Scholarly record

MILITARY LEADERS? COMMUNICATION SKILLS DEVELOPMENT THROUGH CONCEPTS OF CONNECTIVE LEADERSHIP

Ivana Mrozkova, I. Nekvapilova

Abstract

At present, in institutions and organizations, we can see increasing demands on the ability to cooperate and link the individual components of these organizations more closely, which requires leaders to use new leadership strategies. Even traditional complex hierarchical organizations such as the army and the police must adopt new leadership and management practices in the times of rapid technology and social change, and introduce procedures that focus on sharing power and promoting co-operation. One such strategy is the use of "connective leadership" concept, based on behavioral achieving styles identification both in organizations and individuals. The aim of the article is to inform about the possibilities of using the connective leadership method for leadership development of the Army of the Czech Republic (ACR) and for enhancing leaders´ communication competence. The connective leadership method has not been used in the Czech military context so far. The basic method for obtaining information on leadership and communication styles was an experiment with a target group of career education course participants, which represents the level of middle management of the Czech Army. The main method was supplemented by a questionnaire method of interviewing participants. The questionnaire survey revealed that the participants would welcome the introduction of such a method, they found it beneficial for the development of their leadership skills. The positive result of the experiment and the survey is the implementation of connective leadership method in the career training program for ACR officers and the possibility of creating recommended communication strategies for leadership while using identified behavioral strategies.

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