Hærens troppssersjanter. Hvilke kompetansekrav er kritiske for å oppnå suksess?
Abstract
In 2016 a new specialist corps was implemented in the Norwegian Armed Forces. As future troop commanders we wanted to examine how we can contribute to the evaluation, selection and development of this specialist corps. This led to the following thesis statement: What competence requirements are critical for achieving success as a troop sergeant in the Army?
By using the qualitative research method Critical Incident Technique, we asked 35 specialists working in the Army to share direct observations of actual troop sergeant behavior. In the analysis, we found the following competencies critical: Collaborative skills, professional competency, experience, ability to identify needs, assessment skills, decision-making skills and being a role model. None of these competencies alone are decisive; Only when they are combined does the troop sergeant achieve success in improving the troops operational capability. The evaluation, selection and development of troop sergeants should therefore be based on an overall assessment of the candidate’s fulfillment of all these competencies. The Norwegian Army´s competency model was found to have dubious practical value in assessing potential sergeants. We recommend that the assessment rather be based on our customized version of the U.S. Army´s Performance Model.