A qualitative study of military officers’ perceptions of the adaptions couples make to meet the military organisation’s implicit expectations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Ohlsson ◽  
Sofia Alexandra Nilsson ◽  
Gerry Larsson
Keyword(s):  
Extended Family ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Adaptive Behaviors ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
Military Officers ◽  
Military Officer ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Military ◽  
Inductive Thematic Analysis

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate military officers’ perception of the implicit expectations the organisation has for the officer’s private life and what implications it may have for gender norms at the organisation, family and individual levels. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach, using an inductive thematic analysis, was performed. The data was based on 20 interviews with military officers, including 18 men and 2 women. Findings Two main themes, with three subsequent subthemes, were identified. These themes were interpreted as being necessary for the military officer to be able to manage organisational demands. The first included the implicit expectations the organisation had for the family. The three subthemes included the officer’s acceptance of frequent travel demands, adapting private life in accordance to organisational demands and picking a partner that matches the goals of the organisation. The second identified main theme included the military officer’s descriptions of implicit expectations the organisation held for the officer’s partner. Three subthemes were identified, including the partner’s need to be independent and psychologically strong, to take the main responsibility for managing family life and to engage in emotion work with the extended family. Originality/value The findings identify important perceptions that military officers have regarding the military’s expectations for their private life and the adaptive behaviors regularly performed. These adaptive behaviors allow the military officer to be able to engage in work that sustains the organisation.

Family influence on career decisions: perceptions of Latin American CEOs

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Rita Blanco ◽  
Mariela N. Golik
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Multinational Firms ◽  
Extended Family ◽  
Career Decisions ◽  
Family Factors ◽  
Family Influence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Career Literature

PurposeThe career is a space where family and work lives amalgamate. The role of work for the individual, and the meaning of work within the culture, will determine the relevance of family. This study investigates CEOs' perception about conjugal family influence on career decisions, and it examines family factors.Design/methodology/approachThrough a qualitative study, 22 Latin American CEOs who work for multinational firms were interviewed in a semi-structured way.FindingsNot all career decisions were influenced by conjugal family. CEOs varied in the extent to which they considered their families when reflecting on their career decisions. Expatriation, joining or quitting an organization and change of area of work were found as those decisions perceived to be influenced by conjugal family. Family support, family structure and family demands and responsibilities were identified as the family factors involved. In spite of the role salience, family factors influenced some of CEOs' career decisions, in part, due to the cultural characteristics of the Latin American environment. The instrumental support of the extended family, as part of collectivist societies, was also evidenced.Practical implicationsA better understanding of the family influenced decisions and family factors involved may enhance individual career decision-making as well as organizational career management processes and public initiatives.Originality/valueThis study contributes to family and career literature, being the first one to explore the conjugal family influence upon CEOs' career decisions.

Institutional aspects of competence-based integration of retired military officers into the civilian labour market

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vidmantas Tūtlys ◽  
Jonathan Winterton ◽  
Odeta Liesionienė
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Market Integration ◽  
Military Officers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Labour Market Integration ◽  
Institutional Settings ◽  
Systemic Factors ◽  
Institutional Aspects ◽  
The Military

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight systemic factors of competence-based integration of retired military officers into the civilian labour market in terms of the perspective of the institutions and institutional settings of competence involved in the formation and deployment. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 25 retired military officers in Lithuania. Findings The main institutional problems and challenges of the competence-based labour market integration of retired military officers involve are concentrated in the fields of deployment of skills in the military service, and as well as in the adjustment of acquired skills to the requirements of the civilian labour market. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of the research is the absence of perspectives and attitudes of other stakeholders such as policy makers, employers and providers of education and training. Practical implications Research identified expectations of retired military officers concerning improvement of training and labour market integration services. Originality/value The paper is focused on the institutional aspects of competence-based labour market integration of the retired military officers from their perspective.

Militarized Ministries of Defense?

