Showing papers by "Swedish National Defence College published in 2006"

The Developmental Leadership Questionnaire (DLQ) : Some psychometric properties

Abstract: The development leadership model (Larsson et al., 2003), designed to introduce refinements to the transformational leadership model, has been adopted for use in the Swedish Armed Forces. The Developmental Leadership Questionnaire (DLQ) was constructed to measure important parts of the model. The main aim of the study was to evaluate some psychometric properties of the DLQ. Most analyses are based on two subsets of individuals from a sample mostly consisting of male Swedish, military officers, each of whom has rated a given leader (n = 450 and 449 respectively). A second sample consisted of Swedish military cadets (n = 141). The dimensionality was assessed with a confirmatory factor analysis. Most DLQ scales were reasonably well reproduced and showed high or acceptable internal consistency. When related to perceived results of leadership (self-rated by leaders and rated by subordinates), results from multiple regression analyses supported what could be predicted by the theoretical model. It was concluded that the DLQ has acceptable psychometric properties and that the theoretical refinements introduced to the developmental leadership model were empirically supported.

Solidarity or Sovereignty? EU Cooperation in Civil Protection

Abstract: Civil protection is one of the more established European competences within the emerging protection policy space. It is also emblematic of an enduring tension within European politics. European Union states acknowledge the need to work closely to address pressing common issues. Yet those same states retain a tight grip on EU policy activities so as to protect their national sovereignty. That tension is apparent in the adopted ‘solidarity declaration’ from 2004, in which member states vow to assist one another in a disaster, and in the development of the EU’s civil protection competences, where member states have carefully controlled their delegation of powers. This article explores how this tension manifests itself ‘on the ground’, in the actual operation of civil protection missions. Two cases are analysed — the 2002 floods in Central Europe and the 2004 Asian tsunami — in order to understand how member states acted collectively through EU structures and with what effect on the EU’s disaster res...

Protecting the Union: Analysing an Emerging Policy Space

Abstract: Recent organizational, institutional and policy developments signal a new type of co–operative policy activity at the European level and suggest the emergence of a new policy space in the European Union. What binds together the activities in that space is a common concern for the protection of the EU citizen. This new policy space crosses sectoral boundaries, draws in a number of governmental and societal actors, and comprises a variety of institutional venues. Moreover, its dimensions span the internal and external divide in EU policies. This article serves as an introduction to a special issue on the topic of the EU’s emerging protection policy space. It first discusses the empirical parameters of this emerging space, before outlining a set of research questions and surveying the theoretical landscape for addressing these questions. It concludes by introducing the articles that comprise the special issue.

A Norwegian adaptation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire: factor structure, reliability, validity and norms.

Abstract: A Norwegian version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) was administered to 304 undergraduate students together with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (MOCI). The PSWQ was also administered to a community sample comprising 879 subjects, together with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI II) and the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI). Structural equation modeling showed that a three-factor solution of the PSWQ gave the best goodness of fit. The Norwegian version of the PSWQ demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in terms of reliability and validity in both samples. Females scored higher than males on PSWQ.

Leadership in complex, stressful rescue operations : a qualitative study

Abstract: Purpose – To develop a theoretical understanding of leadership in stressful, complex rescue operations.Design/methodology/approach – A grounded theory approach was used. Twenty rescue operation com ...

Leader development in natural context : A grounded theory approach to discovering how military leaders grow

Abstract: Despite an increasing number of programs that aim to develop or educate leaders, the underlying processes involved in leader development or growth are not well understood. This study was undertaken to discover what factors or processes are involved in leader development for junior military officers, from their own perspective and in the natural context of their career and life experiences. Military officers (N = 51) from 5 different countries were interviewed using a standardized approach, and interview transcripts were analyzed according to the constant comparative method of grounded theory, as elaborated by Glaser and Strauss (1967). Consistently across the 5 countries, the core of the process model of leader development is the social interaction between the young officer and his or her significant others (soldiers, peers, and superiors). In the favorable case, officers end this process feeling secure, being able to flexibly adapt their overt behavior on an underdistanced–overdistanced continuum according to situational demands, and have a firm professional identity.

The SARS crisis: Was anybody responsible?

