Olav Kjellevold Olsen

Moral Behavior and Transformational Leadership in Norwegian Naval Cadets

This study explores the relation between indicators of moral behavior and peer ratings of leadership behavior in Norwegian naval officer cadets (N = 172). Moral reasoning (Rest, Narvaez, Bebeau, & Thoma, 1999b) and moral identity (Aquino & Reed, 2002) were used as predictor variables, and peer rating of leadership behavior (Bass & Avolio, 1995) was used as the primary outcome measure. The results indicated that postconventional moral reasoning and moral identity were positively correlated with transactional and transformational leadership behavior, and they were negatively correlated with passive–avoidant leadership behavior. A stepwise hierarchical regression analysis revealed that indicators of moral behavior explained 10% to 14% of the variance in passive–avoidant, transactional, and transformational leader behavior. Furthermore, indicators of moral behavior emerged as significant predictor variables for the transformational facets of idealized influence (17%), inspirational motivation (12%), and individualized consideration (16%). Finally, indicators of moral behavior also predicted the transactional facet of contingent reward (11%), the passive–avoidant facets of management-by-exception–passive (8%), and laissez-faire (9%). Taken together these data indicate that individual differences in moral reasoning and moral identity significantly affect leadership behavior, and may have implications for training and selection of military personnel.

Trust at first sight : Swift trust in leaders in temporary military groups

Purpose – The study seeks to illuminate factors that benefit, or do not benefit, the development of swift trust towards leaders in temporary military groups.Design/methodology/approach – The study ...

Trust in a military context: What contributes to trust in superior and subordinate leaders?

The aim was to explore which components military personnel in peacekeeping operations perceive as contributing to trust in their superior and subordinate leaders during international or national operations or exercises. Data were collected among 591 military officers and cadets from Norway and Sweden using a questionnaire with open-ended questions. Two superior categories emerged: Individual-Related Characteristics and Communication- and Relationship-Related Characteristics. The former is made up of the higher-level categories Personal attributes and Experience and competence. The latter is derived from the higher-level categories Consideration and inspiration and Effective communication. In turn, all higher-level categories are underpinned by a number of subcategories (13 altogether). When comparing trust in superior leaders with trust in subordinate leaders, the results show that trust in superiors is characterised to a greater extent by Communication- and Relationship-related characteristics and also by Experience and professional knowledge. Trust in subordinate leaders is characterised to a greater extent by Personal attributes and Management competence.

The effect of sleep deprivation on leadership behaviour in military officers: an experimental study.

While several studies show that leaders frequently lack sleep, little is known about how this influences leadership behaviour. The present study encompasses an experiment that investigated how three main types of leadership behaviour: transformational (four sub‐facets); transactional (two sub‐facets); and passive‐avoidant (two sub‐facets) leadership differed across a rested and a long‐term, partially sleep‐deprived condition. A total of 16 military naval officers participated. In both conditions, the leaders managed a team of three subordinates in a navy navigation simulator, instructed to complete a specific mission (A or B). Both sleep state (rested or sleep deprived) and mission were counterbalanced. Leadership behaviour was video recorded and subsequently rated on the three leadership behaviours. Overall, the scores on transformational leadership (and on two of four sub‐facets) and transactional leadership (on both sub‐facets) decreased from the rested to sleep‐deprived condition, whereas scores on passive‐avoidant leadership overall (and on both sub‐facets) increased from the rested to sleep‐deprived condition. This study underscores the importance of including sleep as a potentially important determinant when assessing leadership effectiveness.

On the stability of psychological hardiness: A three-year longitudinal study.

More than 30 years of research has established psychological hardiness as an important individual resiliency resource. One important question still remaining is whether psychological hardiness can be trained. The present study explored this question longitudinally within the context of a 3-year military academy training program. Cadets from 3 different Norwegian military academies (N = 293) completed hardiness questionnaires during the first week of their training, and then again at the end of each year, resulting in a total of 4 waves of data. Using hierarchical linear modeling, no statistically significant effect of time on hardiness scores was found. The nonsignificant growth parameter was examined further using Bayesian statistics as an indicator of the relative evidence for the null hypothesis of no change over time versus the alternative hypothesis of change. The resulting Bayes factor provided substantial support in our data for the null hypothesis of no hardiness development during the 3-year officer training programs.

