Forming a Better Joint Team: Understanding Service Culture Impact on the Effectiveness of Senior Military Leaders.

摘要

This paper s goal is to examine service culture and determine where service friction is most likely to occur. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the possibility that a senior military leader s own cultural bias, combined with a lack of understanding and appreciation of fellow sister-service culture, causes service friction that negatively influences team effectiveness, and therefore the skillful employment of the Joint Force. Cultural traits infused into the individual by the respective U.S. military departments could negatively influence interservice collaboration and coordination, joint staff interactions, command decisions, and Joint Force employment effectiveness. The thesis methodology consists of a literature review on service culture and a review of two primary historical case studies to provide operational examples. The author identifies four primary serviceculture friction points. The author recommends adjustments to joint professional military education and operational assignment processes to mitigate service culture friction in an effort to focus the joint force on better preparedness for future conflicts and stress the importance of a cohesive joint team.