Co-ordinator: Irina Goldenberg, Ph. D.
About
Defence workforces are complex, comprising regular force military members, reservists, defence civil servants, and contractors working for private military and security companies. These groups of personnel are employed towards the same overarching goals related to national and international security, and are often highly integrated in the performance of their complementary functions. At the same time, despite the often high levels of partnership and integration, these groups of personnel are governed by different personnel management systems, and have distinct cultures. These factors affect their integration, the nature and quality of their collaboration, and ultimately influence personnel outcomes and organisational and operational effectiveness. Defence organizations around the world are increasingly recognizing the importance of optimizing the intragroup employment, as well as the intergroup integration, of these groups of defence personnel, with many adopting organizational terms implying that these sub-workforces form a cohesive whole [select examples include, the Defence Team (Canada), the Whole Force Concept (United Kingdom), One Defence Team (Sweden), Total Defence Workforce (New Zealand), Total Force Concept (United States), and the Adaptable Force (Netherlands)].
Given the evolving security landscape affecting the nature of military and security operations, as well as the resource implications, the Total Defence Force Working Group will focus on the key considerations related to total defence workforces. Since most research has traditionally focused on regular force military personnel, gaps in research on personnel in the other components – that is, research focused on reservists, defence civilians, and contractors, will be a central focus of this WG. A multidisciplinary approach, including quantitative and qualitative methods, will be adopted. Key questions include: What is the right mix of these groups in delivering on the defence mandate? In what roles? How should they be optimally employed and integrated into a cohesive whole to meet the defence mandate? What is the role of culture, identity, and other relational issues in facilitating optimal whole force integration? What are the main personnel management factors affecting these workforces in defence organizations? Overall, what are the challenges and enablers both within and between these components, including both intergroup and intragroup topics? What are the best practices, strategies, programmes and policies for effective management related to Total Defence Forces?
Call for Proposals for a Workshop on Total Defence Workforces, 6-7 May 2021
On behalf of the ERGOMAS Total Defence WG (https://ergomas.ch/index.php/working-groups/1-morale-cohesion-and-leadership-2 ), in collaboration with the Canadian Defence and Security Network (CDSN; https://www.cdsn-rcds.com/ ), and the Swedish Centre for Studies of Armed Forces and Society (CSMS; https://www.csms.se/), please find a Call for Proposals for a Workshop on Total Defence Workforces, 6-7 May 2021 (to be held at the Swedish Centre for Studies of the Armed Forces and Society in Stockholm, Sweden or partially or entirely online depending on circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 30 Nov 2020. Interested participants should submit abstracts (300 words maximum) detailing their proposed paper to Irina Goldenberg at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , no later than 30 Nov 2020. Letters of acceptance will be sent out 14 December 2020.