Leadership in military combat units and business organizations

Abstract

Notes that the relationship between leader and led may involve four types of process ‐ transactional processes wherein the leader conducts rewarding motivational transactions with his/her people; projective processes wherein the leader serves as a “screen” for transferential projections to authority figures; attributional processes, in which the leader is the focus of attributions of order, direction and a clear path; and symbolic processes, in which the leader represents and recruits the collective symbolic motives of “worthiness” and doing “worthy things”. Argues that the combat unit is a unique organizational system in which intensive attributional and projective processes take place, processes that are much more intensive than in business organizations. These processes affect expectations with regard to the leadership role, function and images. Discusses the psychological implications of this argu