Transforming Land Power – One Story at a Time

I met a representative of our future land power just last month. She served me at the checkout at my local Woolworths. Glancing at her name tag, I asked her what she had planned for the weekend. She proceeded to tell me, with immense energy, about the steps she was taking to ensure that she would be joining the Australian Army at the end of the year when she finished high school. She described in vibrant detail, with no further prompt from me, how she was going to crew Army’s next-generation armoured vehicle, that, or be a combat engineer demolitions expert. She assured me ‘this’ was her calling, that Anzac Day gives her goosebumps, and she feels empowered as a young woman to serve her country – I had goosebumps of my own listening to her tell her story.

The Australian Army’s concept of land power is people centric: ‘The ability to project force in and from land in peace, crisis and war to achieve strategic and operational objectives’,[1] requires people. The ‘human dimension’[2] of land power is fundamental to its utility, because individuals in ‘cohesive teams with high morale… form the core of the land force’.[3] The lethality of our core asset – the soldier – is dependent upon strong interpersonal relationships between Army members, built on trust and a sense of belonging. This is reinforced by the philosophy our people are our Army, which is woven throughout land doctrine and underpins Army’s strategic narrative.[4]  Through this lens, Army’s unique aspect – its people centred approach – is exposed: without our people there is no Army, no force, no land power.

In recent years, Army has faced an unprecedented, wicked problem. The separation rate is outstripping recruitment, workforce targets have not been met since 2015/16,[5] and significant people capability growth is required before the year 2040.[6] This problem necessitates action – an Army-wide reinvestment in personal relationships – to addresses the loss of human connection[7] and the loss of commitment that is haunting the force.

The humble story, it seems, could be what Army needs to connect its people to its strategic vision.[8] The simple act of telling and listening to one another’s stories has the power to strengthen interpersonal trust, build morale and reinvigorate the strong sense of belonging that Army has previously enjoyed. Stories can transform the human dimension of land power and generate a more cohesive and resilient fighting force.

To transform means to take something that already exists and evolve it so that it is characterised by a marked change.[9] Undoubtedly, transforming land power demands continuous scrutiny of considerations such as ‘globalisation, urbanisation, technological change, the non-contiguous battle space, integration and domestic security’.[10] However, as an increasingly diverse workforce, the Army is also ‘responsible for making [itself] sensitive to the diverse needs of different groups of people’[11] who will make up the future workforce. This requires everyone, at every level of Army, to transform the human dimension of land power: deliberately build trust-based relationships one person at a time using the power of stories – because stories ‘define who we are, why we are here and what we value’.[12]

Storytelling has been used for centuries as a means for people to make sense of ‘the world, themselves and the individuals around them’.[13] ‘Stories have immense power on our emotions and our brains’,[14] with the power to inspire and motivate people, as well as build trust between people.[15] As an extremely powerful tool,[16] sharing stories has the capacity to transform the human dimension of land power. Stories enliven the centrality of close relationships in teams, and create an environment where psychological needs are met, a sense of belonging is strong, and trust is experienced across the force.

There is an untapped power in the relationships of serving members who share common values and their stories.[17] Storytelling and listening not only enables members to share information.  It also empowers them to communicate emotion, discuss real-life issues without being affronted, and engender compassion for one another.[18] In this way, ‘stories provide access to a common humanity’[19] and create a sense of belonging. Storytellers experience a ‘fulfilment of higher levels of psychological needs’ [20] and story-listeners feel more connected having found ‘common ground with their fellow listeners’.[21] This is fundamentally important for Army because the effective use of stories between team members has the potential to positively influence organisational culture, increase team cohesiveness and generate higher quality relationships between members and their leaders.[22]

In an organisation where hierarchical relationships dominate, commanders can see the world through the eyes of members (a view often distinctly different to their own) by assuming the role of story-listener.[23] Consequently, leaders can be freed from the constraints of their own experiences and empowered to integrate empathy and compassion into their day-to-day leadership.[24] By actively listening to the stories of their subordinates, leaders can ‘strengthen everyday relationships by providing the gift’ of feeling heard,[25] and in doing so build the emotional and psychological resilience of the land force.

Moreover, ‘influential leadership [also] involves storytelling’[26]; the creation of a shared context and sense of belonging with their followers.[27] Better still, storytelling builds trust – an essential component of the mission command that land power relies on. Researchers have found that ‘authentic stories and authentic leadership, appeal to the heart and mind, to deeply held assumptions and values, and to our inner sense of being’.[28] Here, the potential for stories to empower the effectiveness of mission command is evident. Stories provide ‘leaders a way to communicate their vision and values, to inspire, to bring about understanding and change, and to empower’[29] those whom they lead, and build the implicit trust required ‘between and across all elements of the land force’.[30] Consequently, the sharing of stores is one way that Army can ‘actively create the climate and foster behaviour that produces a mission command culture’,[31] enabling a transformation of how the land force generates its power.

Storytelling has a place in the transformation of land power and ‘leaders who fail to grasp the power of stories risk failure’.[32] Stories positively impact people by enhancing team cohesiveness, improving organisational culture, fuelling high morale, ‘decreasing the threshold of employee retention’,[33] and improving recruitment rates. ‘The stories we craft, the stories we recall, and the stories we tell one another quite literately shape our worlds’,[34] and because everyone is a storyteller, everyone has the power to drive transformative change.[35]

Everyone has a story waiting to be told, waiting to be heard. By sharing and listening to stories, each Army member has the power and influence to shape the Army’s future. This is transforming land power one story at a time – this will define her future story.

As I thanked her for my groceries, using her first name, I caught her eye contact once more and said, “I think you’re going to have the most wonderful career in the Army – I have served nearly 20 years and it has been the most tremendously rewarding experience, day in day out. You’re going to have a blast”. She looked at me in shock – quickly examining the somewhat dishevelled mother of two who seemed to be only just holding it together – I laughed – “Yes”, I answered into the silence, “We all have a story – I’m an officer in the Australian Army, and I so look forward to serving alongside you”.[36]

This article is a commended entry in the 2022 AARC Short Writing Competition, 'Transforming Land Power'.

Bibliography

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———. Army in Motion, Command Statement: Commonwealth of Australia, 2020.

———. Army in Motion, National Institution Statement: Commonwealth of Australia, 2020.

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Khdour, Naser, Ra'ed Masa'deh, and Atef Al-Raoush. "The Impact of Organizational Storytelling on Organizational Performance within Jordanian Telecommunication Sector." The journal of workplace learning 32, no. 5 (2020): 335-61. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-06-2019-0083.

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