Managing Reserve Attendance in a Multi Component Unit - Research Paper Example

Managing Reserve Attendance in a Multi Component Unit Juliet Gordon CMU 18 May Chapter Background Stewart and United s explain that the quality of leadership, Soldier’s morale and working conditions are the factors affecting training attendance among Soldiers in the Army Reserve of the United States. Unsatisfactory participation is defined as the unexcused absence of an Army Reserve Soldier who otherwise is required to attend monthly training. To satisfactory participate, Reservists also train for two continuous weeks every year, this training is called Annual Training (AT). The According to Stewart and United States (2003), leadership behavior has been linked to employee engagement and performance; leadership behavior further determines the morale of the soldiers, which in turn results in non-participant and unsatisfactory participant statistics. The Unit Commander and first line leaders are responsible for working collaboratively with Reservist in resolving the issues that have been shown to contribute to soldiers becoming non-participant or unsatisfactory. Satisfactory participants among Soldiers with prior service experience are likely to be males who are married, better educated and higher ranking. Research Problem A report by the United States Army Audit Agency (AAA) states that the Army Reserve (AR) has over 9,500 Non Participants (NPs) and Unsatisfactory Participants (Us). Stewart& United States (2003) explains that non-participants are Soldiers who have not receive pay in three or more consecutive months. Unsatisfactory Participants (Us) are Soldiers who have accumulated 9 or more unexcused absences in a 12 month period or failed to report for or complete Annual Training (AT) (Stewart & United States, 2003). The Unit Commander and first line leaders are responsible for working collaboratively with Reservist in resolving the issues that have been shown to contribute to soldiers becoming non-participant or unsatisfactory. Research Objectives This study aims to establish the factors that lead to poor training attendance among Reservists in the United States Army. The purpose of this study is to conduct a survey within the target population and analyze how they perceive the scheduled training, leadership, and work environment within the unit. It also intends to explore what internal and external organizational factors are causing these issues. During this research, recommendations for problem solving towards improving work environment and reservist training participation will be constructively addressed. A structured questionnaire will be provided to be filled by Reserve Soldiers and their Leaders on active duty. Observation will be used to collect non-participant data and to increase the validation of this research. This study will be of vast significance to Army Commanders and Leaders working with Soldiers in an effort to reduce the number of unsatisfactory participants and non-participation among United States Army Reservists (Stewart & United States, 2003). The results from this study may be used by the government to guide the formulation and implementation of Army rules and regulations for its Reserve Component. The formulation and subsequent implementation of Soldier-friendly work environment would contribute to better training attendance among American Soldiers in the Army Reserve. For example, when leaders and Unit Commanders treat Soldiers with dignity and respect, they are likely to be more committed to their cause. This level of commitment consequently reflects the rate of training attendance and participation (Stewart & United States, 2003). Scope and Delimitation This research will be conducted in the Army Reserve Unit and the Unit Commanders, Leaders and soldiers will be interviewed to provide information for this research. The Army Reserve was chosen because of the rise in the number among unsatisfactory and non participant soldiers. Limitations The use of a structured questionnaire could present challenges when the participants fail to fill some sections. Hypothesis and Assumptions Hypothesis Improvement in the work conditions and leadership in the Army Reserve increases soldier morale and reduces absenteeism within Army Reserve Soldiers. Assumptions This research will focus on aspects of leadership and work environment in a Multi-component unit. The research will make the following assumptions based on the Military as an Organization: The government sets military rules, policies and regulations for the Army Reserve. There is a system controlling reservist integration, retention and attendance. The Unit has the necessary resources to authorize the sustainment of training and readiness of the reserve force. These assumptions were made to show the capability of the Organization and in doing so, show that the focus of the research is on the leadership within a specific unit. Research Question This research aims to answer the following question: 1. What factors are involved in the relationship among soldiers and their leaders? Definition of Terms ADT-Active Duty Training AT-Annual Training CONUS- Continental United States IDT- Inactive Duty Training TNPQ- Temporarily Not Physically Qualified USAR- United States Army Reserve Multi-component Unit – Active Duty and Reservist working unit Chapter 2 Introduction