Changing minds in the Army
Subtitle: why it is so difficult and what to do about it
By: Stephen J. Gerras, Leonard Wong
Contributors: Wong, Leonard, author; Army War College (U.S.). Strategic Studies Institute; Army War College (U.S.). Press
Publisher: Strategic Studies Institute and U.S. Army War College Press
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Carlisle, PA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 33
ISBN-13: 9781584875970
Subjects: Officers; Psychology; Cognition; Reasoning (Psychology); Cognition and culture; Corporate culture; Leader development; United States. Army; United States
Description: History and organizational studies both demonstrate that changing one's mind is quite difficult, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that this change needs to occur. This monograph explains how smart, professional, and incredibly performance-oriented Army senior leaders develop frames of reference and then oftentimes cling to their outdated frames in the face of new information. It describes the influence of individual-level concepts -- personality, cognitive dissonance reduction, the hardwiring of the brain, the imprints of early career events, and senior leader intuition -- along with group level factors to explain how frames of reference are established, exercised, and rewarded. It concludes by offering recommendations to senior leaders on how to structure Army leader development systems to create leaders comfortable with changing their minds when the environment dictates.
Notes: "October 2013."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 29-33).
Table of contents: title: The problem. Nature and nurture; title: Imprinting; title: Expertise and intuition; title: How frames of reference form. Confirmation bias; title: Organizational culture; title: What to do?