Communication in CAF: A Concept Analysis. Management Coursework

Running head: COMMUNICATION IN CAF1
Communication in CAF: A Concept Analysis
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COMMUNICATION IN CAF

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Communication in CAF: A Concept Analysis
2.1. Analyze a specific aspect or problem of your issue with a (first) notion or concept from
the readings
In communication at CAF, one first most important concept is leadership. Typically, military, anywhere, is informed and defined by acts, responsibilities and metaphors of leadership. The CAF is not different. Facing rapidly changing internal and external battlespace conditions, CAF is expected to meet a range of emerging challenges in a competent, adaptive and agile manner. To do so, leadership should, as a central concept mediated by and informing communication, assume front and center position to manage such emerging challenges. Traditionally, a military leader, including at CAF, is expected to perform routine functions a highly professional military, commissioned or non-commissioned, officer should do. These functions, usually communicated in explicit mission directives and mandates, are not, however, enough under current rapidly changing battlespace conditions. Indeed, CAF officers – and, for that matter, each and every serviceperson at CAF – are expected to meet minimum mission requirements and activities. Then again, such requirements and activities should – must – be complemented by wider roles and responsibilities to cater to ever changing battlespace and warfare conditions. Specifically, CAF leaders are expected to lead people and institutions in ways inspiring proactive actions and independent initiatives among subordinates. Specifically, CAF leaders, as professional communicators, are expected to play different leadership roles to sustain, inspire, motivate and manage subordinates of different backgrounds and differential attitudes and behaviors in response to emerging situations, particularly during crises. Moreover, CAF leaders are expected to manage organizations as visionaries. That is, in addition to
COMMUNICATION IN CAF

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managing people to achieve outcomes, CAF leaders are expected to go above and beyond in order to manage organizations as system builders and developers. Thinking strategically, and communicating such way of thinking to subordinates, is, if anything, key to effective and agile organizations. Further, leaders, as system builders and developers, are expected to accept risks to leap forward not into unknowns but into adequately calculated situations making a given unit and/or a whole organization much more effective and competent. In short, CAF leaders are increasingly expected to juggle a wide range of routine and non-routine functions in order to manage and lead people and organizations under increasingly and rapidly changing battlespace and geopolitical conditions. From a communication perspective, leadership defined as such goes beyond mere enactment of orders issued by leaders to subordinates to complete and succeed in a mission and into an inspirational and strategic way of communicating values and principles, moral and professional, to leverage people and organizational potential in numerous, innovative ways. Further, leadership, medi...