Aptitude for Destruction: Case Studies of Organizational Learning in Five Terrorist Groups

Continuing conflicts between violent groups and states generate anever-present demand for higher-quality and more timely information tosupport operations to combat terrorism. Better ways are needed to understandhow terrorist and insurgent groups adapt over time into more-effectiveorganizations and increasingly dangerous threats. Because learning is thelink between what a group wants to do and its ability to gather the neededinformation and resources to actually do it, a better understanding of thegroup learning process could contribute to the design of more-effectivemeasures for combating terrorism. This study analyzes current understandingof that process and the factors that influence organizational learning. PartI presents detailed case studies of learning in five terroristorganizations: Aum Shinrikyo, The Radical Environmentalist Movement,Hizballah, Jemaah Islamiyah, and the Provisional Irish Republican Army. InPart II, a methodology is developed for ascertaining what and why groupslearned, gaining insights into their learning processes, and discerning waysin which the law enforcement and intelligence communities might apply thatunderstanding. Insights drawn from the organizational learning literatureare then applied to the case studies. A companion report, Aptitude forDestruction, Volume 1: Organizational Learning in Terrorist Groups and itsImplications for Combating Terrorism, MG-331-NIJ, focuses on the applicationof the concepts developed in this study to policy for combating terrorism.That report presents an abbreviated overview of the research presented hereand explores the application of the results by law enforcement andintelligence activities.