D.B.A.  Baker College (Michigan), 2016.
Specialization:  Business administration

Developing effective military leaders for today's global environment
# pages. UMI #: #
Citation, Abstract & Full text in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Database

Leader development usually takes place in the organizational and academic learning environments. When U.S. Army leaders lack the necessary leadership skills or leader behavior to perform their duties and responsibilities, the organizational culture suffers. This study focused on the leadership skills junior-level U.S. Army leaders develop in the organizational learning and academic learning environments, and how the learning environment affects leader behavior. Role theory, trait theory, and leader behavior theory provided the framework. A mixed research methodology featured a 36-question leader behavior description questionnaire and telephone interviews with 15 warrant officers and 15 commissioned officers. Findings indicated soft skills were those skill sets junior-level U.S. Army leaders believe are essential to success while both, the organizational and academic, learning environments need to incorporate hard and soft skill development in their leader development models. Findings also indicated that there is no statistically significant difference in leader behavior between those junior-level U.S. Army leaders developed in the academic learning environment from those junior-level U.S. Army leaders developed in the organizational learning environment.

• Susan Cathcart, Ph.D., Chair
• Mary Dereshiwsky, Ph.D.
• Peggy Houghton, Ph.D.