Future force : a single case study of military culture, leadership, retention, and willingness to accept change.

The inability to effectively implement strategic plans during organizational change posed a challenge for an Air National Guard base in the Southeastern United States. The challenges included minimizing attrition and maintaining employee resilience. Areas of concern included a lack of trust in leadership, marginal team cohesion, poor job satisfaction, unsatisfactory organizational processes, and insufficient communication between ranks. The purpose of this single-case qualitative research study is to understand the current culture among Air National Guard (ANG) employees and their level of willingness to accept change when faced with impending organizational shifts.

I conducted this single case study to understand the current level of willingness to change among employees within the military culture on an Air National Guard base when faced with change initiation. I also wanted to know the barriers that exist to prevent positive interaction in the effective implementation of organizational change. Additionally, I researched the best leadership styles for leading organizational change with minimal risk of attrition to the current workforce. Using the field observations, questionnaire, semi-structured interviews with 10 participants, and retention record data from an exit survey response report, the study employed coding techniques to analyze data and identify themes.

Key findings indicated a generally positive willingness to change among ANG employees, influenced by the organization’s culture and leadership practices. Barriers to change included communication, hierarchical structures, inertia, and resource limitations. An effective multifaceted leadership style was essential for managing change. Emerging themes revealed the importance of leadership behaviors, organizational structures, and leader attributes. Implications and recommendations are improved communication across organizational structures, supplemental training, and support for airmen during change processes. This research benefits airmen, organizational leadership, senior leaders and executives, as well as academic communities for organizational change. The study contributes to the existing literature on change management, leadership, and employee engagement, emphasizing ongoing research and collaboration for advancing knowledge in the field of organizational change.