Global Teams in the Military

A Situation Judgment Test for Military Multicultural Decision-Making: Initial Psychometric Studies

“…Cultural differences that can hinder effective teaming include those in handling disagreements, norms for structuring and implementing work, pace of work, respect and hierarchy, and intergroup prejudices (Behfar, Kern, & Brett, 2006). In the military context, teaming issues may be exacerbated by needs for rapid deployment with limited opportunity for cultural training, as well as the sometimes shifting and ill-defined nature of missions (DeCostanza, Gallus & Babin, 2015).…”

“…There are various approaches to enhancing multicultural teaming and mitigating potential conflicts between team members, including organizational policies, appropriate leadership, and training (Behfar et al, 2006). In addition, individual differences in personal characteristics play an important role; Soldiers differ in the extent to which they possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs) important for global military operations (DeCostanza et al, 2015). It is thus important to be able to assess individual differences in relevant KSAOs in support of recruitment, assignment to military specialties, and training efforts.…”