Army civilians as leaders: we've come a long way from the drivers, craftsmen, and laborers of the Revolutionary War--but where are we now, and where are we going?

The 2006 Department of the Army Posture Statement addresses four overarching interrelated strategies one of which s "Train and Equip Soldiers and Grow Adaptive Leaders." The rationale for this strategy is that "we are preparing ... leaders to serve as multi-skilled pentathletes amidst complexity and uncertainty."

In support of this strategy, the Secretary of the Army (SA) and the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA) chartered a task force to review education, training, and assignments for leaders (RETAL) with a requirement to determine policies and programs that the Army needs in order to support development of leaders with the skills and attributes required for the twenty-first century. Within the task force three teams are addressing leader development of officers, noncommissioned officers, and civilian employees. Led by Ms. Vicky Jefferis, the comptroller (G8) for U.S. Army Forces Command the civilian team has reviewed existing programs, identified gaps and discrepancies, and developed recommendations for civilian leader development in order to reach the goal of developing multi-skilled "pentathletes" (Figure 1).

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

In 1775, Army civilians were employed as clerks, skilled tradesmen or craftsmen, physicians, teamsters, and unskilled laborers. Today, Army civilians serve in over 400 occupational fields and have significant_ responsibilities at all levels of organizations in the Institutional Army. Over 6,000 personnel have been deployed overseas in direct support of current operational missions. Currently, nearly 2,300 are deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Civilians have increasingly taken on positions of greater responsibility, accountability, and authority at installations, Army commands, Headquarters Department of the Army, and other organizations throughout the Army. For example, during the last 20 years or so, many, if not most, military division chief and key director positions at typical Army garrisons have been converted to civilian positions. Likewise, many Army major command positions at the Deputy Chief of Staff (G-staff) level formerly designated as general officer authorizations are now filled by civilian members of the Senior Executive Service. Current and projected military-to-civilian conversions will continue this trend. It is clear that, in this early part of the twenty-first century, Army civilians are being called upon to perform in many positions and to take on levels of responsibility that have traditionally been performed by military personnel. As already noted, this includes deployments to overseas theaters in direct support of warfighters in the Army's operational forces. Civilians have become the bedrock of the institutional Army. In fact, given the ongoing Army transformation, it is imperative that the Army have quality civilians in leadership positions.

The changes in roles of civilians are so great that it is time to invest in this critical asset in order to build the necessary competencies and capabilities required to meet new leadership challenges. Today's leaders must have the skills to operate in ambiguous, uncertain, and complex environments. As the roles of civilians in the institutional Army have evolved, so has the need for civilian leaders to become increasingly adaptive, innovative, and decisive. These skills must be developed in all leaders.

Leaders are not just in the top layers of the Senior Executive Service; they are embedded in organizations of all types: blue collar and white collar, garrisons and the Pentagon, and depots and headquarters. Consequently, leadership skills must be pervasive in order to meet today's challenges for our Army. While some leaders have some of these skills, they must be honed and broadened. In addition, civilians striving to be top leaders must have a broad multi-functional view of the Army and its changes and must be strategic in managing, leading, and changing large organizations.

To ensure organizational readiness for this continuous change, leaders and leaders in the making must have and reflect confidence and competence in meeting the Army's challenges. The skills necessary for our top leaders must be built over years, requiring that all individuals, regardless of where they are now, work to develop those skills and that each supervisor assists in the process.

Background for the Review

The Secretary of the Army Transition Team's (SATT) Leadership and Culture Panel conducted an assessment to determine whether the Army's current leadership and culture are aligned with the objective realities of the twenty-first century security environment and whether leadership programs are effective in developing the type of leaders, both military and civilian, that are needed to succeed in this environment. The Implementing Instructions from the SATT, issued in the summer of 2005, published the findings of four panels, including the Leadership and Culture Panel. It tasked Headquarters Department of the Army Staff to

* Align policies, programs, systems, and procedures to realize the Army Vision;

* Execute a comprehensive review of education, training, and assignments for leaders; and

* Explore the feasibility of merging Army military and civilian executive personnel systems and develop an appropriate recommendation.

The Office of the Secretary of the Army released a memo in July 2005 that provided for establishment of the RETAL Task Force, consisting of a Consulting Body; a Red Team; and Officer, NCO, and Civilian teams to answer the following question: How should the Army develop its military and civilian leaders, who will serve in both operational and institutional capacities, to become "pentathletes" needed to operate and win in this new [twenty-first century national security] environment?

Based on the task force charter, each of the three teams was required to accomplish the following tasks:

* Identify the skills and attributes of the twenty-first century pentathlete based on the SA and CSA Vision

* Analyze existing Army policies and programs to identify gaps, irrelevancies, inconsistencies, and redundancies

* Recognize the successful elements of current policies and programs being done to standard that must be sustained

* Recommend deletions, additions, and modifications to existing education, training, and assignment policies and programs to provide for the optimal developmental continuum 

* Present recommendations for approval to the SA and CSA

Civilian RETAL Team

The Civilian RETAL Team began its work in November 2005. The team set out to accomplish its mission by conducting interviews with Army leaders and action officers and industry officials; examining leader development programs within the other military services, other selected government agencies, and industry; reviewing recent studies and research on leader development; and reviewing existing Army and Department of Defense policy and guidance.

The natural starting point for the review was the findings and recommendations contained in the well-respected Army Training and Leader Development Panel Report, Civilian Study. The team reviewed the implementation status for those approved recommendations, as well as the results of bi-annual Army attitude surveys and studies by the National Academy for Public Administration, Army Research Institute, American Productivity & Quality Center, and the American Management Association. Additionally, the team reviewed numerous other documents and initiatives to determine implications for civilian leader development, including the Army Campaign Plan, 2006 Army Posture Statement, the Army Force Generation I Model, and current initiatives of the Army Training and Doctrine Command Commander's Areas of Interest.

The Civilian Team's review has been extensive, providing a great deal of information to help shape the findings and recommendations. It has also been a unique learning experience that will provide a wealth of historical data, which will serve to guide like efforts in the future.

Changes and Initiatives

As highlighted previously, changes in the roles and functions of Army civilians have been significant over the years. The protracted Global War on Terrorism, which is requiring military members to be more heavily involved in operating missions, has accelerated this change. In fact, the Army could not be successful in meeting its mission today without civilians--a far cry from the driver and clerk roles of civilians in the early days of the republic.

The Civilian Team believes that it is time for a clear identification and understanding of today's civilian roles and functions. The Army needs to define the roles, missions, and functions of the Civilian Corps in terms of today's security environment and the transformation of the military force structure. As a follow-on, the Civilian Corps would benefit from a systematic life cycle review to ensure alignment with these new definitions so that the Army obtains the best talent available and can support the development and retention of these valuable human resources.

The pentathlete model states that such a person "personifies the Warrior Ethos in all aspects...." Ethos, by definition, is the fundamental and distinctive character of a group and is typically expressed in attitudes, habits, and beliefs. The Army developed and presented its Soldier Creed as the basis of this ethos. We also have developed a Civilian Corps Creed, which is significant in setting the stage for development of a commonly accepted ethos for civilians. This creed (Figure 2) provides an ideological perspective, putting into words the core values associated with being a member of the Army's civilian workforce.

Figure 2. Army Civilian Corps Creed

Army Civilian Corps Creed

   I am an Army Civilian--
   a member of the Army Team

   I am a dedicated to the Army,
   its Soldiers and Civilians

   I will always support the mission

   I provide stability and continuity during
   war and peace

   I support and defend the Constitution
   of the United States and consider it an
   honor to serve the Nation and its Army

   I live the Army values of Loyalty, Duty,
   Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity,
   and Personal Courage

   I am an Army Civilian

The articulation of the Civilian Creed and development of the ethos are critical to guide Civilian Corps transformation. The development of the pentathlete leader--who can lead in these turbulent times--poses additional challenges. Interviews conducted by the team revealed a clear expression of the need for senior leaders to have a broader background--a need for at least a segment of the Corps to move from the functional expert of today to the multifunctional civilian leader of tomorrow. Consequently, the team has been exploring options to encourage large segments of the Civilian Corps to participate in more comprehensive programs that will develop their skills and broaden their perspectives, supporting enhancements to the current capabilities in order to be prepared for the future.

The Way Ahead

The Civilian Team now is developing its final findings and recommendations, which will be presented in a decision briefing to the SA and CSA. The team will give the Army's most senior leaders recommendations aimed at creating leader development programs and policies that yield multi-skilled leaders who possess the desired pentathlete leader attributes. In this way, the Civilian Corps will continue to serve the Army well in the future, as have its predecessors, beginning with the Revolutionary War.

William R. Ketron is serving as deputy team leader, Civilian RETAL Team at Headquarters, Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Georgia.

Linda B. Ryder is the director, Sustaining Base Leadership and Management Nonresident Program, Army Management Staff College, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Deborah Billups is a concepts and plans specialist, Army Training Support Center, Fort Eustis, Virginia,