ISSUE 182 : Jul/Aug - 2010 - Australian Defence Force Journal

organisational construct, the authors’ used observations of live-NCW scenarios. The resultspoint to the benefits of employing NCW-like constructs to cope with the adaptability of moderncombatants and the complexity of the battlespace in which they operate. The inclusion ofdetailed explanations of the experiments provides the reader with a better understanding ofhow NCW-like structures optimise human performance in complex environments. However, anunderstanding of the results is complicated by the authors’ reliance on quantitative analysis,which may be confusing to those without a grounding in quantitative methods.The authors’ use of quantitative methods is not limited to the derivation of experiment results.Using social network analysis, the authors expand on the ‘approach space’ conceptual modelfor command and control developed by NATO in 2007. The result, though heavy on equations,is a means by which different command and control structures can be accurately placed withinthe ‘approach space’, allowing them to be compared, examined and understood more easily.This is a valuable addition to the NATO SAS-050 model.The difficulty that would be faced by a reader without a background in statistical analysis isthe major shortcoming in this book. In writing a book that crosses disciplinary boundaries,the authors needed to ensure they met the needs of a diverse audience. Unfortunately, as theyacknowledged in the book’s conclusion, they did not get this balance quite right. Hence, somereaders may be inclined to glance over sections of the book that focus heavily on data analysisand, in doing so, miss some key insights. This is an unfortunate, though perhaps unavoidable,side-effect of the HFI focus of the book.Nevertheless, the book’s structure aids its readability. Each chapter builds on the previous tosupport the authors’ case for acknowledging the role of the human in the system. This requiresthat the reader has a relatively firm understanding of each chapter before proceeding to thenext, which is problematic for those put off by the quantitative methods sections. However,the authors’ use in each chapter of an ‘aims’ and ‘summary’ section provides a quick, althoughlimited, appreciation of each chapter’s contents. This is useful for a later revision of chaptersor to glance over some HFI-specific sections of the book.In writing this book, the authors set themselves the ambitious goal of using HFI research toidentify linkages between the various disciplines involved in NCW, then using those linkagesto build conceptual bridges that ‘reach out across various interdisciplinary boundaries’.This interdisciplinary approach, focused on understanding how the human operates in theNCW environment, offers a unique and valuable insight into modern command and controlarrangements. The book’s extensive and thorough review of literature relating to organisationaldesign will see many readers drawn out of their conceptual comfort-zone to alternative viewsthat will nonetheless enhance their understanding of command and control in the informationage.Although some readers may at times find the data analysis impenetrable, the uniqueinsights that this analysis provides makes the additional effort worthwhile.This book is a ‘must read’ for all involved or interested in the development and implementationof modern command and control systems.96