Senior Leadership in a Changing World Order: Requisite Skills for U.S. Army One- and Two-Star Assignments

Abstract : For this report, as part of a larger effort, interviews were conducted with 48 Brigadier Generals and 26 Major Generals to identify key position performance requirements. The interviews were theory-based, exploring the correctness of Stratified Systems Theory (SST) formulations about the structure of work at senior and strategic levels. Content analysis of the tape- recorded interviews provided broad support for SST, As expected, complexity of performance requirements systematically increased with increasing position grade. However, there were some inversions, e.g., the addition of installation command responsibilities to table of evaluation unit command invariably increased position complexity profoundly. The analysis explicitly focused on cognitive skills required for successful performance. In the view of incumbents, key requirements included cognitive skills (mental mapping, problem management, planning/envisioning), dispositional skills/traits (dealing with uncertainty/ risk taking, controlling through indirect means), interpersonal skills (networking, consensus building, getting feedback, using communications technology, interfacing effectively with the external environment, and communicating cross-culturally and precisely), and resources management (personnel and materiel). Findings at the one- and two-star level were compared with earlier findings at more senior levels.