Episode 68 - Political Leadership and innovation with Rob Murray

In this week's episode, Chris and Gareth sit down with Rob Murray, a seasoned expert in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, who has held significant roles including former head of innovation for NATO, lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, and now Chief Innovation Officer at Saab, as well as a non-residential member of the Atlantic Council.

The discussion delves into the complexities of political leadership within NATO, focusing on the unique challenges that arise when consensus-based decision-making is crucial. Rob Murray shares insights on the balance between slow, deliberate compromise and quick, decisive action. He argues that while consensus-driven processes can be time-consuming, they often lead to more comprehensive and robust outcomes due to the diversity of thought involved.

The conversation also explores strategies for managing risk and fostering positive change in uncertain and complex environments. Rob provides an example from his time with the NATO Innovation Fund, illustrating how bureaucratic and culturally risk-averse organizations can be encouraged to embrace new approaches and innovative thinking to address contemporary challenges.

Listeners will gain valuable insights into the nuances of leadership and innovation within international defense organisations, as well as practical examples of driving change in traditional settings.

Finally, we chatted about de-centralisation of decision-making and how this , whilst ugly and inefficient may well be a better way of driving innovative thought and more quickly finding the right approach to solving problems than a centralised authority that whilst being may efficient, is very likely to be less effective.

Listeners will gain valuable insights into the nuances of leadership and innovation within international defense organizations, as well as practical examples of driving change in traditional settings.