Service in the Army, or any branch of military service, provide a full spectrum of leadership opportunity. Leadership opportunities range from complex to simple depending upon the subjective lens in which leadership is viewed. One situation a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) is viewed or treated as an Army leader and the next situation they are a manager of people. So, which is it; are NCO’s leaders or managers? Some could argue that NCO’s are leaders and still others could argue they are managers. The answer isn’t a simple one.
Army Hierarchy and Structure
It is worth briefly exploring the typical leadership hierarchy and structure of Army organizations before diving into whether NCO’s are leaders or managers. A vast majority of Army units are comprised of Platoons which are led by a Platoon Leader. The next higher echelon is a Company, then Battalion, Brigade, and Division. Each of these levels, from Platoon to Division have a commanding Officer in charge along with an NCO who act as a senior enlisted advisor. Army leadership structure extends beyond the Division level. However, this is beyond the scope of this topic. More information regarding Army leadership hierarchy and structure can be found here. Looking closer at the Platoon level there are two additional hierarchy structures of leadership. They are the team and squad. The team and squad level are the only levels of leadership that an NCO is truly the assigned leader. At the Platoon level and higher, an NCO is considered a senior enlisted advisor. NCO’s must meet professional military education requirements as they ascend the ranks. First the Basic Leader Course, then the Advanced Leader Course, next the Senior Leader Course, Master Leader Course, and finally the Sergeants Major Academy. Each level of professional military education builds upon the other and is respective to a particular grade. Each of these courses contain the word leader, but NCO’s often find their functions within an organization blended at any given point in time.
Leader or Manager
There are similarities and differences with what leaders and managers do functionally. Similarities include influencing, working with people, and effective goal accomplishment (Northouse, 2021). The differences are that management is put in place to “produce order and consistency” whereas leadership “produces change and movement” (Northouse, 2021, p.16). These perspectives for managing and leading can be further described in activities conducted. Managers plan and budget, organize and staff, as well as control and problem solve (Northouse, 2021). Leaders on the other hand establish direction, align people, as well as motivate and inspire (Northouse, 2021). Army officers tend to be more aligned with a leadership perspective in this sense and NCO’s tend to be more aligned with a managerial perspective. Army officers establish the vision and direction of the organization whereas NCO’s at the platoon level and above execute the vision and direction. Only at the team and squad level are NCO’s truly free, in a limited sense, to establish vision and direction of their assigned leadership position.
Diving Deeper
The role of an NCO in the Army is broad in scope and relative based on interpretation of perspectives. At the team and squad level, NCO’s often lead individuals and groups through training events, establish group goals, build teams through shared hardship, and empower followers (Northouse, 2021). Additionally, from a managerial perspective, NCO’s establish rules and procedures, generate creative solutions, and take corrective action (Northouse, 2021, p.16). Examples of these include procedures for submitting paperwork, generating solutions to individual soldier issues, and providing additional training instruction for substandard task completion. NCO’s at the platoon level and above share similar functions, and their influence scales as they climb the leadership hierarchy and structure. The difference at the platoon level and above is there is an assigned officer in charge and the NCO serves as a senior enlisted advisor.The senior NCO is where the waters are muddied even further. At times, a senior NCO is allocating resources for training, providing structure, and staffing for day-to-day operations, or developing incentives for soldiers to perform better. These functions fall within the activities of a manager. Yet in same capacity, an NCO can be creating vision, setting strategies, building teams, inspiring, and empowering followers (Northouse, 2021). The common theme that emerges on deciding whether NCO’s are leaders or managers depends upon the situation and perspective.
Which one is it?
Given that NCO’s activities are blended between the functions of managers and leaders, it’s safe to assume they are both leader and manager. Most would argue that NCO’s are leaders given the scale their influence can provide. Additionally, NCO professional military education provides the tools necessary to apply leadership fundamentals. It just depends upon the situation and the perspective.
Northouse, P.G. (2021). Leadership Theory and Practice (9th ed). Los Angeles:Sage Publications.
