Perceived Combat Readiness as Collective Efficacy: Individual- and Group-Level Analysis

In this study, we conceptualized perceived combat readiness, an important component of morale, in terms of collective efficacy beliefs and examined some of the anticipated correlates of collective efficacy beliefs as they apply to military combat units. We focused on the following variables: soldiers' experience, leader's tenure, leader's confidence in the unit, soldiers' confidence in the leader, unit discipline, and members' identification with the unit. The study was based on questionnaires given to company leaders (n = 50), staff members (n = 353), and two samples of soldiers (n = 1,197) in 50 Israel Defense Forces companies. Some support was found for all hypothesized correlates. The strongest predictor of perceived combat readiness was identification with the unit. The correlation between aggregated staff members' perceptions and aggregated soldiers' perceptions was only modest, suggesting that the two groups may employ different standards to assess the combat readiness of their units.