Presentation

How Diverse Culture and Multi-Generational Groups in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard Effect Military Leadership Communication and Training

Abstract

The Pennsylvania Army National Guard is an organization burdened with a lot of responsibilities because the state of Pennsylvania and country depends on it for guaranteed security. Therefore, the organization cannot afford to have any issues that may impact the effectiveness of its job. However, generational and cultural differences within the Pennsylvania Army National Guard are suspected to have an influence on the military leadership and training of the troops. The Pennsylvania Army National Guard is made up of people from different cultures and age groups which makes the beliefs and values of the military members different. This is suspected to be a factor that limits the effectiveness of the leadership and training in the organization because of the dilemmas and conflicts brought about by the differences in beliefs. This study seeks to understand the extent of the impact that generational gaps and cultural differences have on military leadership. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology, commonly referred to as a mixed method will be conducted with the participation of 10 Officers, Senior Non-Commission Officers and 50 to 75 Junior Non-Commission Offers, and Enlisted members of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard to gather the data required to make the relevant conclusions.

Keywords:  military leadership, multigenerational, diverse cultures army, strategic leadership, national guard financial management awareness, national guard diversity strategic plan and training

How Diverse Culture and Multi-Generational Groups in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard Effect Military Leadership Communication and Training

The Pennsylvania Army National Guard prides itself for being one of the most diverse organizations. The Pennsylvania Army National Guard recruits its talent across races, ethnicities, genders, generations, and cultures (Watson, Kumar, & Michaelson, 2003). The United States is also generally a diverse country with a lot of people from various locations across the world getting into the country in search of a better life. The military has tried as hard as possible to maintain diversity since the 1948 Presidential Executive Order that was implemented to end desegregation in the military. Aside from the cultural differences, the military also has significant generational gaps. The demographic structures of the military have changed during the past decade with the younger people getting older and joining the military. The cultural diversity and generational differences in the military affect effective communication and training within the military. People from various culture share distinct values and beliefs and this affects their perceptions and behavior towards various things (Watson et al (2003). Similarly, the way of life has changed significantly through time hence people from different generations may have different characteristics and way of life. These differences are said to have an impact on effective leadership and communication within the military.

People from various generations were born at a period in time when different things were happening. The baby boomers, generation Y/millennium, and generation X members currently make up the military. There is some evident character differences between the people from each of the generations mentioned. For instance, the generation Y/millennium members were born in the era of technology development. This has affected their communication and interaction techniques. Methods such as the use of the internet and text messages as communication channels are most popular among this generation. These differences may affect perceptions and attitudes towards various communication methods. Similarly, communication norms differ from one culture to another. Therefore, it may be hard for a leader to come up with an effective method of communication that will be interpreted in the same way by people from different cultures. This research helps to investigate the various ways that culture and generational differences impact leadership and communication within the military and suggest some techniques that can be applied to enhance leadership in this diverse organization.

Statement of the Problem

The Pennsylvania Army National Guard is made up of people from various diverse cultures and generations. These people have different beliefs, values, practices, and norms that affect their views of various things in life. This affects how they interact with one another and the communication between them. The differences between the different groups can easily cause misunderstandings thus affecting the training and leadership process in the military. Therefore, it is important to understand the real impact that cultural diversity and age differences within the military has on leadership and training to ensure that the organization is able to perform its role in an effective and efficient manner. This can sometimes lead to serious conflicts that completely hinder effective work within the organization (Cennamo, & Gardner, 2008).

The purpose of this mixed method research is to explore strategies that the military can implement to enhance their communication and training of diverse culture, and multi-generational groups in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Multigenerational and diverse culture groups present a critical challenge for many organizations since each generation and culture has varying expectations. Human resource management studies indicate that ordinarily, the majority of managers experience conflicts between the older and younger workers. The military is an example of an organization that is experiencing challenges in leadership where diverse groups that are separated by generational differences have to be led by the same officers. This can affect coordination between them when they are supposed to work in the same group thus affecting the training or working process. Fairhurst (2001) argues that effective leaders communicate to diverse work groups by defining issues in the midst of problem-solving, thereby contributing in a direct manner to a purposeful organizational behavior.

