Leading in the Army After Next

Abstract

As US Army celebrates its 223rd birthday this year, senior Army leaders are already focusing on how Army After Next might look in year 2025. As we move into 21st century's high-tech, information-laden world, leadership principles and practices must be clearly defined and differentiated for junior, senior and strategic leaders. As author posits, the principles of leadership do not change; only conditions in which they are Therefore, `the first priority should be increasing match between leadership behavior and leadership behavior and leadership IN DISCUSSING LEADERSHIP requirements for Army of 2025, I will take into account expectations about geostrategic setting in 2025 of Army After Next (AAN), its technology and art, as well as human and organizational issues it will face. In doing so, I will look at leadership requirements for AAN readiness for warfighting peer competitors, regional conflicts and low-intensity conflicts (ICs). Then I will attempt to predict leadership requirements of AAN in winning and maintaining peace. Several assumptions underlie what I have to say: * The principles of leadership do not change; only conditions in which they are applied. Over time, we gain a better and more accurate understanding of concepts and principles, but they were in effect as Initiation and Consideration when Julius Caesar exhorted his troops before storming Alesia although it took us 1,900 years to refine and measure concepts.l * US Army doctrine has attempted to fit with these principles, changing over time, mainly in interpretations and applications. * Although principles are same at all levels, practices need to be differentiated for junior, senior and strategic leaders. * US Army doctrine has been espousing these principles for more than 220 years of trusting subordinates and earning their trust, respecting them and engaging their voluntary commitment to mission by giving them honest and complete information, but behavior of leaders in Army has deviated sharply from policy.2 For instance, although mentoring of junior officers by senior officers is a well-established principle, 85 percent of junior officers report they only receive their support form for such counseling less than one week before Officer Evaluation Report is due.3 So whatever we say about requirements for leadership in 2025, first priority should be increasing match between leadership behavior and leadership doctrine. The Full Range of Leadership For discussion purposes, I will use a theory and leadership model that has accounted for effective leadership in military and elsewhere.4 However, I will focus on how practices in its application will fit with needs for leadership in AAN. The theory is that of transformational and transactional leadership, and model of their relationships is Full Range of Leadership.5 The theory explains that leaders must mobilize their followers to go beyond their self-interests for good of group, organization and society, while building self-esteem of followers and keeping in mind their self-interests. The most recent confirmatory factor analysis of 360-degree behavioral assessments of platoon leaders and platoon sergeants suggests that best fitting model includes following transformational factors:6 * Inspirational leadership: Trusted, valued leaders provide meaning and challenge, set examples and envision and articulate attractive goals and futures. * Intellectual stimulation: Leaders help followers become more innovative where appropriate. * Individualized consideration: Leaders attend to individual needs of their followers as well as needs of their units. The transactional factors are as follows: * Contingent reward: Leaders reward followers in exchange for followers carrying out their assignments. …