Embedding Change Leadership Competencies in Defence Transformation

11 July 2025 | By: Lex Anokh, WiDA Member

The Opportunity for Women to Shape 

Defence Transformation

Transformation in Defence is accelerating, driven by digital innovation, evolving geopolitical contexts, and the growing complexity of national security operations. From cyber defence to integrated workforce planning and emerging technologies, Defence organisations are undergoing large-scale shifts that demand not only structural change, but also cultural

evolution. This accelerating pace of change highlights the importance of diverse leadership perspectives, particularly the voices of women, at every level of transformation, from shaping strategy and crafting policy to enabling change and sustaining implementation.

This period of transition presents a significant opportunity for women across Defence, to go beyond participation, and to lead transformation.

As professionals working in policy, operations, capability delivery, HR, technology, or change, women are uniquely positioned to influence every stage of the change lifecycle, from strategy development to policy formation, from cultural alignment to implementation and sustainment. The voices of women are not only relevant, but they are also essential to ensuring that transformation is sustainable, inclusive, and people-driven.

For members of the Women in Defence Association (WiDA), this is a timely moment to step forward. This article explores how embedding change leadership competencies, often exemplified by women leaders, can strengthen Defence transformation efforts, enhance capability uplift, and create space for diverse leadership approaches to flourish.

The Missing Piece in Defence Transformation: People-Centric Change Leadership

Organisational transformation in Defence is often characterised by structural realignment, technology deployments, and policy reform. These are critical enablers, but on their own, they don’t drive adoption or behavioural change. In practice, transformation succeeds when the human side of change is prioritised, when communication is intentional, leadership is

inclusive, and people feel heard, involved, and supported.

This is where change leadership becomes vital. More than managing tasks or timelines, it’s about guiding people through ambiguity, fostering shared ownership, and creating conditions for new ways of working to take root. Through listening, storytelling, influence, empathy, and

trust-building, change leadership enables strategy to become reality, not just on paper, but in practice.

In the private and public sectors, I’ve worked with airlines, non-profits, sport, and government, successful transformation has never been purely about the right system or

structure. It happens when people feel invested in the change, understand the “why,” and are supported through the “how.” It is about engaging the right people in the right way, fostering shared ownership of change, and creating psychologically safe environments for learning,

questioning, and growth. These are competencies that sit at the heart of modern change leadership.

Within Defence, where the focus naturally leans toward technical rigour and operational preparedness, the potential of relational change leadership capabilities is often overlooked. This presents an opportunity to consider what more could be achieved.

It is an invitation to broaden the leadership lens within transformation programs, one that

values adaptive leadership, stakeholder engagement, and collaborative change. It is also a call for women, whose strengths often lie in these areas, to step into visible roles and actively shape

the transformation agenda. Recognising and leveraging the diversity of experience, thinking, and leadership style that women bring is both beneficial and strategic.

Transformation isn’t just about changing structures; it’s about shifting cultures. And that begins with the people who lead it.

Women Leaders and the Relational Power of Change

Across sectors, women have consistently demonstrated strength in relational leadership, empathy, emotional intelligence, stakeholder influence, collaborative problem-solving, and communication. These are not “soft skills.” These are the core capabilities that determine whether transformation sticks or stalls.

Yet in many Defence environments, these traits are undervalued in favour of more visible, linear, or hierarchical indicators of success, like tenure, rank, or operational command. Women with deep experience in stakeholder engagement, cross-functional leadership, or cultural change are often overlooked because their resumes don’t conform to traditional Defence expectations.

This is especially true for women who have taken career breaks, transitioned from other industries, or built careers outside uniformed service. Their perspectives, capabilities, and strategic value are too often filtered out in recruitment, promotion, or leadership nomination processes.

Years in service” is still valued over “value added in service”—a mindset that undermines the depth of experience many women bring to the transformation table.

We need to stop viewing relational leadership as secondary and start recognising it as essential, especially when the mission is not just operational, but organisational.

Barriers to Change Leadership Recognition in Defence

Several systemic factors continue to impede the elevation of change leadership in Defence:

·         Cultural norms that equate leadership with control rather than influence.

·         Role segregation that sidelines change functions as “support” rather than “strategic.”

·         Talent pipelines that overlook cross-sectoral and non-traditional career paths.

·         Recruitment biases that reward consistency over adaptability.

·         Lack of formal capability frameworks for change leadership in Defence contexts.

These barriers not only exclude capable women leaders but also weaken the overall change capability of the organisation.

