Aptitude for Destruction, Volume 2: Case Studies of Organizational
Learning in Five Terrorist Groups
RAND, (2005)Abstract
Continuing conflicts between violent groups and states generate an
ever-present demand for higher-quality and more timely information
to support operations to combat terrorism. Better ways are needed
to understand how terrorist and insurgent groups adapt over time
into more-effective organizations and increasingly dangerous threats.
Because learning is the link between what a group wants to do and
its ability to gather the needed information and resources to actually
do it, a better understanding of the group learning process could
contribute to the design of more-effective measures for combating
terrorism. This study analyzes current understanding of that process
and the factors that influence organizational learning. Part I presents
detailed case studies of learning in five terrorist organizations:
Aum Shinrikyo, The Radical Environmentalist Movement, Hizballah,
Jemaah Islamiyah, and the Provisional Irish Republican Army. In
Part II, a methodology is developed for ascertaining what and why
groups learned, gaining insights into their learning processes,
and discerning ways in which the law enforcement and intelligence
communities might apply that understanding. Insights drawn from
the organizational learning literature are then applied to the case
studies. A companion report, Aptitude for Destruction, Volume 1:
Organizational Learning in Terrorist Groups and its Implications
for Combating Terrorism, MG-331-NIJ, focuses on the application
of the concepts developed in this study to policy for combating
terrorism. That report presents an abbreviated overview of the research
presented here and explores the application of the results by law
enforcement and intelligence activities.