Abstract:

The Norwegian Military Academy (NMA) has offered its cadets a five-day educational program using guidance as a leadership tool since 2003. Up till now the program has been completed approximately 70 times with just under 1800 participants totally. The program is part of the NMA’s leadership development program, and is currently one of the first subjects the cadets meet when they begin their education. Guidance can be described as a learning process that takes place with professional support, where the individual's own resources are the most important tool. Guidance can also be described as an educational and relational process of discovery, learning, growth and development as a goal in which the learner is in focus. Guidance is based on dialogue, where questions and reflection are key elements. The pedagogical intention is to provide an educational short program that enables the officers to learn how to empower their subordinates. The idea behind using guidance as a leadership tool is that it generates reflection in the supervised person who sees his or her own thinking, emotions, and actions in a new light and then becomes aware of the expanded opportunities this provides. Guidance that takes place in an education or in a vocational context, aims to help the guided person to develop his or her professional identity. The educational intention of the guidance programme builds on andragogical principles acquiring the subject through experience and discoveries. This way of learning might increase the likelihood that the cadets will use guidance in practice rather than just learning what guidance is purely theoretical. The purpose of the present study was to investigate to what extent and in what ways participants experienced an effect of the guidance dialogue by participating as guidees in the exercises. A positive impact of the conversations, can be contributing to experiences of learning in line with the intentions of the program. In this program, it is crucial to understand that the main purpose of the guidance is to develop professional competence. Professional competence means that professionals belong to a profession and professional identity is developed through practice. Awareness and experience of identity in relation to the profession's goals, methods, responsibilities and a professional background are essential for the development of the professional identity. Method: A total of 109 officers from the NMA took part in two separate five-day courses in guidance. Sixty of the 109 participants served as guidees in nine exercises related to practicing guidance as a communication tool. The sixty participants filled out a questionnaire at three times during the 5-day course. They were asked to answer twelve questions regarding their experience of the effect of the guidance dialogue. Results and conclusions: Participating as guidees in the nine exercises seemed to be less satisfying than practicing as supervisors during the same exercises. Still the guidees reported that they increasingly experienced the conversations expanding their perspectives, challenging their viewpoints, making it easier to address difficult topics and influencing them to think independently.

Keywords:

Guidance, leadership communication, pedagogics, military leaders, leadership development, education, learning.