Clarifying the Relationship of Design Thinking to the Military Decision-Making Process

The complexity of today’s operational environment where military organizations are conducting campaigns has grown exponentially. To address this expanding complexity, the Defense Department introduced ‘design’ into its problem-solving doctrine. This study seeks to understand the challenges with design by examining two areas: 1) the common challenges facing senior planners responsible for solving complex problems, and 2) the model or process that best enables design approaches to support military decision-making.