Candor in the U.S. Army s Mission Command Philosophy of Command
Abstract
Although prominently mentioned in previous generations of Army leadership doctrine, explicit mention of candor is completely absent from the U.S. Army's mission command philosophy of command doctrine. Candor's benefits in organizational leadership, including its enhancement of mutual trust and indirect facilitation of shared understanding, helps to strengthen these two foundational elements of mission command and helps build cohesive teams and create shared understanding more efficiently. The additional benefits of candor to leader development provides added relevance to the concept as the U.S. Army deals with post-war transition and talent management within a leaner force. Although developing candor in an organization is difficult due to a multitude of obstacles within the human domain, well-implemented organizational systems and norms can aid in generating candor throughout the organization. Ultimately, the benefits of candor to individuals and entire organizations, if incorporated into the mission command philosophy, provide compelling support for the concept of candor within U.S. Army doctrine. Furthermore, the complexity in developing a culture of candor indicates that candor requires explicit inclusion into the mission command philosophy to explain its purpose and implementation if it truly is a principle valued by U.S. Army leadership.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 12, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA613467
Entities
People
- Matthew B. Vanputte
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College