Thesis (M.S. in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy)--Joint Forces Staff College, Joint Advanced Warfighting School, 2007. / Title from title screen; viewed on July 9, 2007. "5 April 2007." Electronic version of original print document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-66).

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / This study shows the importance of decision-making skills in a military leader. Different models of decision-making are examined, and effective ways to teach decision making are presented. If, as the literature shows, decision making is an important skill for an officer, one would assume that the United States Naval Academy (USNA) would have a well-defined, clearlyarticulated program that ensures its graduates are, in fact, well-trained in decision making; this study tests that assumption. It presents what the Naval Academy's senior leadership's goals and priorities are for developing midshipmen as decision makers. The study also determines the value placed on decision-making abilities by those primarily responsible for midshipmen's professional development, and how well they believe the Naval Academy prepares midshipmen for the decision-making responsibilities they will face as officers. Opportunities for midshipmen to make decisions are identified, and midshipmen were asked how well they think the Naval Academy prepares them to be decision makers. The findings of this study assess the extent to which the Naval Academy presently develops decision-making skills in its midshipmen. / Major, United States Marine Corps

This thesis is a case study of educational process in the leadership development program of the Australian Defence Force Academy. The intention is to determine the relative emphasis in educational process on the conventional command and managerial compliance (Type A) style and the emergent contingent and creative (Type B) style of leadership. The Type A style is theorised as emphasizing hierarchy and control, whereas the emphasis in a Type B style is on adaptive and entrepreneurial behaviour. This study looks at the learning process in a cultural and structural context rather than focus on curriculum and instructional design. Research in this wider context is intended to enable development processes to successfully bridge a gap between theory and practice, implicit in studies that identify theories 'in-operation' as different from the theories 'espoused' (Argyris 1992, Savage 1996). In terms of espoused and in-use theory, the study seeks to produce a valid and reliable result to the question: what is the relative emphasis on the two leadership styles in the operation of the three educational mechanisms of curriculum, pedagogy (teaching practice) and assessment? The quantitative analysis of results (n = 114) draws attention to both leadership styles in terms of two and three-way relationships of style, cadet or work group and service type. The data shows that both Type A and Type B leadership styles are evident in the general conversation of the organisation. This trend is present as espoused theory in the curriculum of the Defence Academy. However, the data also confirm a clear and strong emphasis towards command and managerial compliance as theory-in-use, particularly by cadets. This emphasis is noticeably evident in the teaching and assessment practice of the Defence Academy. Other research outcomes include the observation that: Contextually, while studies show it is difficult to isolate skills from their cultural and biographical context (Watkins, 1991:15), this study suggests that it is equally difficult to isolate skills development from this context. There is a strong task or instrumental link identified by cadet responses in terms of content and development process at the Defence Academy, in contrast to the wider developmental emphasis in general literature and senior officer interviews. There is a lack of awareness of teaching strategies and development activity consistent with espoused Type B leadership theory and curriculum content. This gap is compounded by the use in the Defence Academy of personnel without teaching expertise or suitable developmental experience. The socialisation of cadets into the military workplace is the primary purpose of training. This purpose appears taken for granted by all concerned - staff, cadets and senior officers. Defence Academy development processes appear to be faced with a dilemma. Arguably, training and learning from experience are limited approaches to development. Training, which involves learning by replication, and learning from experience, which is largely imitative, are both of little use when people are faced with novel and ambiguous situations. This study suggests that in order to support the development of capabilities that go beyond training based competence a learning and development approach is needed. This more expansive approach requires educational planners to consider the cultural and social context that can inadvertently promote the status quo in practice over espoused outcomes.

Thesis (M.S.)--Naval Postgraduate School, 1997. / Cover title. "March, 1997." AD-A331 466. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S. in Leadership and Human Resource Development)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2002. / AD-A405 963. Thesis advisor(s): Susan Hocevar, William Kemple. Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-160). Also available online.

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Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / Communication is an essential skill for every military officer. Their jobs are accomplished through communication as they motivate soldiers and sailors, who in turn physically accomplish the diverse missions of the military. Junior officers in the Navy and Marine Corps hold key and challenging positions in any ship or unit. While they rarely originate any major initiatives or missions, they almost always give the final order or direction. Therefore they must be able to accurately communicate both up and down the chain of command. While communicating comes easily to some junior officers, many struggle with it, and most have room for improvement. The USNA recognizes the important role that it can play in developing junior officer communication abilities. One of the Academy's strategic initiatives is Oral and Written Communications Excellence. The focus of this thesis is oral communications. This thesis will identify what type of oral communications are prevalent in the fleet, what the important communication skills are that a junior officer must master, and how the Naval Academy and other institutions can help develop these skills in the future leaders of the Navy and Marine Corps. / Lieutenant, United States Naval Reserve