2020 ◽  
pp. 115-134
Author(s):  
Peter B. White
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Active Duty ◽  
Military Officers ◽  
Military Officer ◽  
White House ◽  
Us History ◽  
Active Duty Military ◽  
Military Background ◽  
The Military

General (Ret.) James Mattis’s tenure as secretary of defense represents a rarity in US history, in that at only one other time has the United States had a retired general in that post. This chapter places Mattis’s tenure in a comparative context. It leverages new data on comparative ministries of defense to examine patterns in the military background of ministers of defense (MoD) across a range of countries from 1964 to 2008. The analysis shows that, while not unprecedented, having a retired or active-duty military officer as MoD is relatively rare among democracies. The chapter concludes by examining the implications of another retired general or flag officer being appointed as secretary. The chapter argues that while a shift toward retired military officers as secretaries of defense would not necessarily increase the conflict propensity of the United States, it could harm the defense policymaking process. The effect would likely depend on whether a future secretary’s tenure saw the continued marginalization of civilian voices in policymaking in the Pentagon and White House.

Military reform will strengthen China -- and Xi

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Military Officers ◽  
Military Reform ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Us Military ◽  
The Us ◽  
Push Forward ◽  
Unified Command ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Military

Subject Restructuring China's military. Significance The Central Military Commission (CMC) has unveiled an ambitious blueprint to restructure the People's Liberation Army (PLA), streamline its cumbersome bureaucracy and modernise its command apparatus. The plans include the establishment of a unified command structure and the demobilisation of at least 300,000 personnel. Impacts A more efficient command-and-control system will be necessary to achieve the goal of equalling the US military by 2049. Restructuring will allow more effective use of the military to support diplomatic goals such as assertion of maritime claims. If discontent among military officers undermines Xi's authority, this would render him less able to push forward economic reforms.

Mental health of people in the military depends on social inclusion: why not for all of us?

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 201-207
Author(s):  
Sue Holttum
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Military

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss five recent papers on military people and those close to them, and to suggest how taking into account their families and sense of social inclusion is key to mental well-being. Design/methodology/approach There are four papers about military people’s adjustment when they return from a war zone, often with experience of traumatic stress. A fifth paper discusses getting soldiers back to war when they experience traumatic stress. Findings The studies on reintegration into civilian life focus mainly on the family. They suggest that involvement of the spouse or close partner in treatment may be crucial. The military person and their family are faced with forging new roles and ways of doing things. Joint treatment may best help them do this and functioning well as a family with everyone feeling they belong. The fifth paper argues for similar kinds of social support and sense of belonging, but to the military rather than the family, to support return to battle. Originality/value Few studies to date have included military people’s spouses or intimate partners. These studies either include these contacts or pay attention to the social context when considering military people returning home or experiencing traumatic stress and injuries. Attention to the social context may protect social inclusion when military people return home, or support their military role. The potential contribution of working with that context has lessons for civilian mental health services in preserving social inclusion.

The successful family reintegration of street-connected children: application of attachment and trauma theory

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Schrader-McMillan ◽  
Elsa Herrera
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Extended Family ◽  
Trauma Theory ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Reintegration ◽  
The Family ◽  
Chronic Violence

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify elements of success in the family reintegration of children with street connections who have experienced chronic violence and loss in the context of poverty. This paper outlines the application of complex trauma theory into a practice model developed by the JUCONI Foundation in Puebla, Mexico to help children and families prepare and manage reintegration. Design/methodology/approach This is a 15-month qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with families and boys at three stages: preparing for return, in the first three months of reintegration and successfully reintegrated. The study comprises interviews with frontline workers and focus group discussions with the project team. In addition, six youths who did not return to their families were interviewed. Findings The study focuses on an attachment and trauma-based approach to family reintegration of street-connected children outside parental care. The findings highlight the need for careful preparation of both child and families (including siblings/extended family) prior to reunification. Preparation needs to focus on resolving the underlying problems that have led to the child being on the street and “phased” reintegration (beginning with visits to the family) is recommended. Follow-up visits/family work by staff are usually essential to ensure that child/youth and family adjust to each other. The theoretical framework and rationale behind the use of the tools and strategies described needs to be understood, so that they are used intentionally and consistently. Research limitations/implications The study cohort involved only boys and other factors are likely to affect the reintegration of girls. The study took place in Mexico only and methods used by JUCONI need to be tested in other contexts. Practical implications The integration of children without parental care into families is an issue of critical interest, but there is currently very limited research or guidance on reintegration of children who have lived on the street, especially in low and middle income countries. The study should be of interest to practitioners interested in assessing whether safe and sustainable reintegration is possible and facilitating this. The paper may be of interest to practitioners working with children growing up without parental care who do not have “street connections”, but who have experienced chronic violence and loss. Originality/value This is the first study to describe the application of an attachment and trauma perspective to work with children who have lived on the street.

