Military Leadership: A Context Specific Review

Authors

Leonard Wong, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, 122 Forbes Avenue, Carlisle, PA
Paul Bliese, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, USA
Dennis McGurk, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, USA

Date of this Version

2003

Comments

Published in The Leadership Quarterly 14 (2003) 657–692.

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to review the literature on military leadership and highlight research opportunities for leadership scholars. The review uses a context specific approach and turns to a simplified version of Hunt’s (Hunt, J. G. (1991). Leadership: A new synthesis. Newbury Park, CA: Sage) extended multilevel leadership model as a template to examine the many facets of military leadership. The military leadership literature is stratified into the systems, organizational, and direct levels of leadership with an examination of studies on the critical tasks and individual capabilities required at each level. Additionally, studies on organizational culture and effectiveness at each level are addressed. The article emphasizes that the military is undergoing substantial change as it adjusts to the changing nature of war and a fluid world situation. Based on trends in the military, the review concludes with several general recommendations for future research.