The information in this mixed method research will be focus on data collection, analysis, survey, and writing. From the research, the following themes will emerge, the needed multigenerational, and diverse culture managerial skills, more and/or least effective multigenerational managerial skills, and challenges in managing multigenerational, and diverse culture groups. Findings from this research may contribute to social change in the military via better appreciation, understanding, and acceptance of the primary generations in the Army and in turn help the military leadership to improve its communication and training skills in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

Literature Review

This literature review analyzes some of the past studies that have been done on cultural diversity and generational differences in the military and the impact they have on leadership. The review will be divided to study the impact of generational gaps and cultural differences on leadership and training separately.

A number of researchers have studies the impact of cultural differences in various organizations. Greenberg (2010) defines culture as a set of beliefs, values, and norms that affect the manner in which a group of people interpret events. His study on cultural diversity in the military found that culture plays an important role in promoting the work of the armed forces but can also have a negative impact on their effectiveness. A clash in cultural beliefs makes it hard for people from different backgrounds deployed in the military to work together without experiencing conflicts. According to Greenberg (2010), there are different kinds of culture clashed that can impact the effectiveness of the military troops. For instance, views on obedience, teamwork, communication norms, and hierarchy can affect the manner in which people interact.

Hofstede, Hofstede, & Minkov (2010) cultural theory describes six different dimensions to culture that makes people different in their perceptions and behaviors. These six dimensions include femininity vs. masculinity, power distance, and individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and indulgence. These dimensions affect how people interact with one another and the leadership styles they are most likely to be responsive to. For instance, individualism vs. collectivism describes the degree to which a person my want to work alone or within a group of people. People from the individualistic cultures may not be very cooperative as they are used to performing tasks alone. Therefore, this can affect the training process in the military because of their inability to work effectively in groups. On the other hand, power distance describes the distribution of power within a society. In the societies with a high level of power distance, there is a high level of inequality in power distribution and the less powerful members of the society are aware of the unequal distribution of power. In such societies power is seen as a means of providing social order. However, societies with a low power distance associate power with corruption and discrimination. When people from these two cultures are deployed to the same troop they may have a problem responding to the military leaders because their power seems like discrimination to them. Other factors such as uncertainty avoidance and indulgence can also affect people’s action and communication with each other. Uncertainty avoidance affects a person’s ability to perform actions whose outcomes may be ambiguous. People with a high level of uncertainty avoidance characteristics are afraid to take risks and this can affect their military training (Hofstede, Hofstede, & Minkov 2010).

Various researchers have studied the differences in characteristics among people from various generations. Stefan and Yazdanifard (n.d) described some of the characteristics that make people from different generations different and the reason why these characteristics may lead to workplace conflict. Stefan and Yazdanifard’s article described the characteristic of four different generations including the traditionalists, the baby boomers, generation Y/millennium, and generation X. The biggest percentage of people making up the military include the generation Y/millennium and Generation X hence, this study will concentrate on the characteristics of these two generations. Generation X is mainly made up of people who show individualist rather than collective characteristics. The members of this generation prefer intrinsic rewards as opposed to the performance based rewards. The members of this generation have also been described as narcissists who have a relatively high self-esteem (Salahuddin, 2010). Conversely, the Generation Y/millennium members have less regard for hierarchy and workplace structures. They also have a high level of narcissist characteristics and have a self-esteem that is higher than the previous generations. The people from this generation are known to be more arrogant and have been seen to demand more from the organizations they work for. Generation Y/millennium members are also known to be very technology savvy. These people were born and raised at the period of the most rapid technology development hence this has affected their perception of technology and how they apply it in their day-to-day practices (Salahuddin, 2010).

