The Value of Experience in the Enlisted Force

📖 The Scoop

Past research has placed little emphasis on how to value the experience of U.S. Army noncommissioned officers (NCOs). The authors of this report examine the relationships between the tenure, experience, and productivity of key NCO leaders and the performance of the junior soldiers they lead, with a focus on maintaining or improving leadership quality and soldier performance, as well as reducing personnel costs. The authors find that the characteristics and experience of senior leaders are related to differences in the outcomes of junior soldiers; junior personnel have lower early-term attrition in cases in which senior leaders possess key types of experience. Having a leader with the right mix of experience can potentially generate substantial savings, but more experience is not always desirable. The authors note a concern that the Army promotion process captures only a limited amount of experience, since it considers deployment experience solely when promoting to E-5 and E-6. Recommendations to improve the promotion process are also presented.

Genre: Biography & Autobiography / Military (fancy, right?)