Determining Effective Leadership Behaviors for USAF Company Grade Officers

Leaders need to emphasize different behaviors as they advance through increasing levels of responsibility (Jacobs and Jaques, 1985). This same thesis can be applied to Air Force officers--different behaviors are needed as an officer progresses from company grade to field grade to general officer (Yukl and Van Fleet, 1986). The purpose of this investigation is to determine the critical leadership behaviors required by junior officers at the direct level of responsibility in the USAF, and to determine differences in effective behaviors across major career tracks. A sample of 647 Squadron Officer School captains, who were between their fourth and seventh years of commissioned service, were administered Yukl's Managerial Practices Survey (MPS). The modified MPS asked each subject to rate the importance of 11 managerial behaviors in relation to their current job. The behaviors included informing, consulting and delegating, planning and organizing, problem solving, clarifying roles and objectives, monitoring operations, motivating, recognizing and rewarding, supporting and mentoring, managing conflict and team building, and networking. The three most important behaviors identified were informing (M=4.4), problem solving (M=4.2), and planning and organizing (M=4.1). Least important was networking (M=3.4). Significant differences were also found between operations and support personnel. With these behaviors identified, senior officers should be better able to mentor and develop junior officers, and professional military education can be tailored to focus on those critical behaviors for effective leadership.