Tolbize (2008) found that the generational differences can bring about difficulties in leadership hence causing workplace conflicts. Problems with communication and employee training have been identified as some of the main challenges to effective leadership that are caused by the generational gaps in organizations. Organizations find it hard to implement a consistent form of leadership when the members of the organization have such different characteristics. For instance, the people from Generation X like to work alone while Generation Y/millennium members prefer working in groups. This can affect coordination between them when they are supposed to work in the same group thus affecting the training or working process. This can sometimes lead to serious conflicts that completely hinder effective work within the organization (Cennamo, & Gardner, 2008).

Another challenge associated with generational gaps in the military is the negative stereotypes by people of each generation on the others. Generation Y/millennium members are people who grew up in an era when technology was developing rapidly hence it makes up a big part of their lives. Due to this reason, older generations view them as lazy, over eager, technology obsessed, and entitled among other negative characteristics. On the other hand, young people tend to view the older generations as difficult and generally hard to work with. Although such stereotypes may not entirely true, they affect the team working abilities. This tends to hinder the training process and other activities in the military.

Cultural expectations of the people from different generations also tend to be different. There are a lot of conflicts that are experienced in an organization when the members have different expectations. For instance, the older people may expect to have a better work-life balance, while the younger people are willing to work longer hours to achieve the goals of the organization. In the military, the younger corps may be willing to spend more time training while the older people need more time to perform life-related activities. Such issues lead to constant conflicts in determining the work schedule this affecting their ability to perform competently. Considering the importance of the work done by the military, it is important that the organization finds effective methods of addressing both the cultural and generational gaps, to ensure that the do not affect the work they do (Babine, 2015).

Hamacher (2011) argues that there is a difference in the leadership styles that may work when training the younger and the older officers in the military. The generation that a person is from tends to affect the way that they think about certain things (Hamacher, 2011).These differences lead to misunderstandings and tensions among the diverse officers which in turn affect the way they achieve their mission while in the military. This is a great challenge in the military because the sole purpose of the organization is to protect the people. Therefore, if they are unable to work out their differences, this may pose a problem not only for the organization but also the whole country.

Sessa, Kabacoff, Deal, & Brown (2007) conducted a study that showed that different generations have different kinds of values about leadership. For instance, when it comes to handing projects, Generation Xers and Baby Boomers prefer working together while the Millennials prefer working alone. This may cause a problem when it comes to teamwork because the Millennials will have a challenge in communicating with the people from other generations (Cennamo & Gardner, 2008).

Another challenge is the mode of communication that the people from different generations prefer using. Millennial generation members were born in the period of the advancement of technology. They have been able to experience different kinds of developments such as the internet, mobile phones, and computers among other things. Therefore, their form of communication more often than not involves the use of technologies that people from the previous generations may not be conversant with. This cause a gap in communication thus making it hard for the military leader to have a single method they can use to communicate effectively to all the trainees. Such cultural differences make it hard for the organizations to have a single method of leadership that can effectively appeal to all the people (Hofstede et al., 2010). However, there are some strategies that can be applied to manage the cultural differences caused by the generational gaps in the military.

Another challenge that is experienced by leaders managing diverse groups is resistance. In order to have positive leadership in a diverse environment, there must be a lot of changes implemented in an organization so that a unanimous culture can be created. In some cases, the members of the different cultural groups may be resistant to the change because they are used to their way of handling this. This resistance may slow down organizational processes. In the military, where training periods are very definite, this may be a great problem for the organization as a whole (Hofstede et al., 2010).

Another challenge that may affect leadership in a diverse organization such as the military is disorganization. Developing an organized approach to leadership that is acceptable by members of each of the cultural groups may be difficult for many leaders. When there is no organized plan of leadership, there may be a lot of disorganization in that people handle things in the manner they see fit and in accordance with their own cultural norms. Therefore, leaders who manage diverse groups have to make an extra effort in learning about each of the groups to ensure that the leadership model that is developed is easy to adapt to.

