Leadership & Innovation During Crisis

Liam Collins

Leadership and Innovation During Crisis: Lessons from the Iraq War examines the role of leadership during wartime innovation efforts and finds that the senior military leader is essential for successful innovation, affecting both the likelihood of innovation and the form it takes. Through use cases and examples from the Iraq War, the author shows that innovation only occurs if leaders actively embrace innovation and employ the appropriate influence tactics to overcome the inherent individual and organizational resistance to change. Although this book only examines wartime innovation in the military, the findings also apply broadly to peacetime and non-military innovation efforts.

ISBN: 978-1-959631-08-8 (print)

ISBN 978-1-959631-09-5 (ebook)

What People Are Saying

  • "A compelling and fascinating analysis of wartime innovation and the critical role of military leaders. A must read for anyone interested in changing an organizational culture in the midst of overwhelming pressure."

    Admiral William H. McRaven

    United States Navy (Retired)

  • "At a time when the national security discussion is focused on great power competition and in particular, the central role that technology and innovation play in this competition, this important book by Liam Collins reminds us that individual leaders remain a key part of prevailing in this competition. It’s the innovative leaders, willing to take risks and drive organizations, that make the difference in whether innovations will have operational and strategic impact. I learned a lot from this excellent book.”

    Nadia Schadlow

    Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute and former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy

  • "Finally, an action-oriented primer for leaders in uniform to drive innovation. It is rare to find a book that simultaneously provides useful guidance to military leaders as well as contributes to the academic debate on military innovation. Collins' thorough and thoughtful approach shows us that effective leadership matters in driving change."

    Dr. Nina Kollars

    Associate Professor US Naval War College

Meet the Author

Liam Collins

Dr. Liam Collins served in the U.S. Army for 27 years. As a career Special Forces officer, he conducted multiple operational and combat deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, South America, and the Horn of Africa.

An expert on the military, defense, and security, Liam routinely provides expert commentary for BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, NPR, Deutsche Welle News TV, India Today, RFE/RL, among others. His work has been cited by the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security & Counterterrorism, the White House Press Secretary, The New York Times, Associated Press, CNN, ABC News, Fox News, NPR, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

Dr. Collins holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (Aerospace) from the United States Military Academy, and both a Master’s in Public Affairs and a PhD from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs.

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