Contact Professor Bryan Watters
- Tel: +44 (0) 7738 246677
- Email: b.watters@cranfield.ac.uk
- ORCID
Background
Bryan is Professor of Defence Leadership,
Prior to joining Cranfield, Bryan had a successful career in the British Army. Having commanded 1st Battalion the Cheshire Regiment he was Director of Military Studies (Colonel Training) at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, a member of the Directing Staff at the Joint Services Command and Staff College (Advanced Command and Staff Course), Founding Director of the Ministry of Defence Strategic Leadership Programme and Vice President of the Army Officer Selection Board. In direct leadership roles, culminating in a one star (Brigadier's) appointment on General Petraeus's staff in Iraq, Bryan has commanded on active service in a number of theatres, including: N. Ireland, Rhodesia, Belize, Bosnia, Iraq and Kosovo. His leadership has been formally recognised on 3 occasions in the UK's Operational Honours and Awards List (OBE, QCVS, CinC's Commendation) and in 2005 he was awarded the Legion of Merit (Officer) by The United States.
Current activities
In addition to supervising Masters and Doctoral students his scholarly interests include:
Cross cultural leadership
Strategic Leadership
Contemporary innovations in leadership development
Toxic leadership
Leadership as a relationship and the constructs that underpin that relationship
Leadership research methodologies and the use of Personal Construct Theory.
His current consultancy includes writing the second edition of leadership in Defence for the Defence Leadership Centre.
He is the Head of the Centre for Defence Leadership and Management, Director of the Cranfield Defence Leadership MSc and Academic Director of the MOD Senior Strategic Leadership Programme. He has guest lectured at Oxford, Warwick and Plymouth (Duchy College) Universities. In the last three years he has run Strategic Leadership Programmes in S. America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
Clients
Bryan has undertaken educational projects and consultancies for the UK MOD and a range of companies and oversees governments.
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Watters B. (2017). Leadership in the ‘Wicked’ Problem of Bosnia’s civil war: A case study examining ethical decision making under duress. Leadership, 15(1)
- Dunn M, Egginton B, Pye N, Taylor T & Watters B. (2011). From Defence Reform to Defence Transformation. The RUSI Journal, 156(5)
- Watters BSC. (2011). The Utility of Social Science and Management Theory on Military Operations: of Portacabins and Polo Fields. Defence Studies, 11(1)
