Michael D. Matthews

Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals

The importance of intellectual talent to achievement in all professional domains is well established, but less is known about other individual differences that predict success. The authors tested the importance of 1 noncognitive trait: grit. Defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, grit accounted for an average of 4% of the variance in success outcomes, including educational attainment among 2 samples of adults (N=1,545 and N=690), grade point average among Ivy League undergraduates (N=138), retention in 2 classes of United States Military Academy, West Point, cadets (N=1,218 and N=1,308), and ranking in the National Spelling Bee (N=175). Grit did not relate positively to IQ but was highly correlated with Big Five Conscientiousness. Grit nonetheless demonstrated incremental predictive validity of success measures over and beyond IQ and conscientiousness. Collectively, these findings suggest that the achievement of difficult goals entails not only talent but also the sustained and focused application of talent over time.

Comprehensive soldier fitness: building resilience in a challenging institutional context.

The Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) program is designed to increase psychological strength and positive performance and to reduce the incidence of maladaptive responses of the entire U.S. Army. Based on the principles of positive psychology, CSF is a historically unique approach to behavioral health in a large (1.1 million members) organization. There are four program elements: (a) the assessment of emotional, social, family, and spiritual fitness; (b) individualized learning modules to improve fitness in these domains; (c) formal resilience training; and (d) training of Army master resilience trainers (MRTs) to instill better thinking skills and resilience in their subordinates. In contrast to traditional approaches, CSF is proactive; rather than waiting to see who has a negative outcome following stress, it provides ways of improving resilience for all members of the Army. CSF aims to move the full spectrum of responses to trauma and adversity-ranging from stress-related disorders to ordinary resilience-toward personal growth. This program may provide a model for implementing similar interventions in other very large institutions.

The Role of Hardiness and Grit in Predicting Performance and Retention of USMA Cadets

We examined the relative effectiveness of hardiness and grit as predictors of performance and retention among first year cadets at the USMA. Based on past research and theory, we expected that both hardiness and grit would predict unique variance in performance and retention even after controlling for past performance as measured by the Whole Candidate Score. Results of regression analyses revealed that hardiness and grit predicted unique variance in first year retention, but only hardiness predicted first year performance at USMA. These findings suggest that hardiness assessment and training may prove valuable in enhancing performance and retention within military training environments.

Character Strengths and Virtues of Developing Military Leaders: An International Comparison

Positive character strengths, virtues, and values are touted in military doctrine as critical for effective leadership, yet little evidence exists describing such traits in military samples. This study compared West Point cadets (N = 103), Norwegian Naval Academy cadets (N = 141), and U.S. civilians aged 18 to 21 (N = 838) with respect to 24 character strengths. Results generally showed that the absolute scores of West Point cadets were higher than either of the other 2 groups. However, when the rank orders of character strengths were compared, the 2 military samples were more highly correlated with each other than either was with the U.S. civilian sample. The greatest strengths evident among the military samples were honesty, hope, bravery, industry, and teamwork. Implications for multiforce military operations are discussed.

Situation Awareness Requirements for Infantry Platoon Leaders.

Situation awareness (SA) is a construct closely linked to decision making and performance. Identifying SA requirements for specific jobs is a necessary first step in accurately assessing SA, developing training programs to enhance SA skills, and evaluating the impact of new technology on SA. This research identified the SA requirements for infantry small unit leaders. Six highly experienced infantry subject matter experts were given semi-structured, in-depth interviews. The resulting SA requirements hierarchy contained 7 primary goals and multiple subgoals. Situation awareness requirements are job and mission specific. The methods used here may be adapted to identify SA requirements in other domains characterized by small, cohesive teams operating in dynamic environments and as the basis for developing SA metrics in these domains.

Advancing a Research Agenda for Leadership in Dangerous Contexts

We propose that leadership is uniquely contextualized when confronting dangerous contexts such that specific causations and contingencies occur that are not present in non-dangerous contexts. Yet we know very little about how such leadership operates and what constitutes effective leadership for such dangerous contexts. To guide future research, we take a multilevel and systems approach to leadership and suggest important areas for future research of leadership in dangerous contexts at the micro-, meso-, and macrolevels.