There are certain strategies that can be implemented to reduce the challenges that are brought about by generational and cultural differences in an organization. First, a leader must make sure that they are aware of the differences between people of various cultures and age groups. As explained in the previous sections people from different groups have different preferences such as in the leadership style, communication model, and group working activities among other things. Before beginning the military training or any other activity that requires coordination between members from diverse groups, it is advisable that the leader ensures that every person is on the same page. It is important to communicate the group’s objective and the techniques that will be used to achieve the common objectives regardless of the differences in their preferences. This will help each person to know what to expect throughout their time in the military and not feel left out when leadership techniques that they are not familiar to are used. It is also advisable that the military leader trains the corps based on facts rather than their own judgment. The leaders belong to a cultural group and a certain generation. Therefore, it may be tempting for them to use the leadership style that is based on their own cultural and generational norms. To avoid this, it is important that they study all groups and find a consensus on the most favorable leadership model. It is also important to avoid piling on criticism of the people from a group that they do not belong to. People from different cultures are bound to do things differently from time to time as that is their norm. Piling on criticism will make them feel like they are being discriminated or other groups are being favored. Inviting response will help to deal with such problems. Open communication can help the military trainees to always be ready to talk about the conflicts they are experiencing and the areas they think should be changed. Lastly, it is important to identify various reactions to conflict. People with different cultural backgrounds may not respond in the same way when they experience conflicts. The leaders must be keen on all the response styles so that conflicts can be dealt with as soon as it is possible (Abbe, Gulick and Herman 2007).

Reyes (2006) wrote a report offering some suggestions that could be applied in the American military to reduce different forms of cultural differences that have been proven to be a challenge for the organization. One of the suggestions that were offered on this report was the implementation of representative leadership. This is the kind of leadership where a person from each of the diverse groups that make up the organization can be appointed as a leader (Delcampo, Haggerty, Hanley, & Knipple 2011). This strategy helps to make sure that the leaders can represent their groups to make sure that the concerns and manners of leadership of each of the groups is represented in the leadership. Therefore, this helps to reduce misunderstandings and conflicts.

Another way in which the generational problems in the military can be solved is through the encouragement of breaking traditions. Most of the problems that are caused by generational gaps are as a result of the traditions of the periods in which the different people were raised. It is important that the military leaders encourage the people to try out new things when they are suggested even though it is not in line with their norms. This will help to make coordination between the people from various generations easier so that they can make leadership easier for the senior officers (Hamacher, 2011).

The military can also reduce cultural conflicts by encouraging integration among the members. Regardless of their cultural backgrounds, all army members should be able to feel like they are in the same team. Team building activities are important in helping people to develop a unanimous culture that helps them to feel like they are in the same team rather than different teams brought together. People in the military should be able to identify as just members of the army and not with a connection to their individual cultures. However, this does not imply that they should be encouraged to forget about their individual cultures. The military is also encouraged to celebrate all the cultures that make up the organization because this helps the corps to feel appreciated hence improving the quality of their service.

Management of finance also affects how the Pennsylvania Army National Guard carries out its diversity training initiative. In connection to that, Moore (2012) maintains that diversity programs are heavily reliant on the availability of finance and other resources. In a comprehensive discussion of women in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Moore (2012) argues that the Pennsylvania Army National Guard has been assigning women the role of serving in combat service support units from the onset of the Second World War. For these units to continue, the Pennsylvania Army National Guard must offer supports that come in the form of finance, transportation, and medical assistance. On top of that, Moore (2012) observes that management must set priorities on where to allocate funds in order to ensure that diversity training programs continue. Measures such as introducing policies that remove barriers that deter women and other marginalized groups from entering the Pennsylvania Army National Guard help planners to allocate funds into diversity programs. For instance, Moore (2012) lauds the steps taken by congress to repeal the naval exclusion law in order to accommodate more marginalized groups such as women in the military.

Philips and Sherman (2015) stress on the importance of finance in supporting strategic decision-making processes that are related to diversity training in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. These researchers state that since the onset of humanity, financial power has often played a strategic role in expanding military might through multicultural diversity. In that respect, territorial expansions within and beyond Europe was mainly catapulted by the scissors effect that raised the military expenses and stagnant or dwindling cash revenues allocated on all the larger regimes such as European and non-European. In the United States, the imperatives of military finance has driven states to strengthen internal controls and to focus on including diverse groups of people from external conquest. In the modern world, such forces presently operate within a globalized reach and they are reinforced through means of deployment of people, knowledge, and control over physical resources. Financial capabilities are at the heart of military competition for ideas and innovation. Therefore, an organization that welcomes diversity is ready to allocate a lot of money for recruiting different groups of people, from diverse cultures, genders, religious, and nationalism into its workforce. This enables it to generate innovative ideas that are supportive of growth and military might.

