Content Validation of the Army Unit Resilience Model

Abstract

The Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) validated a three-phase Unit Resilience (UR) model utilizing a modified Delphi-method approach. ARI invited five subject matter experts (SMEs) to participate in online surveys and a panel discussion. The SMEs provided input with respect to Army team and unit sizes appropriate to measure UR, ARIs multiphasic UR definition, UR factors, and the indicators, antecedents, outcomes, moderators, and mediators of UR. ARI utilized open, axial, and selective coding to analyze the data from the SME panel discussion. Overall, SMEs agreed that units and teams are qualitatively different and that the optimal unit size for the Army could range from the squad (7 to 14 Soldiers) to the company level (100-250 Soldiers), while teams comprise between two and ten Soldiers. SMEs confirmed that ARI's multiphasic UR definition incorporating Prepare, Respond, and Recover phases is consistent with other definitions in the field, but proposed a four-phase definition by adding an Event phase and changing the Recover phase to Post-Event Processing (i.e., Prepare, Event, Respond, Post-Event Processing), with feedback loops between the Post-Event Processing and Prepare phases. Additionally, most SMEs emphasized the model should include only stressful events, not chronic stressors. SMEs discussed UR as a multilevel construct, noting that ARI's UR factors are individual-level factors, but can aggregate to the group level. SMEs validated 31 of ARI's 38 UR factors and provided input on what factors to add, combine, or remove. Furthermore, SMEs sorted UR factors into three UR phases and discussed the factors as indicators, antecedents, outcomes, moderators, and mediators of UR. In sum, the SME panel affirmed that UR is a multiphasic process that consists of both unique and shared factors within each phase, but recommended changes to ARIs definition, phases, model, and factors.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2023
Accession Number
AD1202680

Entities

People

  • Bridget E. Boyle
  • Colanda R. Cato
  • William D. Kammerer

Organizations

  • U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Applied Psychology
  • Business Administration
  • Cognition
  • Cognitive Systems Engineering
  • Data Analysis
  • Delphi Method
  • Demography
  • Extreme Environments
  • Families (Human)
  • First Responders
  • Group Dynamics
  • Leadership
  • Military Research
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personality
  • Psychological Adaptation
  • Psychology
  • Resilience
  • Social Psychology
  • Social Sciences
  • United States

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