The Evolution of U.S. Army Leadership Doctrine

The primary goal of this brief critique is to understand to what extent the Army has absorbed extensive behavioral science research into leadership doctrine over the last seven decades. I argue that the Army has largely failed to incorporate the later leadership theories that focused on the empowerment of followers, namely, Transformational and Servant Leadership. In my view, these progressive theories are the only leadership practices and behaviors that will appeal to Generations Z and A youth- generations with little or no propensity to serve in the Army.