Sustaining Future Reserves 2020 PPT
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Transcript of Sustaining Future Reserves 2020 PPT
Sustaining Future Reserves 2020:Assessing Organisational Commitment in
the ReservesStudy Co-Funded by ESRC and MoD/Army
MoD Sponsor: Army Reform Directorate General
Dr. Sergio Catignani, Strategy & Security Institute ([email protected])Dr. Victoria Basham, Department of Politics/Strategy & Security Institute
Introduction
• Core research aim• Why research the Reserves?• Research Context• Rationale• 4 key research questions• Research Approach/Methodology• Core research activities & requirements• Conclusion & Q&A
Why research the Reserves?• Army 2020 calls for greater role &
integration of Reserves.• Poor knowledge of the Reserves (no prior
major/systematic studies).• Need to provide a real, bottom-up, “reality
check” of how Reserves operate on a daily basis and manage volunteers.
• Personnel and personnel support: key.
Core Research Aim
• To examine factors that shape and influence the organisational commitment of reservists to serving in the Reserves.– Influence of family life and the pressures of
civilian employment on the decisions that reservists make about their commitment to serving and intentions to remain in Reserves.
Research Context• Growing reliance on reservists. • Deployments have increasingly been subject to
scrutiny & been discretionary in nature.• Increase in “post-military” trends (Shaw 1991).• Historically high turnover rates.• Army 2020 reforms: 19,000 to 30,000 reservists!• Possibility of profound attitudinal shift in British
society: low.
Rationale• Retention incentives & conditions of
service more likely to facilitate retention.– Necessary due to costs of personnel turnover.
• Focus on family support.– British case study has not been researched.
• Need for research that examines how reservists balance the competing roles & demands of “greedy institutions” (Coser 1974).
Balancing Roles & Commitments
Employment
Family
Reserves
4 Key Research Questions
1. To what extent reservists perceive family- and employer-friendly policies and practices as a source of support
in balancing competing role commitments and demands?
2. To what extent do reservists’ perceptions of family- and
employer-friendly policies influence their organisational commitment?
3. What roles do the families and employers of reservists play in
supporting them to maintain their organisational commitment to the
Army?
4. How do reservists experience and negotiate the pressures of competing role commitments as these change
over time?
Organisational Commitment
Approach & Methodology• Qualitative approach:
– 3 Battalions (1 combat; 1 combat support; 1 CSS);– Longitudinal: shadow selected battalions over 3 years;– 50 interviews with reservists and 10-20 family members per
year;– Interviews with key Reserve policy-makers/policy-
implementers at Army HQ, Brig., Unit. & Sub-Unit levels.– Monitoring of official institutional policies as well as local
informal practices.• Stakeholder engagement throughout.
Requirements – Your Input• Occasional availability of core command and
support staff (e.g., 1 interview per year; Q&A over phone/email or face-2-face meetings)
• Assistance w/ periodic recruitment of Reservists:– A3 Poster & A6 Leaflets in Reg. HQ and Res. Centres;– 15 (max) minute recruitment talks during training
nights/weekends (e.g. “Part 1 Orders”); and– Emails to current & recently discharged Reservists.
• Participation is voluntary & confidential.
Conclusion & Q&A• Examine the factors that influence
organisational commitment of reservists.• Significant empirical data necessary…esp.
on “ground reality”.• Results will inform MOD and Army policy
on the Reserves as Army 2020 continues to be implemented.
• Q&A