Organizational learning at the National Army Academy of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (1991–2024): practices, transformations, and lessons

Abstract

The article aims to examine the development of organizational learning at the National Army Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Academy) and its critical role and impact on the institution’s educational process over the period 1991–2024. It highlights the Academy’s limited progress in lessons learned analysis and implementation achieved during peacetime (1991–2014) and the subsequent adaptation, modernization, and transformation of learning practices during the Russo-Ukrainian War (2014–2024). The study analyses the lessons learned processes in the Academy as a case study in the evolution of organizational learning within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Particular attention is given to transitioning from the Soviet-inherited System of Lessons Analysis and Dissemination to a NATO-compatible Lessons Learned System, demonstrating the progression and remodeling of learning practices in Ukrainian military educational institutions. The research methodology integrates general scientific approaches (analysis, synthesis, generalization) with a historical-systemic method for studying military reforms. The scientific novelty of the work lies in a comprehensive study of the Academy’s Lessons Learned Capability with particular emphasis on its five core components: organizational structure, process, tools, training, and information sharing. For the first time in Ukrainian academic discourse, the effectiveness of organizational learning within a military educational institution is evaluated through the lens of “absorptive capacity”, a conceptual framework widely adopted in Western military scholarship. Conclusions. The article’s findings demonstrate how the convergence of inherited Soviet models and progressive NATO lessons learned practices has influenced the institutionalization of learning within the Academy, focusing on key structural and procedural dimensions. The integration of advanced learning methodology and mechanisms has improved the Academy’s capacity in officer training, which contributed to the operational adaptability and strategic resilience of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the context of full-scale Russian aggression. These results have practical relevance to enhance the Lessons Learned System of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and its ongoing alignment with NATO standards and procedures.