This literature discusses the United States Army Reserve as a whole, the statistics on Soldier unsatisfactory non participation in training, leadership behavior and the work conditions in the Reserve unit. Leadership behavior and work conditions are extensively discussed as they were hypothesized to affect reserve Soldier training. Presentation of Literature United States Army Reserve (USAR) According to Stewart & United States (2003), the USAR is constituted of the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. In the Army Reserve, Soldiers are required to serve part time and during national emergencies they may be mobilized to full time duty. In periods of inactive duty, reservists attend trainings one weekend per month. This training is called the Inactive Duty Battle Assembly (IDT). Statistics A report by the United States Army Audit Agency (AAA) states that the Army Reserve (AR) has over 9,500 Non Participants (NPs) and Unsatisfactory Participants (Us). Stewart& United States (2003) explains that non-participants are Soldiers who have not receive pay in three or more consecutive months. Unsatisfactory Participants (Us) are Soldiers who have accumulated 9 or more unexcused absences in a 12 month period or failed to report for or complete Annual Training (AT) (Stewart & United States, 2003). According to Kenneth and Leonard (2000), unsatisfactory participants have been shown to be common among Soldiers without prior military experience while unsatisfactory participants with no prior military experience are likely to be males who are unmarried, belong to minority ethnic groups, younger, with less education and in lower ranks of the military. Leadership Behavior According to the United States (1964)Army reserve magazine, leadership behavior has been linked to employee engagement. The army serves to fight and win the country’s wars. A number of factors, the most significant of which is dignity and respect affect the effectiveness of soldiers. Leaders are accountable for ensuring that their charges are treated with respect and dignity. Lien, Hansen, Moskowitz, and MacLeod (2006) explained that respect and dignity constitutes human relations, which are important in ensuring that the working environment is conducive. Another factor is discrimination, whether sexual or racial, have been shown to affect negatively on the relationship amid the Soldiers themselves and among soldiers and their leaders. This has been shown to contribute to the number of ‘no shows’ and unsatisfactory participation in military drills (Lien et al., 2006). According to Stewart & United States (2003), leaders at all levels of the military need to continue to work to ensure that equal opportunities are awarded to Reservists to ensure that they are motivated to attend trainings and drills. The work environment and conditions therein play an important role in ensuring that Soldiers remain motivated. United States (1964) explains that motivation and morale are synonymous and a Soldier who is not motivated may suffer from low self-esteem and lack of morale. Racial discrimination and sexual harassment have been shown to affect reservist-training turnover with females and members of minority ethnic groups increasingly becoming ‘no shows’ or unsatisfactory participants. Work Conditions Leaders and Army Commandants should strive to not only create but also maintain an environment free of discrimination of any kind (Stewart & United States, 2003). They should promote harmony and support the diversity among individuals and cultures while ensuring that Soldiers remain disciplined. Summary of Literature Army Reserve Soldier participation in trainings is affected by leadership quality and the working conditions. The number of research on this topic is limited with those available focusing on equality and equal opportunity among the soldiers, the number of reserve Soldiers that fail to attend trainings or those who do not attend the minimum required number of trainings. This study intends to bridge this gap and to make information on leadership and working conditions. Chapter 3 Methodology Research Paradigm Qualitative research paradigm will be used to collect data for this research. This paradigm is the most appropriate in determining the behavior and attitudes and hence suitable for answering the research question. When researching on people’s attitudes, behaviors and feelings, qualitative research best captures these attributes. A structured questionnaire will be administered to the Unit Commanders, Leaders and Reservists. The researcher will also actively observe the non-verbal interactions between the leaders and Reservists in the United States Army (Stewart & United States, 2003). Research Design A survey will be used to collect the data for this research. The researcher will construct the survey tool using the standard online format with the relevant questions prior to the actual research. The questionnaire will consist of thirty questions covering the knowledge and practice, participants’ demographics, and attitudes and behaviors sections. Both multiple choice and short answers will be used; the knowledge and practice section will be multiple choice while the rest of the sections will need the participants to provide short answers. Questionnaires will be administered to the research participants to be completed at the