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Developing Strategic Thinking: An Analysis of Current Practices in the U.S. Army's School of Advanced Military Studies
Mundell, Zachary
Mundell, Zachary
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Abstract
Leaders in the U.S. Army have recently emphasized that there is a gap between the skills required for strategic leaders and those required to succeed at the entry (tactical) and intermediate (operational) levels of the organization. The problem is compounded by the fact that elevation to senior leadership positions only occurs following demonstrated success at the tactical and operational levels. Despite a flurry of recent interest in the subject of developing strategic thinking skills, there has been no related analysis of one of the U.S. Army’s existing courses that has a reputation for educating mid-grade officers to think strategically. The researcher utilized a qualitative, grounded theory approach to examine the curriculum and perceived effectiveness of the Advanced Military Studies Program (AMSP), a one-year resident program for mid-grade officers at the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The researcher provides a brief overview of the school’s early history and the vision of the school’s founders. The researcher then describes current operations related to selection of the students who attend the program. The researcher then discusses the school’s process for curriculum change and events that led to development of the current curriculum of AMSP. The researcher then analyzes the curriculum for themes related to strategic thinking and discusses interview data from SAMS faculty, current AMSP students, and program graduates regarding definitions of strategic thinking and perceptions of how AMSP develops students to think strategically. Finally, the researcher suggests an updated definition for strategic thinking and recommendations for further research. The findings of this study will be applicable to leader development programs in military, business, and education fields.
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2022-01-01
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University of Kansas
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Keywords
Adult education, Military studies, Human resource development, Leader development, Strategic leadership, Strategic thinking, Strategist, Strategy