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AD-A282 453
The Impact of Leader Competence and Platoon Conditions on Platoon Performance in Simulated Combat Exercises Thomas D. Kane and Trueman R. Tremble, Jr. U.S. Army Research Institute
June1994LD
tuc o '1994L' I ELEC* AUG a 3 1994U
rUnited
States Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences
Approved for public release; distribution Is unlimied.
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4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE
The Impact of Leader Competence and Platoon Conditions
*63007A
794
on Platoon Performance in Simulated Combat Exercises
1122
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4. AUTHOR(S)
Kane, Thomas D., and Tremble, Jr., Trueman Ro NAME(S) ANDfor ADDRESS(ES) 7.U.S. PERFORMING Army ORGANIZATION Research Institute the Behavioral
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13. AERSTRACT (MRmum 200 woNS)E
This research concerned the quality of military leadership when, at the home post or station of a unit's assignment, leaders prepared their units for deployment
to combat.
Hypotheses were drawn from cognitive resources theory (CRT) to examine
the influence of leader-boss stress and member support on a leader's use of personal resources in simulated combat exercises. Evidence supported predictions that member support influences the relationship between leadership competence and unit perfor-
mance.
The relationship among leader competence, leader experience, and leader-boss
stress did not support CRT.
Results are discussed with respect to CRT and other
relevant leadership theory. Findings highlight the importance of attending to group conditions when planning intervention to enhance the effectiveness of unit
leadership.
the_____inlec1flae-ossrs
14. SUBPE
TERMS
n
ebe
upr
nalae'
'S.
fproa
NUMBER OF PAGES
Group performance Leadership, Collective efficacy Leader competence Cognitive resource theory__ IS. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
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Unclassified
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OF THIS PAGE
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DT.
19.' SECURITY CLASSIFiCATiON OF ABSTRACT
Unclassified
Unclassified
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'a' tnry,
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PRIC CODE
20. LIMITATION O ABSTRACT
Unlimited • Standard Form 29p9) (Rev. CRT
tb
exa
in
V1hr im,lpQ-, off Leader Competence and Platoon .. o3ditions on Platoon Performance in Simulated Combat Exercises 'Yhonia -D. Kane and Trueman R. Tremble, Jr. U.S. Army Research Institute
Leadership and Organizational Change Technical Area Paul A. Gade, Chief Manpower and Personnel Research Division Zita M.Simutis, Director U.S. Army Rasearch Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences 5001 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia 22333-5600 Office, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel Department of the Army
June 1994 Education and Training
\rmy Proloot Nurn br A-pprovad for pibi~c releosO; d13tributkon IsunmInttd. III
A p':i-ary :iasion of the Leadership and Organizational Tclnicz.l A rea of the U.S. Army Research Institute for the havioral and Social Sciences (ARI) is to enhance small unit .aadinoes .Indperformance through research to improve leadership, ehesion, u-nd motivation. The research described in this report iL part of a project focusing on the impact of factors at a unit'8 home station on subsequent performance of the unit at the U.S. Army Combat Training Centers (CTCs). This research project, :-iginally titad "Determinants of Small Unit Performance," is wider research program for enhancing the pa t oL RI's n: fcrnanc- of leadership staff groups. PETNWCE AND PLATOON CONDITIONS ON PLATOON1
:
O
CE 1i
StIU1MLTED COMMiAT EXERCISES
e uircment:
This research concerns the quality of the leadership shown by leaders when, at the home post or station of unit assignment, thay prapara thcir units for deployment to combat. The research examines the influence of unit conditions on the relationship btween hora station leadership competence and the performance of units in simulated combat. Examination of the joint effects of leadership and unit conditions can potentially identify factors that are critical to the design or implementation of interventions for improving the development and effectiveness of leaders. Procedure:
Fiedler and Garcia's (1987) cognitive resource theory (CRT)
outlines specific organizational conditions that facilitate the ipact of a leader's intellectual or cognitive capabilities on group outcomes. This research tested CRT predictions for combat platoon-leaders and platoon sergeants. It was predicted that the relationship between home station leadership and platoon performance varies as a function of (1) unit members' support for their leader, and (2) the leader's stress with the superior. Questionnaires were administered to the members of 69 combat platoons--platoon leaders (PLs), platoon sergeants (PSs), squad leaders (SLs), and squad rembers (Ss)--about 2 to 4 weeks prior to a platoon's deployment for training at one of the U.S. Army's Combat Training Centers (CTCs). Responses to these pre-exercise questionnaires measured the home station leadership competence of PLe and PSs. Questionnaire responses also produced measures of PL and PS experience, a leader's stress with the immediate superior, and mamber support for the leader. After having returned to their home stations, the members and the company commander of a platoon assessed platoon effectiveness in the missions undertaken during the CTC training. Median split and moderated regrcesion analyses were used to test the predictions.
vii
Eviulenc oupported predictions for PSs that member support i:X~fluec2 the relationship between leadership competence and Accordingly, the home station leadership i. !t performance. i*)vpetence of PSs was more strongly associated with platoon CTC i, ,,Iornanco when the platoon members were more cohesive or had a LZongr senoe of efficacy. Results did not support predictions ; stress f'rom superiors influenced the relationship between K..,toon perforraance and leadership quality. u'ilization of Findings:
Vindings generally support the current emphasis on developing and maintaining the cognitive capabilities of individual leaders. They add that the impact of a leader's capabilities can fzo greater for units that are cohesive or have other organizational properties supportive of strong leadership. This suggests that interventions oriented to such properties as unit cohesion vin potentially facilitate the expected payoffs from leader cducation, training, and development.
viii
ThE IMPACT OF LEADER COMPETENCE AND PLATOON CONDITIONS ON PLATOON P2ixRFOrMANCE IN SIMULATED COMBAT EXERCISES
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IIZTRODUCTION WM OD
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Subjects Procedure Measures
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R:FERENCES
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DISCUSSION
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Summary of Variables Measured . . . . . Differences in Resources and Performance . . . . . Correlations Among Variables . Hypotheses for Leadership Competence Hypothesis for Leadership Experience .
