The Role of Inclusive Climates in Empowering Soldier Voice
Abstract
Army doctrine indicates that leaders must create organizational climates that encourage subordinate Soldiers to communicate openly about mission-relevant thoughts and concerns to ensure that higher-level decisions and actions are well-informed (Department of the Army, 2019). Similarly, the Department of Defense has emphasized climates for inclusion as a method to leverage the diverse voices and perspectives represented among U.S. military personnel (Department of Defense, 2012). According to prior research, Brown et al. (2020) developed a two-dimensional measure of inclusive military climates that reveals how leader- and peer-driven factors contribute to fostering inclusive organizational climates in the military. We extended this research by (a) testing key predictions of theoretical models of inclusive climates (Key-Roberts et al., 2020), and (b) demonstrating the utility of Brown et al.'s measure in predicting a Soldiers readiness to express mission-relevant thoughts and ideas (i.e., voice behavior) over and above well-established predictors of voice behavior. We collected survey data from 216 active-duty enlisted Soldiers, using Brown et al.'s measure, as well as measures of voice behavior and theoretically relevant psychosocial attitudes (i.e., psychological empowerment, trust-in-leader, workgroup identification). Overall, the results align with theoretical models of inclusive climates. We argue for the relevance of inclusive climates in supporting Army mission objectives, as inclusive climates appear to facilitate voice behavior, enabling Soldiers to address problems more effectively and enable leaders to make higher quality decisions about Army operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1192097
Entities
People
- Jacqueline K. Deuling
- James M. Nye
- Melinda Key-roberts
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences