Antecedents Influencing the Leadership Development of Field Grade Army Officers

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study 1) the level of leadership development of field-grade Army officers, characteristics, administrational management skills, social behavior skills, and self-development skills; 2) factors affecting the leadership development of Field Grade Army Officers; and 3) guidelines for developing the leadership of Field-Grade Army Officers. This research is a mixed-method. The quantitative research consisted of 400 samples of Field-Grade Army Officers across the country with the ranks of major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, and senior colonel, students were selected from various units across the country and were studying at the Army War College and Command and General Staff College. A stratified random sample was used to collect data using a questionnaire. The data was analyzed by structural equation modeling. For the qualitative research, data collection by in-depth interviews consisted of 16 officers from high-ranking officers (general) and field-grade officers and analyzing data with content analysis.

The results showed that 1) leadership development of field-grade Army officers Leadership, social behavior skills, characteristics, administrational management skills, and self- development skills are all at the highest level of importance. 2) Administration management skill has the greatest causal influence on the development of field grade Army officers followed by social behavior skills, self-development skills, and characteristics, respectively, and 3) The guidelines for the leadership development of field grade Army officers are chart-based, consisting of administrational management skill that has the most total influence as the driving base at the bottom. Social behavior and self-development skills in the middle and characteristics are also promoted at the top level. In addition, the leadership development of field-grade Army officers must consist of maintaining Army ideology, military professionalism, morality and, good governance. Research results are useful to other military services; Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, Royal Thai Navy, and Royal Thai Air Force as models and guidelines for effectively developing leadership of the field-grade officers.