Great post. As a Marine, I served as a Sergeant in the Corps. Issue with the Corps was the authoritative leadership that is exemplified by young NCO’s, instead of the transformational leadership you see exemplified in officers many times. Leadership is critical in the Corps, as life and death can hinge up the shoulders of young mean and women’s actions. Leadership I think should be heavily more emphasized from a cultural perspective of learning about the different styles, communication methods, the different followership types, and how to be a better follower, and leader as we grow into more mature adults.
Great analysis of leadership and management from an NCO perspective brings light to potential changes that can empower and give more freedom to NCOs. Fortunately, there is some foundational groundwork that has been done to ensure that such efforts are not exhausting or overly burdensome. One such perspective is from a different service perspective and how they train their NCOs.
An aspect of the military that is common among the different services is the hierarchical structure that it must operate because of its mission. As a result, the relationship that Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) operate under is based on what Northouse calls, the role-based perspective which focuses on followers’ typical roles or behaviors while occupying a position within such a hierarchical system (Northouse, 2021). As the NCOs can be looked at as followers from a hierarchical standpoint as they also follow orders from higher leadership, this does not mean that they are not leaders, but the opposite is true, as they are considered, “small unit leaders” (Buhl, 2006). Most NCOs within the ages of 19-24 have considerable experience in leading much younger troops (people), in various aspects that range from basic finance, marriage, and career development advice. Additionally, their ability to innovate and improvise commingled with enthusiasm allows them to infuse others with much-needed change. As such they bring “energy and offer insightful suggestions” or ways to simplify work and ways to reduce redundancy (Northouse, 2021).
Of interest is a concept the Army has from a management and leadership perspective in that it has a Corporal who shares the E-4 rank and a Specialist, who has an E-4 rank too. Does this mean that one sole focus is being an expert at his job and therefore is not viewed or groomed to be a leader? From a distinct perspective, the Marine Corps does not differentiate and has one single rank for an E-4, and that is Corporal. The belief is that a Corporal in the Marine Corps is both a technical expert and a leader and therefore there is only a singular rank. Despite these slight differences, what is clear is the emphasis that both services, if not all, services place on educating these NCOs on leadership, through the various academies.
If we consider, Northouse’s definition of leadership he states that, “Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (Northouse, 2021). Despite the differences between a leader and a manager, those two constructs often overlap, and an NCO may engage in leadership, despite the function or description of their job roles (Northouse, 2021). NCOs engage in influencing and convincing others to accomplish a common goal (Northouse, 2021). While looking at it from an Officer’s perspective, their primary job is indeed to develop the “bigger picture,” and establish a path by which to accomplish such goals, they also engage in management, as their responsibilities within the job description are to manage, staff, and account for the actions of others (Northouse, 2021). Similarly, NCOs also have overlapping responsibilities, such as ensuring the task is completed, which requires leading and convincing others (Naval Studies Board, 2012). This can be especially true when a task is mundane or must be completed within a constrained timeline. Also, NCOs (in the Marine Corps) have the freedom to operate and accomplish their task without centralized command and can think creatively and motivate those they lead within a structured framework (Naval Studies Board, 2012). Does this mean that all officers and NCOs engage in such activities, not necessarily, as the military is a hierarchical system by which individuals are placed in those positions?
Despite the hierarchical structure and the role-based perspective within the roles of NCOs, there are elements of a relationship-based approach. Considering that NCOs often must not only not follow orders blindly but must exercise a great degree of communication to ensure that a common goal is attained. This was especially important when life or death decisions were made by many Corporals and Sergeants while engaged in combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq (Naval Studies Board, 2012). From a social constructivist perspective, “followership is co-created by the leader and follower in a given situation” (Northouse, 2021).
Northouse, Peter G. Leadership. SAGE Publications. Kindle Edition.
Buhl, W. A. (2006). Strategic Small Unit Leaders. Marine Corps Gazette, 90(1), 54. https://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/strategic-small-unit-leaders/docview/221459424/se-2
Naval Studies Board, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, Committee on Improving the Decision Making Abilities of Small Unit Leaders, & National Research Council. (2012). Appendix D: Marine corps small units. Improving the decision making abilities of small unit leaders (pp. 104-106). National Academies Press.