Abstract: As scholars in fields such as media studies, crisis studies and public policy studies have argued, there exists a fundamental link between crises and the media. Once an event has been interpreted as a crisis, questions of accountability inevitably appear on the media agenda, and the struggle to attribute blame and responsibility to a specific entity or entities—the blame game—thus becomes an inexorable part of the crisis process. Focusing on three liberal Western newspapers with an international, primarily Western elite readership and a reputation for in-depth analysis of global events, The Economist, the Financial Times and the International Herald Tribune, this article employs Iyengar's and Valkenburg's notions of responsibility frames to examine whether initial coverage of the 2003 SARS crisis in these accounts held any particular entity accountable for the crisis, looks at three key themes used to communicate to the reader a particular way of thinking about responsibility for SARS and examines some of the consequences of the kind of responsibility frame constructed around the SARS crisis in these accounts. As our findings show, there is an entity that the early news accounts studied consistently held responsible for the 2003 SARS crisis, the Chinese system, and the corresponding responsibility frame at operation in these accounts is thematic rather than episodic in nature, since it consistently places the SARS crisis within a broader context (a product of “China” itself and/or of societal-governmental forces in China) rather than in relation to a specific episode or as the result of the particular actions of individuals. The SARS crisis narrative therefore presented in these accounts tells the story of an anachronistic Chinese system faced with a contemporary health threat that, by its very nature, it is incapable of assessing accurately or managing responsibly. By way of conclusion, we argue that, while the use of such a thematic frame to explain China's role in the 2003 SARS crisis may be accurate in certain respects, this frame falls short in other respects and proves particularly inadequate to the challenge of capturing the economic complexities of China's role during the crisis.

New Security Challenges and the Need for New Forms of EU Cooperation: The Solidarity Declaration against Terrorism and the Open Method of Coordination

Abstract: The new transnational security threats, such as terrorism, challenge tradi- tional methods of European Union cooperation. In the era of threats to inter-state peace the Union engendered security through 'passive' integration in the form of the abolition of European borders. Today the EU is increasingly given the responsibility for creating security and safety, both externally and internally, by the means of 'active' security instruments such as the European Security and Defence Policy and the Solidarity Declaration of 2004. The challenge is that these policies and principles require a vision beyond that of a free market, common threat perceptions and effective coordination of the crisis management capacity of EU member states. This article argues that the practical needs following this qualitative step, such as the strategic engagement of new security actors and levels of EU governance on a long term basis, are very similar to the ones that the Open Method of Coordination has attempted to resolve in EU cooperation in the field of welfare policies. It suggests that this method should be used also to strengthen the Union security policy and crisis management capacity.

The European Union’s Emerging Protection Space: Next Steps for Research and Practice

Abstract: The European Union is making explicit moves towards protecting European citizens from threats. Those threats are no longer just military in nature, nor do they stem from well–defined sources. Today’s threat environment includes terrorist networks, new pathogens, critical infrastructure breakdowns, extreme weather and illegal immigration, to name only a few. Just as importantly, those threats cross sectors and countries without difficulty. The EU’s role in helping to combat those threats — and protecting European citizens from harm — is clear and growing. This concluding article of the special issue discusses the implications of this new policy space for theory and practice and highlights several areas in which future research can further enlighten understanding of European cooperation in this critical area.

Changing Transatlantic Security Relations : Do the U.S, the EU and Russia Form a New Strategic Triangle?

Abstract: 1. The New Strategic Triangle: Defining Actorness and Changing Interrelations 2. The Impact of Enlargement on EU Actorness: Enhanced Capacity, Weakened Cohesiveness? 3. Strategic Coercion: A Tool for the EU or for the Middle Powers? 4. Poland and the Czech Republic: New Members Torn between the EU and NATO 5. The Building of a Defence Capacity in the European Union: Internal and External Implications 6. NATO Expansion: Implications for Russian Policy toward Ukraine and Belarus 7. The Alien and the Traditional: 'Normative Power Europe Facing a Transforming Russia 8. On Terrorists, The Greater Middle East, and GMOs: the Future of the US Security Relationship with EU 9. From Retaliation to Defence Dominance: The Changing Relationship between the US and Russia in Strategic Arms 10. The New Strategic Triangle: What Significance for US Grand Strategy? 11. An Agenda for Research into the New Strategic Triangle: Tentative answers and New Questions

The Scandinavian Triangle: Danish-Norwegian-Swedish military intelligence cooperation and Swedish security policy during the first part of the Cold War

Abstract: This article deals with Scandinavian intelligence cooperation and its significance for Swedish security policy during the first part of the Cold War. First, the development of the cooperation is described. Second, it is related to a wider context. Third, intelligence in Swedish security policy-making is discussed. Common security interests caused the cooperation. For Sweden, it represented an important part of the wider contacts with the West. Although military intelligence was important for Swedish security policy-making in some respects (e.g. military readiness), it did not have a significant influence in others (e.g. the politicians' threat perceptions). One important reason is the Swedish tradition of weak connections between the political and military leadership.

