This study strives to provide platoon commanders with a solution to improve the working lives of their sergeants. Tangibly, the main objective of the paper is to uncover a method for platoon commanders to optimally prepare their subordinate sergeants to progress into leadership roles, in which they manage professional soldiers rather than draftees. The sought after model will thus focus on each sergeant’s process of competence building. To coin such a method, semi-structured interviews with company commanders, sergeants and a single platoon leader have been carried out, in which their daily lives and working environments are examined. To quantitatively substantiate the generated findings, a questionnaire is distributed among the interviews, mapping out patterns and discrepancies among their perceptions. The paper finds a clear mismatch between the competencies that high-ranking officers of The Danish Royal Guard find necessary to lead professional solders, and the competencies that sergeants believe matter the most in this regard. As such, an opportunity to increase the effectiveness of communication and alignment within the company arises, by leveraging a mix of Shannon & Weaver’s communication model, Daniel Pink’s motivation 3.0 and leadership tools such as Forsvarets Ledelsesgrundlag & FOKUS. The platoon leader is thus enabled to actively reduce the so-called noise in the transmission of a message from company leader to sergeant, which in turn increases internal motivation via an alignment of expectations.The study concludes that, despite the abovementioned misalignment between company commanders and sergeants, the sergeants remain motivated in their daily routines. However, the platoon leader is in a position to bridge this misalignment gap, thereby further increasing the sergeants’ motivation. A platoon leader can help reconcile the perceptions of vital competencies amongst company commanders and sergeants by proactively implementing development plans. Such plans will increase inner motivation, displayed sergeants’ an eagerness to improve. To facilitate the reconciliation, platoon leaders can draw upon the common language developed throughout Forsvarets Ledelsesgrundlag and FOKUS. Doing so will effectively reduce the noise imbedded in communicated signals, thus diminishing the distortion of messages delivered across the company. The platoon leader hereby forges a clearer path of development for sergeants to transition into leading professional soldiers.
- Udvikling af sergenter i HBU
- En opgave om hvordan man som delingsfører udvikler og motiverer sergenter til at kunne indtræde i HRU
- Jonas Peter Arnholt Windum
- Jens Svensson (Supervisor)
- Forsvaret
- Den militære diplomuddannelse, Forsvaret; Den militære diplomuddannelse
- Forsvarsakademiet
- 57
- Institut for Ledelse og Organisation; Forsvarsakademiet; Hærens Officersskole
- Danish
- Thesis
- Den militære diplomuddannelse
- 2019