Evaluating Innovative Leader Development in the U.S. Army

Abstract

The U.S. Army's shift from a doctrine of command and control to mission command calls for adaptable soldiers and leaders individuals who can rapidly recognize changes in the environment, identify critical elements in unfamiliar situations with less-than-perfect information, and facilitate timely action to meet new requirements, all while under considerable stress. The principles of mission command also emphasize leaders who value a bottom-up rather than a top-down approach and who develop teams that can anticipate and manage transition. In this context, the Army s Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) designed and implemented the Asymmetric Warfare Adaptive Leader Program (AWALP) a ten-day course to enhance adaptability in leaders and promote innovative solutions in training for and conducting unified land operations. The course design is based on a theory of adaptive performance that posits eight dimensions of such performance, such as solving problems creatively, dealing with changing or ambiguous situations, interpersonal adaptability, cultural adaptability, and making decisions under stress. Although much Army training focuses on standardized procedures for accomplishing tasks, AWALP places more emphasis on an outcomes approach, focusing on the results the commander intends to achieve. This approach encourages trainees to take the initiative to adjust actions to adapt to the situation, which, in turn, requires independent thinking and problem solving. Thus, AWALP exemplifies mission command principles for both course content and how the course is taught. RAND Arroyo Center evaluated AWALP (using data from 104 students enrolled in three AWALP courses in 2013), addressing multiple aspects of individual and team adaptive performance and identifying potential areas for improvement in AWALP curriculum and delivery.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2014
Accession Number
ADA611498

Entities

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Army Training
  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Command And Control
  • Corporations
  • Curriculum
  • Doctrine
  • Education
  • Health Care
  • Homeland Security
  • Intellectual Property
  • Law
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military Education
  • National Security
  • Students
  • Training
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.
  • Research Science/Academic Research
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control