Skip to main content
Have a personal or library account? Click to login
“Today a Follower, Tomorrow a Leader?”: Reserve Platoon Leaders’ Perceptions of Leader Competencies in the Process of Role Acquisition Cover

“Today a Follower, Tomorrow a Leader?”: Reserve Platoon Leaders’ Perceptions of Leader Competencies in the Process of Role Acquisition

Open Access
|Mar 2026

References

  1. Arbeit, M. R. (2017). “It could affect you as a person, character-wise”: Promoting character development and preventing sexual violence at West Point. Journal of College and Character, 18(4), 279295. 10.1080/2194587X.2017.1371038
  2. Ashforth, B. E., Harrison, S. H., & Corley, K. G. (2008). Identification in organizations: An examination of four fundamental questions. Journal of Management, 34(3), 325374. 10.1177/0149206308316059
  3. Burke, P. J., & Stets, J. E. (2009). Identity theory. Oxford University Press. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195388275.001.0001
  4. Collier, P. (2001). A differentiated model of role identity acquisition. Symbolic Interaction, 24(2), 217235. 10.1525/si.2001.24.2.217
  5. Cutler, A. (2014). Leadership psychology: How the best leaders inspire their people. Kogan Page.
  6. de Jong, N., van Leeuwen, R. G. J., Hoekstra, H. A., & van der Zee, K. I. (2014). Corrigendum to “Measuring identification with career roles CRIQ: An innovative measure using comparison awareness to avoid self-presentation tactics” [Journal of Vocational Behavior, 84(2), 199–214]. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 85(2), 250. 10.1016/j.jvb.2014.07.001
  7. de Ruyter, D., & Conroy, J. (2002). The formation of identity: The importance of ideals. Oxford Review of Education, 28(4), 509522. 10.1080/0305498022000013643
  8. Dyer, J., & Keller-Cohen, D. (2000). The discursive construction of professional self through narratives of personal experience. Discourse Studies, 2(3), 283304. 10.1177/1461445600002003002
  9. Engelkes, T., Sverke, M., & Lindholm, T. (2024). Predicting loyalty: Examining the role of social identity and leadership in an extreme operational environment – a Swedish case. Armed Forces and Society, 50(3), 607627. 10.1177/0095327X221150948
  10. Ewen, R. B. (1993). An introduction to theories of personality (4th ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  11. Fábián, S., & Boutton, A. (2024). Foreign military training and socialization: An examination of human capital and norm transmission between allies. International Studies Quarterly, 68(2), 110. 10.1093/isq/sqae040
  12. Gayton, S. D., & Kehoe, E. J. (2019). Character strengths of junior Australian Army officers. Military Medicine, 184(5–6), e147e153. 10.1093/milmed/usy251
  13. Grojean, M. W., & Thomas, J. L. (2006). From values to performance: It’s the journey that changes the traveler. In T. W. Britt, A. B. Adler, & C. A. Castro (Eds.), Military life: The psychology of serving in peace and combat. Vol. 4: Military culture (pp. 3559). Praeger Security International.
  14. Haslam, S. A., Reicher, S. D., & Platow, M. J. (2020). The new psychology of leadership: Identity, influence and power (2nd ed.). Routledge. 10.4324/9781351108232
  15. Hogg, M. A., & Vaughan, G. M. (2002). Social psychology (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall.
  16. Holloman, C. R. (1967). The perceived leadership role of military and civilian supervisors in a military setting. Personnel Psychology, 20(2), 199210. 10.1111/j.1744-6570.1967.tb02279.x
  17. Jackson, R. L. (Ed.). (2010). Encyclopedia of identity (Vol. 2). SAGE Publications. 10.4135/9781412979306
  18. Jonsson, E., Salo, M., Lillemäe, E., Steder, F. B., Ferst, T., Kasearu, K., & Truusa, T.-T. (2024). Multifaceted conscription: A comparative study of six European countries. Scandinavian Journal of Military Studies, 7(1), 1933. 10.31374/sjms.166
  19. Karakowsky, L., DeGama, N., & McBey, K. (2012). Facilitating the Pygmalion effect: The overlooked role of subordinate perceptions of the leader. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 85, 579599. 10.1111/j.2044-8325.2012.02056.x
  20. Karkkola, P., Kuittinen, M., & Hintsa, T. (2019). Role clarity, role conflict, and vitality at work: The role of the basic needs. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 60(5), 456463. 10.1111/sjop.12550
  21. Kintzle, S., Schnyder, L. P., Alday, E., Gonzalez, L. A., Mor Barak, M., & Castro, C. A. (2023). Welcome to the U.S. Army: A qualitative examination of the Army’s reception of new soldiers. Armed Forces & Society, 51(1), 337360. 10.1177/0095327X231170837
  22. Knights, J. (2018). Increasing self-awareness. In J. Knights, D. Grant, & G. Young (Eds.), Leading beyond the ego: How to become a transpersonal leader (pp. 4757). Routledge. 10.4324/9781315178806-5
  23. Koh, C. B., & O’Higgins, E. (2018). Relationships between emotional intelligence, perceived and actual leadership effectiveness in the military context. Military Psychology, 30(1), 2742. 10.1080/08995605.2017.1419021
  24. Koveshnikov, A., & Ehrnrooth, M. (2018). The cross-cultural variation of the effects of transformational leadership behaviors on followers’ organizational identification: The case of idealized influence and individualized consideration in Finland and Russia. Management and Organization Review, 14(4), 747779. 10.1017/mor.2018.27