This study investigates the development of large unit command and control in the United States Army prior to the American Civil War. It examines the results of this development in one early campaign of the war. The paper's theme is that the excessive casualties suffered during the early stages of the war were not only a result of the improvements in weapons technology, the size of the armies or the personalities of the individual commanders. Another, and potentially more serious cause was the inability of the Union commanders to command, control, and maneuver these units to achieve campaign objectives.The paper begins by describing how war is organized into three levels: strategy, operations, and tactics; and defining the concepts related to command and control. The influences on the development of the Civil War leadership are next examined. These include: Napoleonic Warfare, the teachings of Jomini, Mahan, and Halleck; the the formal and informal educational experiences of the officers. Next command and control doctrine within the Union Army is examined.The case study used for examining operational command and control during the early period of the Civil War is the Maryland Campaign of 1862 which culminated at the Battle of Antietam in September of that year. Throughout the thesis, the education and performance of the Army of the Potomac's commander, George B. McClellan is examined.The conclusion of the paper is that the United States Army was poorly prepared for the conduct of large unit operations. This poor preparation, and performance, could not be blamed on any single individual, including McClellan. It was the result of complex educational, experiential, and organizational factors which shaped the pre-war Army.Finally, this paper concludes that General McClellan's inability to decisively maneuver the forces at his disposal was a significant factor in the outcome of the engagement at Sharpsburg, Maryland on 17 September, 1862.

Thesis (PhD (Public Management and Planning ))—University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The result of this research is an alternative model for leadership character development in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The SANDF reflects the racial and cultural diversity of South Africa as a nation. The need for a unifying leadership-related mechanism for the military milieu in which humane leadership development will flourish, is evident. This statement is based on the premise that no evidence is found that any previous efforts by the SANDF to instil a leadership philosophy or policy as a way of military life was successful. Further shortcomings in the current SANDF leadership development model, apart from the reality that its selection process of officer candidates needs improvement, are the absence of political guidance and participation in the development of its military leaders, as well as emaciated attention to the development of the character side of leaders during officer formative training. The SANDF, unlike the international tendency, has no military leadership institution to ensure that its leadership development policies and practices are based on sound academic research. Such an institution will also ensure that the SANDF stays contemporary in the global field of military leadership development. The shortcomings of the current SANDF Model were identified by progressing through the academic theories on leadership and leadership development to a comparative analysis of leadership development practices in the militaries of Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and the SANDF. This supplied the information needed to propose the Five Point Star Model (FPS Model) for leadership character development in the SANDF. The five components of the FPS Model, which address the shortcomings of the current SANDF Model, are Convergent Leadership, Political Participation, Superior Selection, Interventions for Leadership Character Development, and a Military Leadership Institution. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die uitkoms van hierdie navorsing is ’n alternatiewe model wat die tekortkominge in die ontwikkeling van leierskapkarakter in die Suid Afrikaanse Nasionale Weermag (SANW) aanspreek. Die SANW weerspieël die rasse- en kulturele diversiteit van die Suid Afrikaanse nasie, wat die behoefte aan ‘n samebindende leierskapsverwante meganisme na vore bring. Hierdie stelling is gegrond daarop dat geen bewys, waar die SANW daarin geslaag het om ’n samebindende leierskapsfilosofie of –beleid as ‘n militêre leefwyse te vestig, gevind is om sodoende die militêre milieu te skep waarin mensgerigte leierskap sal floreer nie. Verdere tekortkominge in die huidige Leierskapsontwikkelingsmodel van die SANW, bo en behalwe dat die keuringsproses van kandidaat-offisiere uitgebrei en verbeter moet word, is die afwesigheid van politieke deelname en rigtinggewing waar die ontwikkeling van die land se jong militêre leiers ter sprake is. Te min aandag word ook gewy aan die ontwikkeling van kandidaat-offisiere se karakter of inbors tydens offisiersvorming kursusse. Die internasionale tendens is vir weermagte om ‘n militêre leierskapsinstelling te hê. Die SANW het nie so ‘n instelling om te verseker dat militêre leierskapsontwikkelingsbeleid en -praktyke op behoorlike akademiese navorsing gefundeer is nie. Dit maak dit moeilik om ’n kontemporêre bydrae in die internasionale veld van militêre leierskap te maak. Die wyse waarop die tekortkominge van die huidige SANW Leierskapsontwikkelingsmodel geïdentifiseer is, was om voort te bou op die akademiese teorieë oor leierskap en leierskapsontwikkeling en om ’n vergelykende studie tussen leierskapsontwikkelingspraktyke in die weermagte van Duitsland, Brittanje, Kanada en die SANW te doen. Die vergelykende studie het inligting verskaf om die Vyfpuntster Model vir die ontwikkeling van leierskapkarakter in die SANW voor te stel. Die vyf komponente van die nuwe model spreek die tekortkominge van die huidige SANW Model aan, en die komponente is Konvergerende Leierskap, Politieke Deelhebberskap, Voortreflike Keuring, Intervensies vir Leierskapkarakterontwikkeling, en ‘n Instansie vir Militêre Leierskap.

Thesis (M.S. in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy)--Joint Forces Staff College, Joint Advanced Warfighting School, 2007. / "5 April 2007." AD-A468 869. Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the World Wide Web.