Masterclass connects military strategy with organisational management

On 23 February, another masterclass organised by the students of the Bachelor’s Degrees in Management and Commercial Management at ULusófona - Porto University Centre took place. As these masterclasses aim to encourage reflection and the sharing of experiences that contribute to participants’ academic and personal development, while bringing practical management challenges closer to students’ academic paths, this session focused on the topic “Planning for Uncertainty: Management Lessons in a Military Context”.

The session featured Lieutenant Colonel Jorge Rodrigues, who addressed the relationship between military strategic thinking and organisational management.

During his intervention, the guest contextualised current geopolitical developments, explaining how the international context influences the business environment and management decision-making. He also discussed the impact of technological advances, particularly artificial intelligence, and presented principles of military management applicable to organisational contexts marked by uncertainty, highlighting the importance of communication, adaptability and a structured decision-making process.

Among the topics explored during the masterclass, risk management stood out, presented as a continuous process involving risk assessment, impact mitigation, structured response and results analysis to improve future decision-making.

Jorge Rodrigues emphasised the importance of the themes under discussion, explaining that understanding today’s geopolitical reality requires recognising the impact that the current environment of uncertainty has on both individuals and organisations. As he noted, “the military are accustomed to uncertainty” and can therefore “bring new ideas that may be complementary”, facilitating the application of military management lessons within today’s context.

Gabriela Leite, from the coordination of the organising Bachelor’s Degrees, once again highlighted the importance of bringing to the institution “leading professionals from different areas of society”, as these experiences help students to “build knowledge, broaden their horizons and stimulate critical thinking”.

The masterclass thus provided a space for interaction between different realities — academic, business and military — promoting reflection on leadership, decision-making and management in contexts of uncertainty. Text edited by Susana A. Oliveira

View the Event Photographs on ULusófona’s Facebook

Text
Bruna Pereira

Photography
Gabriel Motta