Exploration of Development Directions in Multicultural Leadership Education Programs for Military Commanders

Abstract

This study was aimed at exploring the development of directions in multicultural leadership education programs for military commanders. Towards this end, the researchers studied the concept and the components of multicultural leadership education for military commanders. Multicultural leadership in the military was defined as a capacity consisting of the following capabilities based on specific leadership qualities that are unique to the military: ‘self-control’, which signified a capability to control one’s emotion and exercise responsibility; ‘cultural recognition’, which signified a capability to gain knowledge and understand other cultures; and ‘cultural practice’, which signified a capability to manage cultural conflicts and facilitate smooth communication. Such capacity was broken down again to ‘military leadership’, ‘self-recognition’, ‘self-regulation’, ‘cultural knowledge’, ‘cultural recognition’, and ‘cultural relationship management’. In this study, researchers set the directions for the curriculum design of the multicultural leadership education program for the military, as shown below: first, researchers suggested the importance and directions in developing a tool kit to appraise the level of military commanders as learners to ensure smooth implementation of the program. Next, researchers suggested the directions of the education program that would help military commanders to gain and recognize multicultural knowledge while shaping their attitude in the domain of military culture through the three-phase education program, including: the understanding of a multicultural society and of soldiers with multicultural ethnic backgrounds; cases involving multicultural leadership competency to handle soldiers with multicultural ethnic backgrounds; and examination of cases. It would be desirable to start with the development of multicultural leadership competency among military commanders to enable early adjustment and the advancement of a multicultural military in the future.