WASHINGTON (Oct. 8, 2014) -- A new course that explores the differences between Soldiers and Army civilians and teaches officers how they can more effectively lead and interact with civilian subordinates is now offered to majors attending the Command and General Staff College Officer Course (CGSCOC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
The elective course, called Leading Army Civilians-Truths and Myths, began as a pilot during the 2014 spring semester. Based on the high officer enrollment rate and positive feedback, the course is again open to the second winter start class.
Developed by Civilian Education System (CES) Advanced Course instructors Dr. Barry B. Leslie and Dr. Eileen U. Godinez at the Army Management Staff College, the course was the result of feedback from their civilian students.
"We heard from civilian students attending CES classes here at Leavenworth that they felt military individuals who were leading civilian organizations, or working with civilians, could become more effective leaders if they had a shared understanding of the Army civilian experience," said Leslie.
"The students didn't feel that the military members really understood their culture or where they were coming from."
The new course teaches officers regulatory differences between civilians and Soldiers -- such as, how to promote a civilian, how to discipline them, and how to properly evaluate them -- as well as how to better understand and interact with them.
UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
While the general idea of leadership is universal across most institutions -- building relationships, having vision, inspiring others -- misunderstandings between the cultures within the institution can cause problems.
Soldiers have a framework and a chain of command that they grow up with, which may be different than what civilians are used to, Leslie explained.
"To some degree the rank doesn't go away (in the civilian workforce), but to a Soldier, an order is an order. If I fall under the UCMJ (Uniformed Code of Military Justice), I salute and step out. But that's not necessarily the case for civilians because they don't fall under UCMJ, they fall under civil law.
"Soldiers leaving their framework and stepping into a different one have to adjust how they interact with Army civilians," he said.
The course explored differing values systems among individuals and how to work with people who have values that are different than yours. Understanding that colleagues can be equally committed to a task, but see things differently, allows leaders to be more effective.
"Most of the majors left with a heightened awareness of how their perceptions and values affect their understanding of Army civilian corps employees, and that they need to reflect on those perceptions so that they can better understand those that they are leading," Leslie said.
Maj. Joshua G. Mendoza, Executive Officer with the United States Army Foreign Counterintelligence Activity, 902nd Military Intelligence Group at Fort Meade, Md., took the course because he knew he would be working predominately with civilians in his assignment following CGSC.
"I'm very glad I took the course," he said, adding that he learned many nuances about the civilian corps, such as they have their own creed. "It definitely resonated and gave me good insight how the civilian workforce viewed working with the military. Most are just as dedicated to the mission, if not more."
Mendoza was so impressed with the course that he has requested AMSC present an abbreviated two-day civilian seminar at Fort Meade.
INVESTIGATING TRUTHS AND MYTHS
While exploring value systems, the course touched on some popular myths Soldiers perceive about Army civilians. For instance, a common misunderstanding about civilians is that they are "clock-watchers."
"Civilians have to watch the clock because they're paid for eight hours and anything over eight hours becomes compensatory time or accounted for in some other way," Leslie explained. "Whereas if you're in uniform, if it takes 12 hours or more to complete a task, you just execute it. The Soldiers did not have a complete understanding of the government laws regulating work hours."
This type of misunderstanding was common as the class discussed value systems, cultural differences and nuances based on government regulations, according to Leslie.
GROWING THE ARMY PROFESSION
"Plans for the Army civilian corps now, versus what the Army was doing as recently as four or five years ago, have changed. The commitment that the Army has placed on the civilian corps is different," said Kim L. Summers, Director of the Army Management Staff College.
Summers teaches a mandatory Pre-Command Course seminar for brigade commanders and brigade command sergeants major at the School for Command Preparation. Like the CGSOC, the Pre-Command course addressed how senior officers and non-commissioned officers can better relate to civilian employees.
The Force of 2025 and Beyond focuses on improving Army effectiveness and adaptability in an increasingly complex world. This includes adapting the institutional Army, or generating force, which is 60 percent civilian.
Formerly, civilians were hired to perform a specific skill set, Summers explained. The Army is now calling upon the civilian workforce to assume greater levels of responsibility throughout the service, and new Army training is in place to develop civilians into strategic leaders.
"Culture change has to happen, because the previous method we used to employ and utilize civilians is changing. The Army civilian is in the process of that cultural change and the uniform side of the house is critical to it.
"Make no mistake about the commitment that the vast majority of civilians have," Summers said. "But because there is a unique culture system in which they operate, it's imperative that in order to effectively lead Army civilians, those military leaders must understand those unique aspects. For this to be successful, it has to be a team effort."
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