An Appreciative Inquiry Approach to Female Senior Enlisted Army Veterans’ Cultivation of Resilience
AbstractAlthough the number of women who reach senior enlisted positions in the U.S. Army continues to increase every year, their presence at the top still remains sparce. Women in all echelons share a number of challenges related to retention and promotion, such as balancing work with parental and familial responsibilities, receiving adequate mentorship, and enduring a workplace climate oftentimes viewed as hostile. These challenges do not stop every woman from ascending to senior enlisted ranks, indicating a level of resilience has been cultivated for her to thrive. The focus of this study was on the positive experiences of female senior enlisted U.S. Army Veterans and the moments they felt most alive and empowered while serving. I utilized Appreciative Inquiry in a phenomenological research design to explore the lived experiences of female U.S. Army Veterans who reached a senior enlisted rank to understand factors contributing to their cultivation of resilience by exploring the root cause of their successes. The study took place in the greater Washington, D.C. area of the United States. The findings draw attention to the importance of discovering, recognizing and developing the strengths of all Soldiers at the point of entrance into service throughout the entirety of their careers, and also actively engaging female Soldiers in supplemental resilience building sessions using Appreciative Inquiry to reframe the way they think and respond. This study contributes to existing research on resilience and informs innovative leadership and training within the U.S. Army to see an increase of women ascending to senior leadership positions. Keywords: women, female, senior enlisted ranks, U.S. Army, male-dominated workplaces, resilience, strengths, phenomenology, Appreciative Inquiry
Appreciative Inquiry, Male-Dominate Workplace, Resilience, Senior Enlisted Ranks, Strengths, Women
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations