From Orders to Understanding: Developing Communication Capability for Adaptive Leadership Among Military Cadets in Bani Environments

The increasing prevalence of BANI (brittle, anxious, nonlinear and incomprehensible) environments challenges traditional military leadership models, requiring approaches that emphasize understanding, adaptability and decentralized action. In this context, communication evolves from a simple transmission of orders into a core leadership capability that enables alignment, coherence and shared understanding. This paper examines the role of leader communication in enhancing understanding among military cadets and its relevance for adaptive leadership within mission command frameworks. The study adopts a qualitative-conceptual approach supported by an exploratory questionnaire administered to cadets of the Land Forces Academy. The findings indicate that communication focused on context and commander’s intent significantly enhances task comprehension, coordination and team coherence. At the same time, the results reveal a gap between understanding intent and the ability to act independently based on it. Building on these insights, the paper proposes a communication-centered training model structured around context, intent, understanding and shared understanding. This perspective supports the development of adaptive leadership competencies and highlights communication as a fundamental capability for effective action in complex operational environments.