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Defining a competency framework to shape the professional education of national security master strategists: a web-based Delphi study

The purpose of this study was to develop a competency framework to shape
development of a professional education program for master strategists in national
security. The research problem focused on the absence of a competency framework
to guide professional education of strategists who must be capable of conceptualization
and innovation master strategists. The outcome of this study was a set of the
most important components that constitute a professional education framework for
master strategists.
This Web-based study followed a RAND Delphi heuristic model that is
qualitative in nature. Instrumentation for the first round consisted of a short vignette
that placed panelists in a unique situation of being able to engage a "time traveler" from 20 years in the future. The time traveler represented a source of perfect knowledge,
but could provide only a "yes" or "no" response to panel member questions
concerning master strategist professional education needs in the year 2022. In the subsequent two Delphi rounds, the instruments consisted of panel member questions
from the previous round. The panel of experts consisted of 12 professional strategists
in the field of national security strategy.
The results of the study provided support to the description of master strategists as
strategic leaders, strategic theoreticians, and strategic practitioners. Panelists
highlighted four content domains of personal attributes, security framework, theorybased
knowledge, and culture and values that encompass the range of competencies
for a master strategist professional education framework. Panel members detailed a
need for master strategists to have a higher order temporal perspective to conceive
time as epochs and ages, defined as shifts in development punctuated by events and
prominent periods in progress, respectively. Panelists described a master strategist
professional education framework that mirrored the theory of profound knowledge
with meta-competencies as the basic building blocks.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/3249
Date12 April 2006
CreatorsClark, Thomas George
ContributorsCole, Bryan R.
PublisherTexas A&M University
Source SetsTexas A and M University
Languageen_US
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeBook, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text
Format738012 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital

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