Gaming behavior among conscripts: The role of lower psychosocial well-being factors in explaining gaming addiction

Gaming addiction is usually characterized by a loss of control and mental instability, which may be particularly problematic in the military where task performance often requires optimal physical and mental functioning. No previous studies have thus far investigated levels of gaming addiction among conscripts. The aim of the present study was to assess the levels of gaming addiction among conscripts (at the entry of service), and to investigate if indicators of lower psychosocial well-being (particularly boredom, loneliness, depression, and anxiety) can help explain the variance in gaming addiction among conscripts. Lower psychosocial well-being has previously been related to gaming addiction in the general population, and coping with negative emotions has also been identified as a major motivation for gaming. The sample consisted of 1,017 conscripts (80.3% men) with a mean age of 19.5 years (SD = 1.0). Results showed that 4.8% of the conscripts were addicted to gaming, and the addicted gamers scored significantly higher on boredom, loneliness, depression, and anxiety, compared with nonproblem gamers and nongamers. Results from hierarchical regression analyses showed that weekly time spent gaming explained most of the variance in gaming addiction (18.8%) whereas the indicators of low psychosocial well-being explained an additional 6.7% in Step 2, where depression, loneliness, and lack of external stimulation contributed significantly. Addiction is likely to have negative impact on training, operative ability, and task performance of the soldiers; hence a revision of the present selection criteria to include gaming addiction as an exclusion criterion for drafting may be warranted.

Sleep deprivation and hallucinations. A qualitative study of military personnel

ABSTRACT Much anecdotal evidence suggests that sleep deprivation not only impairs performance, but also brings about other extraordinary effects like hallucinations. However, knowledge about how sleep deprivation may trigger hallucinations is limited. To qualitatively describe hallucinatory experiences during sleep deprivation 12 male military officers from the Norwegian Armed Forces who all had experienced at least one sleep loss-induced hallucinatory experience were recruited. Data were collected and analyzed by semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. This resulted in the identification of three distinct main themes: (1) Modalities, (2) circumstances/triggers and (3) reactions to hallucinations. Hallucinations were experienced in several modalities (visual, auditory and multi-modality), although visual hallucinations seemed to dominate. Typical reported circumstances/triggers were sleep loss, physical exhaustion, time-of-day, low calorie intake, mental exhaustion and lack of external stimuli (low sensory and social input, boring situations, and monotonous activity). Negative emotions were dominant during the hallucinatory episodes. Often some reasoning and checking on behalf of the officers were necessary to differentiate between real percepts and hallucinations. In some cases the hallucinations caused erroneous actions. Retrospectively, most officers viewed their hallucinatory experiences in light of positive emotions and several emphasized having learned something from them. The results are discussed in relation to the existing literature and suggestions for future studies are outlined.

A Brief Report on a Reduced Preference for Passive-Avoidant Leadership After a Restless Night

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of fragmented sleep on followers’ leadership preferences. In a counterbalanced experimental study involving 39 followers, changes in leadership preferences were recorded after one night of fragmented sleep (awakened every 80 min during the night), compared to a rested condition with the conditions separated by seven nights. The results showed that the participants rated passive-avoidant leadership less ideal, after one night of fragmented sleep. No differences regarding preference for transactional or transformational leadership occurred. Thus, negative perceptions of leaders may partly stem from reduced sleep patterns. However, further studies are needed to confirm this finding.

Moral antecedents of authentic leadership: Do moral justice reasoning, self-importance of moral identity and psychological hardiness stimulate authentic leadership?

Abstract The aim of the present study is to explore intra-psychological moral processes as potential antecedents of authentic leadership (AL) behavior, and as such add to the scarce knowledge about underlying moral processes involved in the execution of such leadership. In a sample of Norwegian naval officer cadets (N = 139), mature principled moral reasoning, self-importance of moral identity (i.e. importance of being a moral person) and mental resilience in terms of hardiness are used as predictor variables, and peer ratings of AL was outcome measure. A step-wise hierarchical regression analysis showed that mature moral reasoning and internalized moral identity explained 17% of the variance in AL at composite level. At dimension-levels of AL, models explaining 15% of the variation in “transparency” (i.e. open about thoughts and feelings) and 16% of “internalized moral perspective” (i.e. moral integrity) emerged, with mature moral reasoning, internalized—and symbolized moral identity as significant predictors. For the AL dimensions “balanced processing” (i.e. activating critical voices) and “self-awareness”, 8 and 10% of variance was explained, respectively, with mature moral reasoning and internalized moral identity as only significant predictors. Unexpectedly, psychological hardiness was unrelated to all dimensions of AL. Thus, the study suggests that mature moral reasoning and moral motivation represent important aims for leader development among emergency leaders, and as criteria for leader selection. It also suggests that AL encompasses a genuine morals orientation, conversely to a manipulative approach.