Sustaining Future Reserves 2020:Assessing Organisational Commitment in

the ReservesStudy Co-Funded by ESRC and MoD/Army

MoD Sponsor: Army Reform Directorate General

Dr. Sergio Catignani, Strategy & Security Institute (s.catignani@exeter.ac.uk)Dr. Victoria Basham, Department of Politics/Strategy & Security Institute

Introduction

• Core research aim• Why research the Reserves?• Research Context• Rationale• 4 key research questions• Research Approach/Methodology• Core research activities & requirements• Conclusion & Q&A

Why research the Reserves?• Army 2020 calls for greater role &

integration of Reserves.• Poor knowledge of the Reserves (no prior

major/systematic studies).• Need to provide a real, bottom-up, “reality

check” of how Reserves operate on a daily basis and manage volunteers.

• Personnel and personnel support: key.

Core Research Aim

• To examine factors that shape and influence the organisational commitment of reservists to serving in the Reserves.– Influence of family life and the pressures of

civilian employment on the decisions that reservists make about their commitment to serving and intentions to remain in Reserves.

Research Context• Growing reliance on reservists. • Deployments have increasingly been subject to

scrutiny & been discretionary in nature.• Increase in “post-military” trends (Shaw 1991).• Historically high turnover rates.• Army 2020 reforms: 19,000 to 30,000 reservists!• Possibility of profound attitudinal shift in British

society: low.

Rationale• Retention incentives & conditions of

service more likely to facilitate retention.– Necessary due to costs of personnel turnover.

• Focus on family support.– British case study has not been researched.

• Need for research that examines how reservists balance the competing roles & demands of “greedy institutions” (Coser 1974).

Balancing Roles & Commitments

Employment

Family

Reserves

4 Key Research Questions

1. To what extent reservists perceive family- and employer-friendly policies and practices as a source of support

in balancing competing role commitments and demands?

2. To what extent do reservists’ perceptions of family- and

employer-friendly policies influence their organisational commitment?

3. What roles do the families and employers of reservists play in

supporting them to maintain their organisational commitment to the

Army?

4. How do reservists experience and negotiate the pressures of competing role commitments as these change

over time?

Organisational Commitment

Approach & Methodology• Qualitative approach:

– 3 Battalions (1 combat; 1 combat support; 1 CSS);– Longitudinal: shadow selected battalions over 3 years;– 50 interviews with reservists and 10-20 family members per

year;– Interviews with key Reserve policy-makers/policy-

implementers at Army HQ, Brig., Unit. & Sub-Unit levels.– Monitoring of official institutional policies as well as local

informal practices.• Stakeholder engagement throughout.

Requirements – Your Input• Occasional availability of core command and

support staff (e.g., 1 interview per year; Q&A over phone/email or face-2-face meetings)

• Assistance w/ periodic recruitment of Reservists:– A3 Poster & A6 Leaflets in Reg. HQ and Res. Centres;– 15 (max) minute recruitment talks during training

nights/weekends (e.g. “Part 1 Orders”); and– Emails to current & recently discharged Reservists.

• Participation is voluntary & confidential.

Conclusion & Q&A• Examine the factors that influence

organisational commitment of reservists.• Significant empirical data necessary…esp.

on “ground reality”.• Results will inform MOD and Army policy

on the Reserves as Army 2020 continues to be implemented.

• Q&A