Organizational Goals and Leadership

¶ … Leaders: The 4th Armoured Brigade Combat Team

Organizational development is often a challenging task for most organizations. The challenge appears in processes such as leadership development, employee management and engagement, as well as change management.[footnoteRef:1] If not handled properly, these processes may hinder the achievement of organizational goals and objectives. The 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) is currently facing significant challenges as far as organizational development and leadership processes are concerned. The challenges specifically include communication concerns, ineffective leadership, poor motivation of soldiers, lack of team work, interpersonal conflicts, as well as organizational culture issues. It is imperative for these challenges to be addressed if the team is to effectively execute its deployment goals and objectives in the future. As the new commander of the brigade, I have an instrumental role to play in addressing the challenges. This essay describes the major challenges facing the brigade and the measures I will use to address them. [1: Thomas Cummings and Christopher Worley. Organization development and change (Boston: Cengage Learning, 2015), 1-13.]

One of the major challenges facing the brigade relates to leadership. The style of leadership used in an organization can significantly influence the extent to which organizational goals and objectives are achieved.[footnoteRef:2] Leadership style informs the culture of the organization. It influences the values, beliefs, norms, and practices that bind a certain group of people. Generally, leadership style may either be authoritative (dictatorial) or democratic (inclusive or participatory). At ABCT, the style of leadership is evidently dictatorial. This is normative, as authoritative leadership is often the norm in most military contexts -- subordinates are expected to follow the instructions of their superiors without questioning. While authoritative leadership may be important in such contexts, especially in terms of quickening decision-making, it may sometimes prove to be detrimental. [2: Ibid, 476-477.]

In the last three years, many changes have taken place at the brigade following a change in leadership: morale has diminished, the supportive family atmosphere that existed before is no more, discipline and work ethic have weakened, competition has reduced, coordination among peers has deteriorated, and relations between brigade commanders and the battalion have worsened. In addition, there has been reduced willingness to include subordinates in decision-making as well as decreased commitment to coaching, counseling, and developing subordinates. Essentially, the friendly, supportive, and somewhat informal culture that characterized the brigade a few years ago has been replaced by a dictatorial regime, which is increasingly threatening the brigade's ability to successfully accomplish its future missions.

As the new brigade commander, I will first focus on changing the leadership style by restoring the culture that existed three years ago. I will particularly pay attention to creating a positive atmosphere, inspiring confidence, building trust, and empowering subordinates. My style of leadership will also be characterized by empathy, effective interpersonal relationships, leading by example, active staff engagement, as well as reduced bureaucracy in garrison procedures and inspections. I strongly believe that cultivating the right organizational atmosphere will be crucial for maximizing the effectiveness of the brigade. Nonetheless, I recognize that permitting democracy in a military context may not be an easy undertaking; as at the same I must time ensure that the values that generally characterize the military (such as discipline and result-centeredness) are espoused. With the right influence, I believe that a balance between authority and inclusivity can be achieved.

Ineffective leadership at ABCT largely explains why remarkable challenges were experienced during the mission in Afghanistan. These challenges included resource inadequacies (incompatible communication equipment), insufficient personnel authorizations, role ambiguities, inadequate training, poor coordination, and inadequate understanding of mission requirements. An important role of leadership in any organization entails providing the support required to accomplish the set organizational goals and objectives.[footnoteRef:3] Mission deployments are often resource-intensive tasks. Hence, soldiers at the battlefield must be properly resourced, particularly in terms of training and equipment. As the commander of the brigade, I will ensure soldiers have the necessary skills and training as well as properly functioning communication systems prior to deployment. It will also be important for me as the leader to communicate the nature of the mission environment as well as their specific roles and responsibilities to the battalions effectively. Clear communication is important for preparing soldiers for the task ahead, ensuring smooth execution of the mission, and minimizing conflicts between supervisors and subordinates. [3: Thomas Cummings and Christopher Worley. Organization development and change (Boston: Cengage Learning, 2015), 200.]

Another important challenge facing the brigade relates to employee motivation and engagement, which too, can be linked to ineffective leadership. First and foremost, officers continue to grapple with excessive workloads, which have denied them reasonable time with their families. This has imposed considerable stress on soldiers as evidenced by the increased cases domestic abuse, marital infidelity and divorce. The problem of excessive workload has been further compounded by unanticipated reduction in leave length, inadequate staffing, ignorance of staff concerns, lack of authority to make decisions, as well as limited understanding of mission requirements on the part of subordinates. There have also been instances of sexual harassment and unequal treatment of soldiers. Though complaints have been reported to the field grade officer, there has been little or no commitment to address them. This has resulted in reduced morale for work, deteriorating teamwork, and diminished productivity. It has also led to increased interpersonal conflicts between superiors and subordinates.