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Introduction
The Valley Forge case is a historical episode in the US warfare leadership development. Washington’s approach to arranging the troops’ performance and setting, as well as the unmet needs of the soldiers, caused the lack of discipline in the army. One of the main problems resulting in negative outcomes for the army was the lack of proper policies and disciplining procedures that ultimately led to a low level of morale and increased desertion. This paper will examine these issues in the context of the Valley Forge analysis to claim that the use of transformational leadership techniques focused on empowerment, change, and motivation might help improve discipline and morale.
Discussion
To set the background of the analyzed case, one should indicate that the Valley Forge camp of the American army led by Washington was experiencing losses in personnel. The soldiers did not obtain the necessary clothing, shoes, and food and suffered from non-sanitary conditions and illnesses. The unbearable circumstances caused low morale and an increased level of desertion. Such a problem was caused by a significant issue of the lack of clear regulating policies and procedures both inside the troops and in the leadership.
There are several approaches to solving the detected issues in Washington’s army, as presented in the case study. The alternatives that might be rejected when solving the identified problems with the army in the case of Valley Forge include the implementation of autocratic or laissez-faire leadership styles. Indeed, as stated by Corral (2020), “Washington’s men wanted the respect they believed was due to them, but instead, they were treated like mercenaries” (p. 55). In particular, the leadership approaches that were applied to managing the troops were characterized by oppression and cruel punishment for disobedience, while essential needs were not met, causing morbidities and mortality in the army. The reason why these alternatives are not relevant to the case is that they fail to instill a sense of community, cooperation, and purpose in the soldiers.
The proposed solutions are based on shifting the leadership approach from disrespectful and overly controlling, like the authoritarian style, to a more empowering and teamwork-based one. The solutions should include the development of relevant and effective policies regulating acceptable behavior in the army, as well as the procedures that would discipline and yet not disrespect soldiers. According to Lopez (2020), military practices and warfare are collective actions that imply the close cooperation of teams. Therefore another solution is the implementation of transformational leadership practices to ensure that soldiers change their attitudes toward their service based on a relevant shift in resource allocation and leaders’ example.
Conclusion
When implementing the proposed solution to the problems of intensified desertion, low morale, and the lack of policies, one might use the following strategies. Firstly, congress should be encouraged to reshape its attitudes toward treating the troops and allocate sufficient resources to yield a transformation of the army toward improved teamwork (Lopez, 2020). Secondly, Washington, as a leader of the army, should engage in regular meetings with his subordinates to discuss tentative issues and demonstrate inclusion in the experiences of the followers. Thirdly, specific team-building initiatives should be implemented to increase soldiers’ morale, hope, empowerment, and belief in their capability to perform according to the expectations (Corral, 2020). Overall, such strategies will allow for minimizing desertion, facilitating commitment, and disciplining the army by setting an example of a transformational leader.
References
Corral, N. (2020). Continental Army at Valley Forge, 1777 to 1778: Examination of its transformation using DOTMLPF [Master’s thesis, US Army Command and General Staff College]. Web.
Lopez, A. C. (2020). Making ‘my’problem ‘our’problem: Warfare as collective action, and the role of leader manipulation. The Leadership Quarterly, 31(2), 1-13.
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