The present study explores the relationship between the systemic approach, educational innovation, and the use of digital technologies in higher education, with an emphasis on military academies. The aim of the research is to shed light on how systemic thinking can support strategic planning, the quality of education, and the effective integration of innovative practices, such as artificial intelligence, information and communication technologies, and virtual reality. The methodology was based on quantitative research using a questionnaire, which was distributed to 452 members of the Hellenic Non-Commissioned Officers Academy educational community (teaching staff, cadets, and recent graduates). Data analysis showed that the adoption of a systemic approach is positively associated with the readiness of trainers, including both instructors and future professionals (cadets), to support and implement educational innovations. Furthermore, it was found that the clarity of educational objectives and the alignment of critical elements of the educational system (resources, technology, instructors, trainees, and processes) significantly reinforce the intention to adopt innovative practices. The findings also show that educators’ positive perceptions of artificial intelligence and virtual/augmented reality are associated with a higher appreciation of learning benefits, such as improved performance, trainee satisfaction, and collaboration. In contrast, demographic and professional factors have a limited effect on attitudes toward innovation. Overall, findings indicated that innovation in military academies is not limited to the technological dimension, but requires a holistic, systemic approach that integrates organizational, pedagogical, and strategic parameters. The study contributes both theoretically and practically, providing empirical evidence for the role of systemic thinking in the design and implementation of innovative educational policies in military and broader academic education.

Military academies operate as tightly coupled socio-technical systems in which pedagogical practice, human agency, technological artefacts, and hierarchical structure are mutually dependent. Drawing on socio-technical systems (STS) theory, this study investigates how the characteristics of instructors condition the management of change and the adoption of educational innovation in such settings, and how the integration of emerging defence-relevant technologies is enacted through—rather than independently of—the organizational structure. Rather than treating technology as an exogenous input, we frame educational innovation as an emergent property of the interaction among four subsystems: the social (instructor attributes), the technical (digital and simulation technologies), the structural (hierarchy, bureaucracy, policy), and the pedagogical (instructional design). A qualitative design was employed, using structured, open-ended interviews with 22 instructors of the Hellenic Army Non-Commissioned Officers’ Academy (HNCOA) spanning the military, academic, technical, and physical-training domains. Whereas research on military innovation has concentrated on top-down procurement, macro-level doctrinal change, and officer-commissioning academies, this study contributes empirical evidence from the non-commissioned officer (NCO) tier—the instructional cadre that translates technological mandates into frontline tactical and technical execution—and models innovation as an emergent property of joint optimization across subsystems rather than as an exogenous technological input. Data were analysed through codebook thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke, yielding three thematic axes and four question-aligned code hierarchies. Findings indicate that instructors perceive their technological competence, openness to change, and continuing professional development as the principal levers of change, while hierarchy, bureaucratic approval chains, and the absence of specialization are perceived as the dominant structural constraints. Consistent with STS theory, participants regarded technology alone as insufficient: perceived innovation was reported to emerge only when technical capability was jointly optimized with instructor development, institutional support, and alignment to operational tasks. We deliberately frame these as perceived rather than empirically demonstrated effects and derive a set of propositions and actionable design principles for the joint optimization of the social and technical subsystems in military professional education.