Towards a U.S. Army Officer Corps Strategy for Success: Employing Talent

摘要

In the Information Age, jobs are becoming more complex, requiring employees who are agile, inventive, and empathetic. Work is increasingly characterized by high levels of task interdependence, skill specificity, and uncertainty. In addition, today's enormously competitive labor market gives educated professionals the option of seeking new employment whenever a company fails to give them sufficient voice in their work. In short, the industrial era, during which 'bosses' unilaterally made employment decisions, is over. Today, the most successful enterprises unleash the talents of their workers by collaborating with them rather than dictating to them. In this more equitable environment, prospective employees and employers seek information about each other. Ideally, they will enter into mutually beneficial relationships characterized by high productivity and the initiative, innovation, and tenure born of true job satisfaction. Unfortunately, the Army's current officer employment paradigm is not talent driven. Instead, it is industrial (almost feudal) in nature, running counter to best practices. The Army unduly prioritizes 'fairness' when making assignments, has a narrowly defined pathway to senior leadership ranks, cannot see the talent it possesses, and suffers from severe principal-agent problems.