Flexible leadership for the Swiss Armed Forces

Swiss army officers are testing their cognitive flexibility in standardised tests. (Photograph: Jan Richner / ETH Zurich) - Cognitive flexibility improves leadership, according to numerous studies conducted by researchers. The Swiss Armed Forces are planning to employ this knowledge in the training of officers to better prepare them for future crises. For over six months, Ukrainian forces have successfully defended their country against a superior enemy. In addition to Western weaponry, one reason for this, according to military experts, is that the Ukrainian army is more flexible. Again and again, it has managed to catch the comparatively slow and inflexible Russian troops off guard by quickly and creatively responding to new situations. This requires leaders with a high level of cognitive flexibility that are able to correctly assess whether a problem calls for new solutions or whether it can be solved by employing established procedures.