Addressing the Friction Between the Army's People First Initiatives and Its Readiness Generation Process

The authors examined the friction between the U.S. Army's People First objectives (which focus on command climate, cohesive teams, career goals, and work-life balance) and Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model (ReARMM) objectives (which focus on mission readiness) and developed strategies to mitigate this friction. The research methods included a policy review, interviews at the policy and unit levels, a scenario-based role-playing workshop with Army field-grade officers, an examination of Army personnel data in conjunction with ReARMM cycle calendars, and a review of literature on expectation management.

The authors found, unexpectedly, that the Army's primary source of friction involves inconsistent communications about priorities―the Army's senior leaders clearly communicate their priorities, but at unit levels (division and below), those priorities are blurred, minimized, or absent. The Army's modernization and personnel systems do not have much freedom or incentive to adjust their processes in ways that will materially affect friction. The Army's incentives are also not aligned with its priorities: At the unit level, soldiers perceive that incentives are based on training outcomes and that there is little recognition or reward for People First outcomes.

The authors recommend that the Army establish clear, consistent prioritization guidance that includes monitoring by higher headquarters to ensure that lower-level headquarters have not allowed priorities to be diluted; establish indicators to measure progress toward People First objectives and incorporate those indicators into evaluation mechanisms of unit leaders; and manage a few key positions (e.g., supply personnel during modernization) in ways that can mitigate critical friction points.