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Reconceptualising Strategy: Ben Zweibelson on Strategy, Complexity, and Multi-Paradigm Thinking
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We don’t just fight wars with weapons, we fight them with ideas, metaphors, and assumptions we don’t even question.
In this episode of Strategy Meets Reality, Mike Jones is joined by Ben Zweibelson—veteran, military strategist, and author of Reconceptualizing War—to explore why our dominant paradigms of strategy are failing us. They unpack the hidden structures behind military thinking, why complexity demands more than doctrine, and how multi-paradigm design can unlock radically different ways of seeing and acting.
This is not just about warfare. It’s a challenge to how we think, how we plan, and how we lead in a world that refuses to conform.
🔍 In this episode:
Why most strategy is trapped in a single paradigm
The difference between functionalism, complexity, and interpretivism
How militaries (and organisations) mistake activity for understanding
Why the irreversibility of time matters for decision-making
What multi-paradigm thinking looks like in practice
How language, design, and philosophy shape strategic failure or success
🎧 Keywords: Strategy, military thinking, complexity, war, paradigms, decision-making, design, multi-paradigm, functionalism, interpretivism, uncertainty
📘 Learn more about Ben’s work: https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/reconceptualizing-war-.php
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🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast
📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout
💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/
Chapters
1. Introduction to Ben Zweibelson (00:00:00)
2. Exploring Bad War Stories (00:03:12)
3. Reconceptualizing War: A Philosophical Approach (00:06:00)
4. The Paradigm of War (00:10:52)
5. Functionalism vs. Other Paradigms (00:16:59)
6. Bridging Paradigms in Strategy (00:25:29)
7. Understanding Antifa and Historical Contexts (00:35:20)
8. Complexity Theory and Its Relevance Today (00:37:39)
9. Functionalism vs. Interpretivism in Military Strategy (00:43:05)
10. Irreversibility of Time and Its Implications (00:45:56)
11. Diverse Paradigms in Military Thought (00:52:09)
12. The Importance of Multi-Paradigmic Thinking (00:57:07)
13. Navigating Modern Conflicts and Existential Threats (01:02:45)
14. The Role of Paradigms in Strategy and Conflict (01:06:38)
15. Outro (01:10:08)
16 episodes
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