JUAN CAMILO HERNANDEZ CANTOR ©️
ENHANCING INNOVATION AT THE BUNDESWEHR
(GERMAN ARMY FORCES & FEDERAL MINISTRY OF DEFENCE)
BUNDESWEHR
M.A PROJECT
Area
Government Policy Innovation - Strategic Design - System Thinking - Federal and Defence Innovation - Foresight Thinking Approach
Team
x5 strategic design students from ( 🇩🇪 - 🇮🇳 - 🇨🇴 - 🇹🇳)
Mentorship
Prof. Katrin Androshin - Prof. Julia Leihener (Program directors)
Mentorship: Miriam L.
Year
2023-2024
Location
Around Berlin - Hamburg - Munich - Germany 🇩🇪
Tags
Public Policies
Serious Gaming
Social Innovation
Learning Systems
Playful Organisations
Due to the confidential nature of this collaboration 🔒, specific project visuals and design processes cannot be disclosed. The work was developed in 2023 under an NDA agreement with the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Germany 🇩🇪.
What follows is a broad overview of the project, completed as part of my Master’s in Strategic Design - focusing on systems innovation, foresight, and the role of design in institutional transformation.
ABOUT
The Bundeswehr, under the authority of the Federal Ministry of Defence, is one of Europe’s largest and most complex public institutions — responsible for ensuring national security, resilience, and organisational innovation. In recent years, it has increasingly focused on internal transformation: fostering adaptability, collaboration, and creative leadership to navigate the rapidly evolving political and technological landscape.
CHALLENGE
Within this context, our design brief asked:
How might we create an environment of creative thinking and idea-sharing that empowers innovation through potential game-changers within the organisation?
This academic collaboration focused on the strategic, cultural, and systemic dimensions of innovation rather than operational or militarised aspects. While many elements remain confidential, the project explored publicly known themes around institutional innovation - applying design as a strategic tool to reimagine how creativity and collaboration can thrive inside large-scale governmental structures.
MAPPING AND EXECUTING THE PROJECT
A structured yet adaptive project management approach that balanced strategy, creativity, and collaboration across a complex organisational ecosystem.
Supported by agile planning and digital coordination tools - including Notion, Microsoft Office, and Bundeswehr’s internal communication platforms.
DISCLAIMER
The following concept materials have been officially approved for presentation and modified to reflect the academic process and outcomes without disclosing NDA-protected deliverables or data. These visuals are adapted for educational and portfolio purposes while maintaining the integrity of the original concept.
Concept A
Tools used: Midjourney - Figma - Luma - Adobe Premiere
Concept B
Tools used: Midjourney - Figma - Luma - Adobe Premiere
“I never imagined collaborating with any army, NOT EVEN CONSIDERING THE POSSIBILITY OF WORKING ALONGSIDE the German Armed Forces, during my first year of practical studies as a strategic and social designer. However, this project allowed me to remain true to my values, morals, and principles, which were neither compromised nor corrupted throughout the process.
This collaboration was never about a warlike scenario, as the organisation assured us from the start. Instead, we demonstrated how creativity, future thinking, and a life-centred approach could inspire a brighter future for territories where war remains an enduring reality.
I am an advocate for protecting, preserving, and nurturing life at all costs, and I believe this project offers an alternative vision for the organisation—one that prioritises innovation, humanity, and hope over conflict.”
LESSONS
ETHICS DEFINE DIRECTION
Designing for institutional transformation reaffirmed that impact must align with values. My contribution focused on social responsibility and trust-building, proving that design can lead without compromising ethics.
Innovation starts with culture, not technology.
The most transformative outcomes came from rethinking behaviours, communication, and collaboration. Applying those at the Bundeswehr was not easy, and in many cases very frustrating but here a solid and resourceful creative empathetic and innovation approach focus on people behaviour was a wise move. Designers we are true masters on this and showing the effects to start slow changing this hierarchical architecture might take at least 10 years to start giving satisfactory small signs of change, but we gave them already the first seed on how to do it.
BEYOND BUREAUCRACY
Working within a large institutional ecosystem are always complex, the myths for German institutions in this case are true. However, with an structured plan and clear miles stones and time execution goals become feasible in time and ambiguity is turned into real call of action.
Like what you’re reading? Curious to know more about this or other projects?Let’s connect and explore future collaborations.
A virtual or in-person coffee could be the beginning.
EXPLORE +
→ TO PROJECTS
JUAN CAMILO
HERNANDEZ CANTOR
Strategic - Social & Future Oriented Designer
All rights reserved 2025 ©️
JUAN CAMILO HERNANDEZ CANTOR ©️
ENHANCING INNOVATION AT THE BUNDESWEHR
(GERMAN ARMY FORCES & FEDERAL MINISTRY OF DEFENCE)
BUNDESWEHR
M.A PROJECT
Area
Government Policy Innovation - Strategic Design - System Thinking - Federal and Defence Innovation - Foresight Thinking Approach
Team
x5 strategic design students from ( 🇩🇪 - 🇮🇳 - 🇨🇴 - 🇹🇳)
Mentorship
Prof. Katrin Androshin - Prof. Julia Leihener (Program directors)
Mentorship: Miriam L.