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LIST OF TABLES Table
1. Leader Competence Scale ... 2. Boss Stress Scale
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3. Member Support Measures
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4. Correlation Matrix for All Variables
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5. Means of Median Splits Representing Favorable and Unfavorable Platoon Conditions
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6. Mean Platoon Performance, Mean Ratings of Leadership, and Mean Leader Experience
for Favorable and Unfavorable Platoon Conditions
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Page Table
7. Correlations Between Leader Competence and Platoon Performance for Favorable and Unfavorable Platoon Conditions .......
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8. Moderated Regression Results: The Interaction of Platoon Sergeant Competence with Platoon Conditions on Platoon Performance
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9. Moderated Regression Results: The Interaction of Platoon Leader Competence with Platoon Conditions on Platoon Performance
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10. Correlations Between Platoon Sergeant Experience and Platoon Performance for Conditions of High and Low Stress with Platoon Leaders
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11. Moderated Regression Results: The Interaction of Leader Experience with Boss Stress on Platoon Performance
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LIST OF FIGURES Figure
1. The interaction between PS competence and member support
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.SkL;TjENCE 51D P:LT-"'
iT~~e§.,:C~>c;LNC>
SI1iJU2"VL
CON I2.E ....
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COMELT EXERCISES
IZIfTRODUCTXON Z .,_ [:,~rc>au of research on determinants of Army unit itine , t: U.S. Arny Research Institute for the uv iari1 r-id scial Sciences (ARI) examined home station Lions t prior to a unit's deployment for combat training. -z)u-t domaint of unit conditions were investigated: individual nthese performance measures suggests differences either in .C arcctiona or in the reaponse tendencies of the different h 3) corralation magnituds( Givtn t. aIt ._rs. c. .t'rnaivc. xaures ware not combined; rather, they were entered cna-ses.1 ac spartt
r tha
A
-j_2LUn ift.
Hypothesis 1 stated that the relationship
~. :~e 1edrshij? competence and platoon performance is stronger
i.az condition~s of high member support as opposed to low member For PSs or .PLa. there were eight possible median cupport. c, parisons betwcen leader competence (two raters) and rreonnance (two raters) under conditions of higher and lower nm~bar support (two masures--cohesion and platoon efficacy). Table 7 displays the median comparisons for member support.
Results partially supported the first hypothesis for the PS. ri:rat, the magnitude of all aight correlations for PSs with high r.aniber support was stronger than the corresponding correlations ,ar low support condition. significant differences were found ~z.~~onthree of those correlations. Additionally, six positive &nrd statistically significant correlations between PS competence tin platoon perftcrmance exised for conditions of high member ~u~rt;whereas, only one was found for low support conditions. Results of the ztoderated regression analyses for the PS are presented in Tab:le 8. Of the eight analyses conducted, three yielded significant interaction terms indicating that PS competence and member support jointly accounted for platoon nerformanda. The significant interactions were found for the
theve correlations were not strong and suggested unly moderate association between CC and platoon member ratings, tGther data ruggeat a pattern of association among platoon t;,)rformahce ratings. That is, after the completion of CTC -training, platoon performance ratings were also made by the f:vver-cotrollers (oCs) of platoons. 0Cm monitored platoon performance and provided training feedback during the CTC uoxercises. OCsO ratings were not used in these analyses because However, both CCs' and 'F'ary few were available (n -21). correlated significantly performance platoon of i~~s'ratings respectively). .41 = r 50 and -. (r retingo OCs." ','th 1While
12
ble 7 Cil ra ncitLtweta Leader Com~pttence and Platoon Perforatance for Favorable and Unfavoerble PLtAcon Conditions PLAI
N SERGEANT ANALYSIS CIlcctlve Efilcacy
Group Cohelon
Leader Stress
tPatinp of PS uL
-tJ
LOW~
JIM
Lw
1112h
LoW
Group rating of performanct
.6.** (29)
34w (27)
.64"* (29)
.M (27)
.46* (24)
.51"* (21)
CC rating of performucc
32 (19)
.29 (21)
50* (21)
.09 (19)
.37 (16)
.14 (17)
Group rating of performance
.23 (25)
-.05 (26)
.38'
-.21 (25)
-.07 (21)
.00 (20)
CC rating of performance
.44*8 (18)
-.. 5 (20)
.3o
-25 (17)
-.12 (14)
-.15 (18)
L ating of PS
(26) (21)
PLATOON LEADER ANALYSIS
SL Raig ofP
Collective Eficcy 19
Group Cohesion sh
Leader Stress
Io
Hidh
LM
.22
Group rating of
36*
.51
-24
performance
(23)
(22)
(23)
(22)
(21)
(19)
CC rating of performance
.26 (15)
.06 (17)
-.09 (17)
.36 (16)
.33 (16)
-.05 (15)
Group rating of
MOO
.17
.4400
.21
.33
30
performance
(29)
(27)
(29)
(27)
(26)
(24)
CC rating of performance
.36 (19)
.45" (21)
.65"* (19)
.14 (21)
.50. (18)
25 (19)
-.02
-.04
PS Rdgof P
FL -Platoon leader, PS,-Platoon sergeant, SL Squad leaders, SM-Squad members, CC-Company commander
• siificant differnce between correlations (p s..5) sipicint difference between correlations, opposite of prediction (ps .05)
13
7'i
