Military Review English Edition November December 2016 | Page 73
LEADERSHIP
states. In West African states, perception of leadership competencies demonstrated particularly high
marks for resourcefulness; however, their metrics for
the nuts-and-bolts skill of “leading employees” was
quite low.12 In southern African states, the favorable
attribute of decisiveness placed in the top half of leader attributes, whereas self-awareness placed near the
bottom.13 For U.S. leaders, knowledge of these dynamics and others is critical to crafting effective strategies
to meet partner needs. In addition to these culturally
ingrained leadership attributes, there are existing
military doctrines that cannot be easily overridden.
For the U.S. military, well-intentioned initiatives that
nonetheless run counter to doctrinal processes inculcated in our African partners can create cognitive
dissonance and challenge their ability to learn. Worse
yet, partner resentment or the frustrated abandonment of U.S. techniques could undermine the strength
of the partnership itself.
A great number of resources exist for U.S. leaders to
consult prior to engaging with African partners. One
such resource is the Africa Center for Strategic Studies
at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. The center provides a
wealth of in-depth, country- and region-specific research
to inform involved parties on the numerous institutional
and environmental issues facing leaders in the partner
country.14 The Ike Skelton Combined Arms Research
Library of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas, is a resource that combines its
archival journal material with tutorials on how to utilize
a variety of freely available military databases.15 Finally,
the African Leadership Centre at King’s College London
has extensive monographs, working papers, studies,
and podcasts devoted to the study of leadership on the
African continent.16 These resources, in concert with a
mindset oriented toward optimizing the many existing
positive African leader attributes, form the foundation of
a constructive and mutually rewarding connection.
African militaries fill a spectrum of roles and operate in a range of dynamic environments. This demands
an adaptive spirit familiar to those in the U.S. military
growing accustomed to an expanding range of missions
around the globe. Approached correctly, African and
U.S. militaries can adapt to face our respective challenges side by side. Success in these partnerships lies
not in modeling African militaries in the United States’
likeness, but in understanding, leveraging, and complementing our distinct strengths.
Notes
1. Claire Felter, “Why Does Africa Have So Many Languages?,”
Christian Science Monitor, 21 April 2015, accessed 12 September 2016, http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/Science-Notebook/2015/0421/Why-does-Africa-have-so-many-languages;
Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, “Africa,” accessed 12
September 21016, http://www.nupi.no/en/Our-research/Regions/
Africa.
2. Robert House, Mansour Javidan, Paul Hanges, and Peter
Dorfman, “Understanding Cultures and Implicit Leadership Theories
Across the Globe: An Introduction to Project Globe,” Journal of
World Business 37, no. 1 (2002): 3–10, accessed 19 August 2016,
http://www.thunderbird.edu/wwwfiles/sites/globe/pdf/jwb_globe_
intro.pdf.
3. Ibid., 9.
4. Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), “Leader Effectiveness
and Culture: The GLOBE Study,” CCL website, 2014, accessed 19
August 2016, http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/assessments/globestudy.pdf. GLOBE researchers utilize geographic areas rather than
specific countries as the primary means of organizing their research.
The two geographic areas relevant to the African continent are “The
Middle East,” which includes North Africa, and “Sub-Saharan Africa.”
5. Ibid, 7.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid., 6. The study’s authors distinguish between white and
black respondents in South Africa as a means of controlling for the
pronounced Western-European and African attitudinal split there.
MILITARY REVIEW November-December 2016
8. Ibid.
9. Henri Boré, “Cultural Awareness and Irregular Warfare:
French Army Experience in Africa,” Military Review 86, no. 4
( July-August 2006): 111, accessed 22 August 2016, http://usacac.
army.mil/CAC2/MilitaryReview/Archives/English/MilitaryReview_20060831_art016.pdf.
10. Ibid.
11. Joseph Soeters and Audrey Van Ouytsel, “The Challenge of
Diffusing Military Professionalism in Africa,” Armed Forces & Society
40, no. 2 (2014): 252–68. This is a pronounced difference, as expeditionary and territorial armies are manned, trained, and equipped
according to very different sets of needs. There is also the dual role
that African militaries often fill of military-police force, yet another
factor for Western militaries to account for when squaring their own
orientation with that of their African partners.
12. Regina Eckert and Simon Rweyongoza, “Leadership Development in Africa: A Focus on Strengths,” Center for Creative Leadership
white paper (Greensboro, NC: CCL, 2010).
13. Ibid.
14. Africa Center for Strategic Studies website, accessed
22 August 2016, http://africacenter.org/.
15. Ike Skelton Combined Arms Research Library, last modified 13 July 2016, accessed 22 August 2016, http://usacac.army.
mil/organizations/cace/carl.
16. African Leadership Centre website, accessed 22 August
2016, http://www.africanleadershipcentre.org.
71