Year
2023-2024
Location
Around Berlin - Hamburg - Munich - Germany 🇩🇪
Tags
Public Policies
Serious Gaming
Social Innovation
Learning Systems
Playful Organisations
Due to the confidential nature of this collaboration 🔒, specific project visuals and design processes cannot be disclosed. The work was developed in 2023 under an NDA agreement with the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Germany 🇩🇪.
What follows is a broad overview of the project, completed as part of my Master’s in Strategic Design - focusing on systems innovation, foresight, and the role of design in institutional transformation.
ABOUT
The Bundeswehr, under the authority of the Federal Ministry of Defence, is one of Europe’s largest and most complex public institutions — responsible for ensuring national security, resilience, and organisational innovation. In recent years, it has increasingly focused on internal transformation: fostering adaptability, collaboration, and creative leadership to navigate the rapidly evolving political and technological landscape.
CHALLENGE
Within this context, our design brief asked: How might we create an environment of creative thinking and idea-sharing that empowers innovation through potential game-changers within the organisation?
This academic collaboration focused on the strategic, cultural, and systemic dimensions of innovation rather than operational or militarised aspects. While many elements remain confidential, the project explored publicly known themes around institutional innovation - applying design as a strategic tool to reimagine how creativity and collaboration can thrive inside large-scale governmental structures.
MAPPING AND EXECUTING THE PROJECT
A structured yet adaptive project management approach that balanced strategy, creativity, and collaboration across a complex organisational ecosystem.
Supported by agile planning and digital coordination tools - including Notion, Microsoft Office, and Bundeswehr’s internal communication platforms.
MAPPING AND EXECUTING THE PROJECT
Understanding
Synthesis
phase I
oct 2023
MAR 2024
JUN 2024
AUG 2024
phase II
IMPLEMENT
ATION
TAGS
leverage of data (DELIVERABLE)
Strategic & Design Thinking Methodology used
immersion trip field
semi-structured expert interviews ( quant - qualitative appraoch)
online surveys
desk research / digital & live etnography / stakeholder map
systematic research ( sTEEP Analysis & literature review )
Foresight research: trend scanning - interdependence mapping ( kumo tool - journey map & future probes)
interim presentation of findings with projects partners
how might we questions
opportunity fields through affinity diagram method
speculative scenarios - personas - ven diagram - iceberg model
system mapping focusing on ( correlations + leverage points)
data design infographic
design workshop with project partners (world cafe style)
concept creation
minimum viable product (mvp)
brand identity & storytelling
Validation test : live demos - aB Testing
golden circle
service blue print
sustainable strategy ( desirability - viability - integrity - feasibility
current & future impact: kPI- OKR
Backcasting via: future cone + scalability of project in time
full service blue print + CANVAS
Implementation plan
concept validation (Systematic & Transformative impact)
final presentation with stakeholders
publication for the organisation (printing version)
FUTURE THINKING APPROACH
SYSTEMATIC THINKING methodology
DISCLAIMER
The following concept materials have been officially approved for presentation and modified to reflect the academic process and outcomes without disclosing NDA-protected deliverables or data. These visuals are adapted for educational and portfolio purposes while maintaining the integrity of the original concept.
Concept A
Tools used: Midjourney - Figma - Luma - Adobe Premiere
Concept B
Tools used: Midjourney - Figma - Luma - Adobe Premiere
“I never imagined collaborating with any army, NOT EVEN CONSIDERING THE POSSIBILITY OF WORKING ALONGSIDE the German Armed Forces, during my first year of practical studies as a strategic and social designer. However, this project allowed me to remain true to my values, morals, and principles, which were neither compromised nor corrupted throughout the process.
This collaboration was never about a warlike scenario, as the organisation assured us from the start. Instead, we demonstrated how creativity, future thinking, and a life-centred approach could inspire a brighter future for territories where war remains an enduring reality.
I am an advocate for protecting, preserving, and nurturing life at all costs, and I believe this project offers an alternative vision for the organisation—one that prioritises innovation, humanity, and hope over conflict.”
LESSONS
ETHICS DEFINE DIRECTION
Designing for institutional transformation reaffirmed that impact must align with values. My contribution focused on social responsibility and trust-building, proving that design can lead without compromising ethics.
Innovation starts with culture, not technology.
The most transformative outcomes came from rethinking behaviours, communication, and collaboration. Applying those at the Bundeswehr was not easy, and in many cases very frustrating but here a solid and resourceful creative empathetic and innovation approach focus on people behaviour was a wise move. Designers we are true masters on this and showing the effects to start slow changing this hierarchical architecture might take at least 10 years to start giving satisfactory small signs of change, but we gave them already the first seed on how to do it.
BEYOND BUREAUCRACY
Working within a large institutional ecosystem are always complex, the myths for German institutions in this case are true. However, with an structured plan and clear miles stones and time execution goals become feasible in time and ambiguity is turned into real call of action.
Like what you’re reading? Curious to know more about this or other projects?Let’s connect and explore future collaborations.
A virtual or in-person coffee could be the beginning.
EXPLORE +
→ TO PROJECTS
JUAN CAMILO HERNANDEZ CANTOR
Strategic - Social & Future Oriented Designer
All rights reserved 2025 ©️