Numerous societal change processes such as globalization, professionalization and social and technical acceleration have challenged military organizations. The aims of this study were to (1) gain a deeper understanding of coping strategies used by the military leaders at the strategic level to manage everyday organizational demands and (2) relate these strategies to multidisciplinary models of organizational challenges. Owing to an insufficiently developed base of research, an inductive approach was used. Interviews were performed with 23 Swedish brigadier generals and colonels. Five coping strategies were found for handling the negative organizational aspects: repair work, catching up, reproducing, using formal and informal strategies and managing loyalties. The theoretical concepts of narcissistic, anorectic and greedy organizations were used as a framework when interpreting the inductively generated coping strategies. It was suggested that the specific connection found between individual-level coping strategies and theoretically framed organizational challenges is new. The results of this study are discussed theoretically and may be valuable in educational settings when evaluating the working conditions and performance of high-level officers.

Purpose

The study aims to gain a deeper understanding of what leadership skills are important for leaders in gaining adaptability in a hierarchical organization along with antecedent factors that influence the potential development of these skill sets.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative study was conducted by interviewing fifteen high-level military officers (Brigadiers and Colonels). Data were analyzed according to the grounded theory method and a theoretical model was generated.

Findings

A core variable was identified in the data analysis, the leader's use of organizational smooth power, using structural, emotional and relational smoothness, to gain organizational adaptability. The leader's professional background, experience and the organizational environment characteristics respectively interact as antecedent variables shaping the leader's contextual appraisal in order to implement smooth power. Further research suggestions are pointed out and practical and ethical implications are included.

Research limitations/implications

The study was completed in a specific context, a higher-level military staff, which makes it context specific. We hypothesize that similar behaviors may be found in other organizations but further research should be conducted to test this. The sample size is relatively small due to the chosen qualitative research method.

Practical implications

Practical considerations should be given to ethical and moral reflection within leadership training for ongoing use in leadership praxis, such as implementation and ongoing reflection of ethical leadership (Treviño et al., 2000; Treviño et al., 2003). Other practical impacts of this research may be for selection and retention efforts of high-level military staff workers. The model may also be useful for education purposes in order to increase awareness and abilities of smooth power concepts in an attempt to increase adaptability in military leadership. It may increase their awareness of skills rendered as necessary for collaborative efforts in multinational staff environments.

Originality/value

The research contribution is the detailed descriptions of the ways high-level leaders use organizational smooth power in order gain organizational adaptability.

Social effectiness, including political skills, reflect individuals' ways of handling interpersonal processes at work. Most research has used a variable-oriented approach to investigate associations between political skills and key organizational factors, including performance, in civil settings. Thus, little is known of whether political skills transfer to a military context and whether there are specific profiles of political skills. Combining variable-oriented and person-oriented approaches, this study used self-reports from two samples of military student officers to 1) investigate measurement properties of the 18-item political skills inventory, 2) explore whether it is possible to identify different profiles of political skills, and 3) investigate whether such profiles differ in dempgraphics, personality, and job performance. Exploratory (sample 1; n = 185) and confirmatory (sample 2: n = 183) factor analyses supported a four-dimensional representation of political skills including networking ability, apparent sincerity, social astuteness, and interpersonal influence. Latent profile analysis (samples 1 and 2: n = 368) identified four distinct combinations of these dimensions, namely 1) weak political skills, 2) weak political skills with strong sincerity, 3) moderate political skills, and 4) strong political skills. Importantly, profiles differed consistently in networking ability. Subsequent comparisons suggested potentially important differences in demographics, personality, and job performance. Despite needing additional research of how profiles of political skills develop over time, these findings may have practical implications for recruitment and training in organizational settings where social effectiveness is important.