  25. Laanepere, T. (2021). Looking at the military service readiness of Estonian reserve soldiers through the prism of Bourdieu’s theory of practice [Doctoral dissertation, University of Tartu].
  26. Laanepere, T., Kasearu, K., & Tooding, L.-M. (2020). Objectified cultural capital and military service readiness among reservists of the Estonian Defence Forces. Sõjateadlane (Estonian Journal of Military Studies), 14, 3964.
  27. Laanepere, T., Truusa, T.-T., & Cooper, L. (2018). Military legacy: Use it or lose it? Sõjateadlane (Estonian Journal of Military Studies), 6, 2251.
  28. Larsson, G., Bartone, P. T., Bos-Bakx, M., Danielsson, E., Jelusic, L., Johansson, E., Moelker, R., Sjöberg, M., Vrbanjac, A., Bartone, J., Forsythe, G. B., Pruefert, A., & Wachowicz, M. (2006). Leader development in natural context: A grounded theory approach to discovering how military leaders grow. Military Psychology, 18(Suppl. 1), S69S81. 10.1207/s15327876mp1803s_6
  29. Mallick, L. M., Mitchell, M. M., Millikan-Bell, A., & Gallaway, M. S. (2016). Small unit leader perceptions of managing soldier behavioral health and associated factors. Military Psychology, 28(3), 147161. 10.1037/mil0000101
  30. Mayring, P. (2014). QCAmap [Software]. https://www.qcamap.org/
  31. Military Service Act. (2012). Riigi Teataja I, 10.07.2012, 1. https://www.riigiteataja.ee
  32. Mumford, M. D., Zaccaro, S. J., Harding, F. D., Jacobs, T. O., & Fleishman, E. A. (2000). Leadership skills for a changing world: Solving complex social problems. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(1), 1135. 10.1016/S1048-9843(99)00041-7
  33. Nissinen, V. (2006). Deep leadership. Talentum.
  34. Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage.
  35. Österberg, J., Jonsson, E., & Börjesson, M. (2024). Views on an officer career – The relationship between personality, leadership expectations and perceived qualities. Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 12(1), 5159. 10.5114/cipp/174517
  36. Österberg, J., Oskarsson, E., & Nilsson, J. (2021). Perceptions of officer training among newly employed officers and specialist officers in the Swedish Armed Forces: A qualitative study. Scandinavian Journal of Military Studies, 4(1), 5061. 10.31374/sjms.63
  37. Rogers, W. S. (2003). Social psychology: Experimental and critical approaches. Open University Press.
  38. Säälik, Ü. (2022). Military leader’s identity, role, and competencies: interrelated aspects of leader development. The Defence Horizon Journal, 40, 118133. https://www.thedefencehorizon.org/post/military-leader-s-identity-role-and-competencies-interrelated-aspects-of-leader-development
  39. Säälik, Ü., Ermus, A., Männamaa, I., Toom, L., & Kasemaa, A. (2020). Kaitseväelise juhi pädevusmudel. Sõjateadlane (Estonian Journal of Military Studies), 14, 1138.
  40. Säälik, Ü., Truusa, T.-T., & Meerits, A. (2024). Should leaders ‘keep the flowers blooming’ or just ‘keep the cogwheels greased?’ Estonian soldiers’ perceptions of the role of a military leader. Journal of Baltic Studies, 55(4), 707728. 10.1080/01629778.2024.2306901
  41. Schreier, M. (2012). Qualitative content analysis in practice. Sage. 10.4135/9781529682571
  42. Stets, J. E., & Serpe, R. T. (2013). Identity theory. In J. DeLamater & A. Ward (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology. Springer. 10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0_2
  43. Stinson, J. E., & Johnson, T. W. (1975). The path-goal theory of leadership: A partial test and suggested refinement. Academy of Management Journal, 18(2), 242252. 10.2307/255527
  44. Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 3337). Brooks/Cole.
  45. Truusa, T.-T., Kasearu, K., & Tooding, L.-M. (2018). The effects of conscript service on the recruitment of professional soldiers in Estonia. Contemporary Military Challenges, 20(2), 3754. 10.33179/BSV.99.SVI.11.CMC.20.2.2
  46. Van Dick, R., Wagner, U., Stellmacher, J., & Christ, O. (2005). Category salience and organizational identification. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 78, 273285. 10.1348/096317905X25779
  47. van Knippenberg, D., van Knippenberg, B., De Cremer, D., & Hogg, M. A. (2004). Leadership, self, and identity: a review and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 15(6), 825856. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2004.09.002
  48. Yellin, L. L. (1999). Role acquisition as a social process. Sociological Inquiry, 69(2), 236256. 10.1111/j.1475-682X.1999.tb00501.x
  49. Yu, L. (2025). Newcomers’ organizational socialization. International Journal of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, 14(1/2), 2353. 10.32327/IJMESS/14.1-2.2025.2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31374/sjms.312 | Journal eISSN: 2596-3856
Language: English
Page range: 133 - 147
Submitted on: Jul 22, 2024
Accepted on: Mar 3, 2026
Published on: Mar 26, 2026
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 1 issue per year

© 2026 Ülle Säälik, Antek Kasemaa, Tiia-Triin Truusa, published by Scandinavian Military Studies
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.