Some Cultural Aspects of the Military Profession

1965 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Kjellberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Background ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
Military Officers ◽  
Officer Corps ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Professional Groups ◽  
Social Composition ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Military

It is the purpose of this paper to consider some of the features of the military officer-corps which make for its uniqueness compared to other professional groups. In spite of the lack in Norway of any militaristic tradition, the corps appears in many ways distinct from the main body of society. To a greater extent than within other occupations, there seems to be a tendency toward uniformity among the military officers on the basis of particular ideals and values. This characteristic has often been related to the supposed social composition of the group. There has been a widely shared assumption that military officers have been recruited from a rather limited milieu, and particularly, that the group has been highly self-recruited. As far as the Norwegian Army officers are concerned, the data about their social background do not support this view. It seems relevant, therefore, to relate the singularity of the group to its educational aspects. Before entering on the main theme of this paper, however, some comment on the social composition might be appropriate.

scholarly journals Building an Accelerated Online Graduate Program for Military Officers

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Royce Ann Collins ◽  
Haijun Kang ◽  
Susan Yelich Biniecki ◽  
Judy Favor
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Program ◽  
Academic Program ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Military Officers ◽  
Military Officer ◽  
Online Curriculum ◽  
Experience Teaching ◽  
Unique Nature ◽  
Military Student ◽  
The Military

Because of the intense and unique nature of their military life, military officers face challenges that other students do not need to be concerned about when taking courses online. An institution's ability to understand these military officer students, design online programs to meet their unique learning needs, and deliver valuable online curriculum to advance their learning is instrumental to the long-term success of both the military student and the institution. Reflecting on our more than twenty years of experience teaching and mentoring military officer students, this article tells the story behind the development of an accelerated online program and shares the challenges brought along with having military officers in our online classes, including unpredictable deployment schedules, unannounced military exercises, security concerns, and military values and culture. How our faculty creatively and pedagogically addressed these challenges while still maintaining the rigor of our academic program is also discussed.

The effects of goals attainment on CEO-owner satisfaction and the role of family involvement

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-127
Author(s):  
Ondřej Machek ◽  
Jiří Hnilica
Keyword(s):  
Family Involvement ◽  
Family Business ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Goals ◽  
Growth Increase ◽  
The Family ◽  
Owner Satisfaction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how the satisfaction with economic and non-economic goals achievement is related to the overall satisfaction with the business of the CEO-owner, and whether family involvement moderates this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Based on a survey among 323 CEO-owners of family and non-family businesses operating in the Czech Republic, the authors employ the OLS hierarchical regression analysis and test the moderating effects of family involvement on the relationship between the satisfaction with different goals attainment and the overall satisfaction with the business. Findings The main finding is that family and non-family CEO-owner’s satisfaction does not differ significantly when economic goals (profit maximisation, sales growth, increase in market share or firm value) and firm-oriented non-economic goals (satisfaction of employees, corporate reputation) are being achieved; both classes of goals increase the overall satisfaction with the firm and the family involvement does not strengthen this relationship. However, when it comes to external non-economic goals related to the society or environment, there is a significant and positive moderating effect of family involvement. Originality/value The study contributes to the family business literature. First, to date, most of the studies focused on family business goals have been qualitative, thus not allowing for generalisation of findings. Second, there is a lack of evidence on the ways in which family firms integrate their financial and non-financial goals. Third, the authors contribute to the literature on the determinants of personal satisfaction with the business for CEOs, which has been the focus on a relatively scarce number of studies.

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