Human Individual Differences in Military Systems

Abstract : During the last 40 years, two concepts have become increasingly important to those considering military matters as well as to society in general. The first concept, termed Systems Thinking deals with sets of elements in which the behavior of each element affects the behavior of the whole; the behavior of each element and its effects on the whole are influenced by the behavior of other elements; and elements in the set are so connected that independent subgroups cannot be formed. The key to systems thinking is synthesis, the putting of elements together and considering their connections and interactions. The second concept is that of the role of human beings. Humans are not simply the owner-operators of the system, somehow standing aloof and manipulating it to suit their ends. Humans are elements in the set of elements forming the system. This report deals with the pervasiveness of human individual differences (ID) and discusses the characteristics of systems to take advantage of IDs in the military.