Developing Adaptive Junior Leaders in the Army Nurse Corps

Senior Army leaders today struggle to develop adaptive junior leaders prepared to lead in chaotic operating environments. To overcome this challenge, the Army Nurse Corps introduced the Army Nursing Campaign Plan, which is nested in the security strategies of the United States. The Army Nursing Campaign Plan made the development of adaptive Army Nurses a strategic objective for the Corps. This book examines the need for adaptive leaders in the Army Nurse Corps and describes the manner in which its leaders are developed today. The author analyzes these development methods and demonstrates that they do not produce the adaptive leaders needed in the future operating environment. Synthesizing information from the literature review, the author establishes that the development of adaptive junior Army Nurses is reliant upon guided self-development, which is facilitated through regular mentoring, coaching and counseling. The author describes the Leadership Capabilities Map and proposes the Leadership Capabilities Map-based counseling tool for use in the development process, ensuring that junior Army Nurses are developed in accordance with the Army Nursing Campaign Plan. Future research must focus on implementing the tool and proving its effectiveness in developing adaptive junior Army Nurses.