Leader Planning Skills and Improving Social Interactions in U.S. Army Enlisted Soldiers

While institutional directives and training efforts have helped to educate Soldiers about how to informally and formally address such problems, negative attitudes and behaviors remain a significant challenge. Additionally, existing training is often top-down and not integrated into the day-to-day management of squads or units. A planning model for understanding and improving social interactions was developed to guide the creation of planning and assessment tools for managing problematic behaviors. Focus groups indicated that NCOs generally had positive reactions to the content of the tools and their intended purposes for junior NCOs.  Results suggest that responses from a broader audience of NCOs might also be positive. Ultimately, positive reception of these tools will likely lead to more consistent and effective use of the tools.

Using critical incidents collected as part of this project, a case database was developed to give junior NCOs access to anonymized incidents of negative behaviors and interventions described by junior and senior NCOs. These provide a starting point for drawing on the knowledge and experiences of other NCOs who have experienced social interaction problems similar to what a junior NCO may be experiencing. A planning guide was also developed to use in conjunction with the case database anytime junior NCOs face challenging interpersonal situations in their squads/teams. Leaders who incorporate regular, brief planning sessions into a weekly routine will likely see the most benefit from using these tools. They will increase awareness and more complex understandings of Soldier interactions, develop planning skills, and will be able to make informed decisions about which interventions are likely to work. Finally, an intervention assessment tool was developed which will enable junior NCOs to identify diagnostic cues indicative of the outcomes of their interventions. This assessment can be used to identify the more effective and less effective aspects of an intervention and to adjust their course of action. While initial versions of these tools and assessments have been developed, testing and empirical validation with a larger sample of junior NCOs is an important next step. A validation study framework was developed and provided to the Army with the goal of collecting evidence on the nature and extent of benefits the planning and assessment tools could have on a variety of outcomes such as junior NCO planning skills, mental models for managing negative behavior, and improved squad/team cohesion, conflict, and performance.

CASR Leads: Shane Connelly, Mike Mumford and Lori Snyder
Email: sconnelly@ou.edu, mmumford@ou.edu and lsynder@ou.edu