Grit and hardiness as predictors of performance among West Point cadets.

The U.S. Military Academy has historically used an academically weighted composite of aptitude, leadership, and physical ability indices for selection of candidates and to predict their performance at the Academy. Researchers at West Point have begun to investigate the incremental contribution of a variety of less traditional nonaptitude or noncognitive factors in predicting performance. Particular focus has centered on hardiness and grit because they have been shown to predict persistence through Cadet Basic Training (CBT) and achievement in the first year at the Academy. In the current investigation, we further examined the predictive validity of grit and hardiness, and their subfacets, on retention and performance through the full 4-year West Point program with data from 1,558 cadets, comprising the West Point classes of 2009 and 2010. Results of regression analyses indicate that whereas grit interest and hardiness commitment were the sole predictors of attrition from CBT, only grit effort predicted persistence across the remaining 4 year period. College Entrance Exam Rank (CEER), a traditional measure of academic success, did not predict persistence. In terms of performance, grit interest, and hardiness control added to CEER in the prediction of 4-year academic performance. Although CEER continued to be the best predictor of military performance, grit effort and hardiness commitment were also important contributors. Finally, grit effort also added to the Athletic Activities Score and CEER in predicting physical performance. These results indicate that the noncognitive factors grit and hardiness are important predictors of success in military officer candidates. We discuss the implication of our findings for selection and prediction of performance of within military environments.

Psychological Hardiness Predicts Adaptability in Military Leaders: A Prospective Study

To perform effectively in complex mission environments, security personnel and leaders must be flexible and adaptable in responding to rapidly changing conditions. Psychological hardiness marks resilient people who maintain their health and performance despite stressful situations. The present study evaluates psychological hardiness at entry to West Point military academy as a predictor of leader performance and adaptability over time. Predictors also included Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, and a composite indicator of leader potential (Whole Candidate Score) taken from admissions records. Using the Pulakos adaptability taxonomy as a guide, adaptability performance items were taken from a survey of graduates given 3 years after graduation. Also, military leadership grades as West Point seniors provided an index of traditional military performance. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that Whole Candidate Scores predict military leader performance at West Point, but not leader adaptability after graduation. However, hardiness predicts leader performance at West Point, and also leader adaptability (self- and supervisor ratings) after graduation. SAT scores and the challenge facet of hardiness are negative predictors of leader performance at West Point. Results indicate that while the traditional measures Whole Candidate Score predicts leader performance in the stable, highly regulated environment of West Point, it does not predict leader adaptability and performance in the uncertain environment of real-world operations. In contrast, psychological hardiness (commitment and control facets) measured as academy freshmen predicts leader adaptability in officers measured 7 years later. Psychological hardiness appears to be a promising factor in promoting the development of adaptability.

The Effects of Military Affiliation, Gender, and Political Ideology on Attitudes toward the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

The United States armed-forces-and-society intersection is explored comparing attitudes toward the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan among West Point, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), and civilian undergraduates. A survey was administered in January and February 2003 to determine if military affiliation is associated with attitudes toward sending troops into Afghanistan after the war started and Iraq before sending troops. Majorities of all students supported both war efforts, though United States Military Academy at West Point and ROTC cadets are somewhat more supportive of both wars compared to civilian students. However, most differences are explained by students’ gender and political affiliation, suggesting that differences between groups result from selection effects rather than cultural differences. The authors contend a fourth wave in civil-military affairs potentially has emerged in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 through a civil-military attitude fusion complicated by a gender-politics gap.

Leadership in Military and Other Dangerous Contexts: Introduction to the Special Topic Issue

Although researchers have examined the situational demands that conventional environments place on leadership, the demands that highly dangerous environments impose on leadership have been much less explored. While investigations in such environments are extremely difficult to conduct, such research is essential if we are to understand the functioning of leadership in contexts where leadership matters most. This paper introduces six studies that accepted the difficulties of this kind of research; and examined leadership in various challenging, dangerous contexts. We discuss the contributions of the six papers in terms of three related questions (1) what precisely is leadership in dangerous environments?; (2) what does danger do to leadership?; and (3) what distinguishes effective leadership in dangerous contexts?