course of the research. The finished questionnaires will be collected after each session for analysis and reporting. The researcher will also observe the interactions between the Soldiers and their leaders to collect additional non-participant data. Data Collection This research will be conducted on base at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, United States. The Unit Commander(s) and section leaders will be contacted through their contacts that the Unit Leaders will be requested to provide so as to assist in the preparation of the research. Interview protocols for this research will be developed prior to the exercise and will consist of a structured questionnaire. The Reserve Soldiers and other Military Employees will be interviewed both in the Camp and at their homes. These interviews and observations will be recorded by the researcher. The first section of the questionnaire will address the knowledge and practices of the leaders and employees in the United States Reservists. The subsequent sections will address the employee and leadership opinion, perception and attitudes regarding the work environment, leadership and employee morale. These filled questionnaires will be collected after each interview. The researcher will check that the questionnaires have been filled out correctly. The confidentiality of this research will be achieved through informing the participants that the research will not reveal their identity to anyone. Internal validity will be achieved by controlling for the missing answers in research questionnaire while external validity will be achieved through the selection of a sample size that is representative of the general population. The researcher will ensure that every filled questionnaire is checked for missing sections and those participants who failed to complete these questionnaires are followed up to determine whether they chose not to answer these questions or forgot to answer. Validity of the Research Validation will ensure that the exercise is rigorous and credible. Research credibility will be achieved through triangulation and peer reviews. Triangulation will be achieved using the the interviews and the observations made by the researcher. Observational methods will ensure that the validity of this research is increased as observation enables the researcher to have a better understanding of the research context. The researcher will enlist the professional assistance of two peer briefers with extensive knowledge regarding the use of qualitative data collection methods of research. Ethical Considerations and Approval The researcher will explain the research process and importance to the participants after which, an informed consent will be sought. The participants will be informed that they can choose to opt out of the research if they preferred to and that they can choose whether or not to answer the research questions. The informed consent will be used to ensure participant confidentiality and anonymity. The researcher will also set measures in place to ensure that the participants’ identity remains hidden throughout the research process. Benefits of the Research The results of this research will help the unit command gain better knowledge regarding the factors that contribute to the increase in number of Reservist who drop out of training or fail to attend the required number of trainings. The research may also reveal gaps that exist in the leadership and relationships between Reservists and their leaders. Conclusion In the military, leadership has been shown to affect the effectiveness of Soldiers in combat situations. Leadership is also responsible for Reservist training turnovers. Unsatisfactory participation and non-participation has been on the rise among United States Army Reservists. This research aims to address this issue by determining the aspects that add to the decrease in Reservist training attendance. The research will employ a qualitative methodology in the collection of data on the attitudes and opinions of the Reservists, commanders and leaders in the military. Observational methods will be employed to collect non-verbal data while at the same time offering an additional measure for validity. The outcome from this study may be used to reveal the gaps presented between the knowledge and practice in the leadership of the United States Army Reserve. References Grissmer, D. W., Kirby, S. N., Sze, M.-B., National Defense Research Institute (U.S.), Defense Manpower Research Center., Rand Corporation., & United States. (1992). Factors affecting reenlistment of reservists: Spouse and employer attitudes and perceived unit environment. Santa Monica, CA: RAND. Kenneth, M. B., & Leonard, K. (2000 January, 01). Examining sources of influence on employee turnover in the part-time work context. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 21 (3)36-144. Lien, D. S., Hansen, M. L., Moskowitz, M. J., & MacLeod, I. D. (2006).Compensation and voluntary participation in a continuum of service. Alexandria, Va: Center for Naval Analyses. Stewart, D. B., & United States. (2003). Military personnel: Preliminary observations related to income, benefits, and employer support for reservists during mobilizations. Washington, D.C.: U.S. General Accounting Office. United States. (1964). Army reserve magazine.Washington, D.C: Chief, Army Reserve. Read More