Developing Effective Small Team Army Leaders: A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Trial of the Squad Leader Development Course

Abstract

Effective leadership is critical to mission success in military organizations. However, instances of unethical and ineffective leadership remain an ongoing concern. To address the need for improved small team leadership, the U.S. Army developed the Squad Leader Development Course (SLDC) to provide junior non-commissioned officers (NCOs) with training and education on Army doctrine, ethical leadership, authentic leadership, and related competencies. Findings from a quasi-randomized controlled trial of SLDC conducted with NCOs (N = 219) found that trainees viewed SLDC as beneficial to themselves, their soldiers, and the Army. Trainees demonstrated improvements in knowledge and competencies related to leadership doctrine; fostering trust, cohesion, psychological safety within their units; and coaching and mentoring their subordinates. No significant effects of training were found with respect to ethical leadership, authentic leadership, or morale. We examine the utility of SLDC for leadership development in the Army and explore implications for military organizations globally.

Keywords

Army soldiers ethical leadership authentic leadership morale non-commissioned officer quasi-randomized controlled trial

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