Recalling Chernobyl : reflections among Swedish farmers

Abstract: Interpretations of past disaster experiences are likely to influence reactions to future threat situations. This study examines recollections and interpretations of a diffuse threat situation among farmers in areas of Sweden affected to differing degrees by radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl accident in 1986. 20 farmers were interviewed and the data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. The analysis resulted in a model in which personal reflections emerged as a filtering link between recollections of the past event and anticipations about the future. Differences in recollections, reflections and anticipated behaviors could be related to differing experiences among the farmers. The main category of reflections exemplified ways in which memories from Chernobyl were reassessed and evaluated in a sensemaking process. On the basis of these reflections, two differing patterns of anticipated future behavior could be identified: the first being passive and reactive in response to the actions of authorities; the second active and relying mainly on personal judgments and decisions.

Implementation of Developmental leadership in the Swedish Armed Forces.

Abstract: The impact of behavioral research on military systems design is often limited. Typically, military, technical, economic, and political systems designers are more influential. The implementation of a new leadership model-developmental leadership-in the Swedish Armed Forces may constitute an exception. The aim of this article is to describe and evaluate the implementation process and its effects. The new leadership model is now well on the way to full-scale implementation. The conclusion is that an interplay between structural aspects (limited organization size and the formal authority of the supreme commander) and behavioral and attitudinal aspects (internal and external change agents) contributed to this outcome.

Good sensemaking is more important than information quality for the quality of plans

Abstract: Good sensemaking is assumed to be central to military command. So is high quality information. This paper presents an experimental study investigating the effect of amount of information on the quality of the produced plans. It was also tested if plan quality could be predicted from the quality of the sensemaking process. Army captains served as participants. The task was to produce a part of a brigade order within six hours. The participants worked in 16 teams of 5-7 individuals, with one team member acting as brigade commander. Eight of the teams received full information about the location of all enemy units (as would be the case in a fully developed network enabled defense), while the remaining eight teams received the amount of enemy information that might normally be expected. The characteristics of each team’s sensemaking process were assessed from video recordings of their planning sessions. The quality of their plans was judged by military experts. The quality of the sensemaking process predicted the quality of the plans well, but plan quality was unaffected by the amount of enemy information. Apparently, good sensemaking is more important to military command than high quality information.

Protection of Personnel in Peace Operations 1

Abstract: Email: marketing@brill.com The 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel (Safety Convention) was the first multilateral convention to deal specifically with the protection of personnel engaged in peace operations. It should be viewed against the background of the increasingly volatile environments in which peace operation personnel were required to operate at the beginning of the 1990s. An Optional Protocol, extending the automatic application of the Safety Convention to new categories of operation, was adopted in December 2005. Protection, which a host government is responsible for securing for personnel in peace operations, may be categorised as general and special protection. The former includes, for example, human rights law and international humanitarian law. The latter comprises privileges and immunities accorded to agents of states or organisations. The contribution of the Safety Convention is mainly one of interstate penal law cooperation. States parties are obligated to co-operate in order to effectively prosecute the perpetrators of stipulated crimes. The protection afforded by the Safety Convention may therefore be categorised as being part of an emerging legal regime against impunity. An effective protection needs to address the specific challenges surrounding peace operations. Some of these challenges, identified in this study, are related to the interplay between the rules of peace and war as well as responsibility and accountability of protected personnel. It is also contended that there is a need for an effective implementation of existing rules, and a careful development of so-called status-of-forces agreements applicable in peace operations.

What is the use of basic dynamic tasks

Abstract: The various purposes for which a dynamic tasks might be constructed, such as to test for knowledge, teach, or to assist professionals or the lay public in understanding the systems they are dealing with (or part of), are discussed. The idea analysis method is suggested as a means to fit a task to its purpose. Idea analysis entails analysing the task in terms of what basic ideas need to be familiar if one is to be able solve the task. It is just as important to know what knowledge a task does not require as to know what it does require, and if the requirements corresponds to the goal(s) motivating the construction of the task. To provide an example, the Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) task, a close analogue to the one-stock reindeer management task by Moxnes, is analysed, and several issues of general importance are revealed.