Fostering Personal Initiative in Hierarchical Organizations: Experience in Military Leadership Development

The article deals with the problem of officers’ initiative and the ways of its development. The phenomenon of leadership in the officer’s activities determines his/her ability to apply knowledge and various skills dynamically when realizing his/her professional competencies. Personal initiative is regarded as a key competence in human resource management, ensuring adaptability, innovation and increased effectiveness of organisational activities in conditions of uncertainty. In this context, military organisations, as highly structured and hierarchical systems, provide a representative case study for examining the characteristics of the formation and manifestation of proactive behaviour among personnel. Whilst most studies focus on civilian organisations, this article examines the specific features of initiative development in a hierarchical environment using military officers with combat experience as a case study. The results demonstrate both the potential and the limitations of initiative development in highly hierarchical environments, in particular the influence of fear of making mistakes and the suppression of initiative by leaders. The findings have practical significance for HR professionals and organisations operating in structured environments. An important feature of leadership is the ability to take the initiative in accordance with the context and tasks which the officer and his/her team face. The personal initiative of an officer plays a key role in the development and success of his/her career and the military organization as well. The authors conducted an analysis of the officers’ views on the initiative at the level of opinions, assessments, and attitudes. The results of the analysis allow asserting the existence of many problematic issues that hinder the development of initiative among officers. The main ones are bureaucracy and hierarchy of military organizations, insufficient support and officers’ training, fear of mistakes, insufficient motivation, etc. The development of proactive officers’ culture is achieved through a systematic approach and the development of certain skills and qualities. This can be facilitated by developing officers’ reasonable self-confidence, developing their critical thinking, imagination, their sensitivity to contradictions and the ability to articulate them during professional training. Developing proactive officers requires time, effort, and support from senior management. The implementation of the proposed principles in formal and non-formal education will contribute to the development of officers who are capable of leading their subordinates effectively and solving important tasks related to the state security.