A New Model: Embedding Change Leadership as Core Capability

To truly build change-ready Defence organisations, we must shift the paradigm. Here’s how:

1.  Recognise Change Leadership as Strategic, Not Supportive

Change leaders should sit at the program table from the outset, not as afterthoughts, but as co-designers of transformation alongside technical, operational, and executive leads.

2.  Broaden Leadership Criteria

Assess candidates for their ability to influence, inspire, and communicate, not just their command experience or project delivery metrics.

3.  Build Diverse Transformation Teams

Include women, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) professionals, and those from non- traditional backgrounds in transformation leadership roles who bring unique value. Diversity in lived experience fosters diversity in change approach, and better results.

4.  Create Pathways for Emerging Women Leaders

Offer visibility, sponsorship, and structured mentoring for women interested in transformation and change leadership. Support lateral entrants from other industries who bring relevant expertise.

5.  Measure What Matters

Include people-focused success metrics into transformation initiatives and KPIs, such as behavioural outcomes, cultural alignment, and adoption effectiveness, not just system uptime or implementation deadlines.

To fully realise the benefits of Defence transformation, organisations must be intentional about identifying, supporting, and embedding change leadership capabilities throughout their programs. These actions will not only strengthen outcomes but also build a leadership culture that is inclusive, agile, and future-ready.

Practical Scenario: How Female Change Leadership Accelerates National Security Advancement

The following scenario demonstrates how these leadership competencies, particularly those often embodied by women, can translate into tangible outcomes within a Defence transformation initiative.

Consider the implementation of a new cybersecurity framework within a Defence agency, a

complex transformation involving technical upgrades, policy changes, and workforce behaviour shifts. Traditionally, such initiatives focus heavily on the technical rollout and compliance metrics, led by leaders with strong operational or technical backgrounds, often following hierarchical command structures.

In one Defence transformation program, a female change leader was appointed as the Change Enablement Lead. Leveraging her strengths in empathy, stakeholder engagement, and collaborative communication, she adopted a people-centric approach to the rollout:

• Deep Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement: She proactively engaged frontline personnel, policy makers, and IT teams to understand diverse concerns and practical challenges, creating trust and shared ownership.

• Transparent Communication: Using storytelling and tailored messaging, she connected the cybersecurity framework’s strategic intent to each stakeholder group’s daily work and mission impact.

• Adaptive Feedback Loops: Her leadership fostered continuous two-way feedback, enabling real-time adjustments to training, support, and policy interpretation.

• Psychological Safety: By promoting an inclusive culture, she encouraged personnel to report issues and near-misses without fear of blame, enhancing threat detection and response agility.

As a result, the cybersecurity transformation achieved:

·         Higher adoption rates and adherence to new protocols across the organisation.

·         Faster identification and mitigation of cyber threats due to increased reporting.

·         Stronger collaboration between technical teams and operational staff.

·         Enhanced morale and trust in leadership during a high-stakes change.

This example highlights how the relational and adaptive leadership styles often demonstrated by women can unlock deeper engagement and resilience in Defence transformations, outcomes that rigid, command-driven approaches may not achieve as readily.

By sharing this scenario, the intention is not to suggest that male leaders are incapable of delivering successful change. Rather, it is to acknowledge that many women leaders tend to exhibit higher levels of empathy, compassion, and emotional intelligence. These qualities make it easier to foster inclusive, people-centric, and adaptive outcomes, attributes that are especially critical in national security environments where trust, collaboration, and sustained behavioural change are essential.

The Time to Elevate Change Leaders is Now

Defence is at a crossroads, one where complexity, digitalisation, and workforce evolution intersect. As the sector experiences rapid advancements in technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and the future potential of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), inclusive and visionary leadership is not just beneficial, it’s essential. To thrive in this new era, we must move beyond traditional leadership models and embrace

competencies that build trust, foster connection, and mobilise people. This is the moment to

elevate change leadership and ensure those who lead it reflect the full diversity of our Defence workforce.

Change is not just something we manage; it’s something we lead. Now is the time for

women across Defence to lead this next chapter together, ensuring transformation is not only technologically sound, but also people-centred, strategically adaptive, and future-ready.

About Lex:

Lex is a valued member of the Women in Defence Association (WiDA), bringing a wealth of experience and leadership across multiple sectors. She currently serves as the Business Change & Transformation Lead at FDG Consulting and is a Senior Analyst within the Cybersecurity Program at South Australia Police (SAPOL). Lex also contributes to shaping the next generation of professionals as a Lecturer and Industry Expert at the UniSA Business School. A passionate advocate for diversity and digital advancement, she is the Vice Chair of the ACS SA Emerging Professionals Committee and serves as the ANZ Regional Head for Ladies Beyond Flying.