1. What is the relationship between diverse culture, and multi-generational differences and your ability to trust, communicate, and make decisions regarding succession planning?

2. How should multi-generational and diverse culture conflicts and resistance to change within a military unit between Baby Boomers and successive generations be addressed?

The researcher will use a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology, commonly referred to as a mixed method for this research to exploring the effectiveness of leadership within the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and the potential impact of such leadership has on communication and training of the multi-generational and diverse culture groups. Qualitative and quantitative data has limitations and strengths; however, the combination of both data sources will provide a better understanding of the research problem (Creswell, 2014, p. 215). Using qualitative analysis, the research can describe how much each generation’s attitudes, work ethics, and values exist (Bansal & Corley, 2012). However, to determine the effectiveness of leadership within the PAARNG the researcher implemented a dual approach, using two distinct methods: a quantitative data research method followed by a qualitative data research method from participant interviews. Case study research entails a detailed and thorough study of a single unit for comprehending a more extensive class of similar units. A single case study can act as the foundation of important explanations. Mixed method research is most appropriate since the research will seek to answer a question by methodically using a distinct set of actions through a literature review, data collection, survey, and obtaining information through interviews of the opinions and perceptions about their experience of a specific population (Creswell, 2014; Mack, Woodsong, MacQueen, Guest, & Namey, 2005). Lastly this method is appropriate for the research since it also allows the researcher to inquire how and why from the participants. Collecting data on generational differences in the military, potential conflicts, and the consequential challenges for the military leaders are part of the study. On the other hand, a quantitative analysis will be done with the help of data collected from a Likert scale to examine the extent of the perceptions of the impact of culture and age differences on leadership in the military. The Likert Scale distinguishes between four different levels of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio), which in turn extent of impact the variables being examined have on the leadership in the military (Stevens, 1946).

Study Population and Sampling Procedure

The population of this research will comprise of military Officers, Non-Commission Officers, and Enlisted Soldiers of different culture and age groups. According to Yilmaz (2013), purposive sampling in qualitative research plays a significant role when it comes to the selection of unique condition or specific individuals for a research. Researchers that utilize this concept produce valuable information and a detailed comprehension of the phenomenon in question. Purposive sampling is most suitable when the researcher is interested in a group of individuals with specific characteristics.

Using data collection, analysis, survey, and face-to-face semi-structured interviews will allow the researcher to collect information about real life experiences of the military leaders and their subordinates in the work setting. A secondary source of material is also crucial for this research as it provides the researcher with additional information that adds credibility and strength to the findings. The secondary source of material should include the current human resource strategies used in the military and other civilian organizations as well as the standard operating procedures that the military leaders use in the management of multigenerational workforces. This additional source of material will come a long way in assisting with the comprehension of the phenomenon. The interviews carried out in this stage should be exhaustive and ensure that the researcher reaches the targeted data (Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2008).

Most of the qualitative design methodologies include a specific protocol that involves data representation and collection (Nolen & Talbert, 2011). In this qualitative research, the semi-structured interview will be the primary data collection instrument. The interview protocol acted as a consistent guide to all the interviews in the research. Typically, data collection, analysis, and face-to-face interactions are the most appropriate when carrying out qualitative interviews since they provide a connection with the targeted participant. The data collection procedures should not be routine and the experienced interviewers ought to take advantage of unexpected opportunities during the interaction and engage the participant with other questions or concerns. However, it is prudent for the interviewer to note that he or she should not influence the discussion and make it biased (Marshall, Cardon, Poddar, & Fontenot, 2013). The semi-structured interviews should allow negative, positive, and mixed reactions from the participant. In addition, the participants should clarify the questions during the interview process in order to allow them to give credible responses. When utilizing interviews as a source of data collection, standardization of the process is essential as it develops consistency and it is applicable to the interviewee’s linguistic, cultural and educational levels (Fassinger& Morrow). The use of interview protocol makes sure that all the investigative areas are covered.

