Leading Civilian Personnel.

At the senior level, military officers are frequently assigned to lead organizations staffed predominantly by civilian personnel. Civilian personnel and their organizations have a culture which is different from military training and the organizations where the officer gained experience. Since it can be shown that a leaders style has a major impact on organizational effectiveness, military leaders should receive training in the dynamics of civilian organizations prior to assuming leadership positions. This study surveys the opinions of military and civilian students in the USAWC class of 1988 who have had experience in predominantly civilian organizations where the leader or commander is a military officer. Information on the Characteristics of Military Leaders, Observed Leadership Techniques, Organizational Dynamics, Management Dynamics and Special Preparation for leadership was obtained, analyzed in this report. A concluding section summarizes the findings and makes recommendations for the appropriate training of military leaders prior to their assumption of command of a predominantly civilian organization.