For a researcher to conduct a successful interview, he or she must choose the most appropriate approach and carefully plan for all the factors involved in the process (Doody & Noonan, 2013). The data collection approaches become an issue when large amounts of data result in assorted information. Studies show that researchers who rely only on interviews as their source of information run the risk of obtaining inadequate and biased outcomes. To validate this study and eliminate every form of biases, the interviewer should be aware of all the potential biases and set them aside in order to allow him or her to view the studied phenomenon from a fresh or neutral perspective. Yu (2014) argues that when a researcher approaches a study in this manner, his or her academic rigor is bound to increase throughout the research project. The interviews, in this case, will take approximately 30 minutes to ensure that the researcher covers all questions and concerns related to the interview. Participants for this process should be those that experience or have experienced the phenomena in question. The interviews should take place in a venue suitable and chosen by the participant. One of the main disadvantages of this data collection technique is that it is expensive, time-consuming, and is prone to biases. Interviews can also be intrusive towards the participants and therefore, force them to give out false information (Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2008). The total number of Senior Military Leadership personal expected to participate in the qualitative research face to face interview is five to ten 5 to 10, and the total number of Enlisted Soldiers expected to participate in the quantitative research survey is fifty to seventy five 50 to 75 (Google, n.d.).

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Interview Questions for the Military Leaders

1. What is your age?

1. 17 to 36 years

2. 37 to 52 years

3. Age 53 or older

1. What Is Your Ethnicity?

1. African American

2. Asian

3. Hispanic

4. Pacific Islander

5. White

6. West African

7. Jamaican

1. What is your Gender?

1. Male

2. Female

1. How long have you been a military leader?

1. 5 to 10 years

2. 10 to 15 years

3. 15 to 20 years

4. 20 years or more

1. What is your Rank?

1. 2ND LT

2. 1ST LT

3. CPT

4. MAJ

5. LTC

6. COL

7. CSM/SMA

8. 1SG/MSG

9. SFC

1. What are your cultural beliefs about age and gender?

2. Do you recognize some differences in cultural practices among the troops?

3. In your opinion do the cultures of the troop members affect the way they respond to your leadership? If yes how?

4. Have you encountered any dilemmas in your leadership as a result of cultural differences? If yes how?

1. Have you encountered any conflict with the troop members due to cultural differences? If yes how?

1. Do you think age gaps affect your leadership in the military?

2. How do you deal with age and cultural differences as a leader?

Appendix B

Interview Questions for the Troop Members

1. What is your Gender?

1. Female

2. Male

1. What is your age?

1. 17 to 36 years

2. 37 to 52 years

3. Age 53 or older

1. What Is Your Ethnicity?

1. African American

2. Asian

3. Hispanic

4. Pacific Islander

5. White

6. West African

7. Jamaican

1. How long have you been in military?

1. 1 to 5 years

2. 5 to 10 years

3. 10 to 20 years

4. 20 or more years

1. I trust that my unit leadership will treat me fairly.

1. 1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly Agree

1. Leaders in my unit work well together as a team.

1. 1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly Agree

1. Members are encouraged to perform to their fullest potential, regardless of their Age, Gender, or Culture.

1. 1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly Agree

1. Leaders in my unit communicate well with each other.

1. 1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly Agree

1. I trust that my unit leadership will represent my best interests.

1. 1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly Agree

1. What is your overall approval rating of the Leadership job performance?

1. Excellent

2. Good

3. Fair

4. Poor

1. The leader communicates the organization vision and strategies and helps their team to better understand how they contribute to the achievement of unit’s goals?

1. 1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly Agree?

1. What is your Rank?

1. PV1

2. PV2

3. PFC

4. SPC

5. SGT

6. SSG