C M Y CM MY CY CMY K National Defence Military Sociological THE SCIENCE OF UNIT COHESION ITS CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPACTS University Society of Finland THE SCIENCE OF UNIT COHESION ITS CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPACTS CCC CMMMCMYYY YCMCMCMCMMMYMYMYMYCYCYCYCYCMYYCMYCMYCMYKKKCMK MY CY CMY K NationalNationalNationalNational DefenceDefenceDefence DefenceNational MilitaryMilitaryMilitaryDefenceMilitary SociologicalSociologicalSociological Sociological Military Sociological THE SCIENCE OF UNIT COHESION ITS CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPACTS THE SCIENCE OF UNIT COHESION ITS CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPACTS THE SCIENCE OF UNIT COHESION ITS CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPACTS THE SCIENCE OF UNIT COHESION ITS CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPACTS THE SCIENCE OF UNIT COHESION ITS CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPACTS THE SCIENCE OF UNIT COHESION ITS CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPACTS UniversityUniversityUniversityUniversity UniversitySocietySocietySocietySociety ofofof of FinlandFinlandFinland Finland Society of Finland THETHETHETHE SCIENCESCIENCE SCIENCESCIENCETHE OFOF OFOFSCIENCE UNITUNIT UNITUNIT COHESIONCOHESION COHESIONCOHESION OF UNIT COHESION ITSITS ITSITS CHARACTERISTICSCHARACTERISTICS CHARACTERISTICSCHARACTERISTICS ITS CHARACTERISTICS ANDAND ANDAND AND IMPACTSIMPACTSIMPACTSIMPACTS IMPACTS Publication Series 1 Number 1/2012 Publication Series 1 Number 1/2012 Publication Series 1 Number 1/2012Publication Series 1 Number 1/2012 Publication Series 1 Number 1/2012 Publication Series 1 Number 1/2012 MikaelMikaelMikaelMikael Salo SaloSalo Salo & && & Risto RistoRisto Risto Sinkko SinkkoSinkko Sinkko Mikael(Eds.) (Eds.)(Eds.) (Eds.) Salo & Risto Sinkko (Eds.) ISSN-L 1796671X ISSN-LISSN-LISSN-LISSN-L 17961796 1796 1796671X671X671X671X ISSN 22425446 (Online) ISSNISSNISSNISSN 22422242 2242 22425446544654465446 (Online)(Online) (Online) (Online) ISSN 1796671X (Print) ISSNISSNISSNISSN 17961796 1796 1796671X671X671X671X (Print)(Print) (Print) (Print) ISBN 9789512523078 (Print) ISBNISBNISBNISBN 9789512523078 97895125230789789512523078 9789512523078 (Print) (Print)(Print) (Print) ISBN 9789512523115 (Online) ISBNISBNISBNISBN 97895125231159789512523115 9789512523115 9789512523115 (Online)(Online) (Online) (Online) National Defence University NationalNationalNationalNational Defence DefenceDefence Defence University UniversityUniversity University www.mpkk/mil.fi www.mpkk/mil.fiwww.mpkk/mil.fiwww.mpkk/mil.fiwww.mpkk/mil.fi Department of Behavioural Sciences DepartmentDepartmentDepartmentDepartment ofof of ofBehaviouralBehavioural Behavioural Behavioural SciencesSciences Sciences Sciences P.O. Box 5 P.O.P.O.P.O.P.O. BoxBox Box Box 55 5 5 DepartmentDepartmentDepartmentDepartmentDepartment of ofof of PublicationPublicationPublicationofPublication Series SeriesSeries Series 1 11 1 Publication Series 1 04401 Järvenpää 04401044010440104401 JärvenpääJärvenpää Järvenpää Järvenpää NumberNumberNumberNumber 1/2012 1/20121/2012 1/2012 Number 1/2012 Suomi Finland SuomiSuomiSuomiSuomi FinlandFinland Finland Finland BehaviouralBehaviouralBehaviouralBehaviouralBehavioural Sciences SciencesSciences Sciences Sciences Publication Series 1 Number 1/2012 Mikael Salo & Risto Sinkko (Eds.) ISSN-L 1796671X ISSN 22425446 (Online) ISSN 1796671X (Print) ISBN 9789512523078 (Print) ISBN 9789512523115 (Online) National Defence University www.mpkk/mil.fi Department of Behavioural Sciences P.O. Box 5 Department of Publication Series 1 04401 Järvenpää Number 1/2012 Suomi Finland Behavioural Sciences 1 Finnish National Military Sociological Defence University Society of Finland THE SCIENCE OF UNIT COHESION – iTS chARAcTeRiSTicS And impACTS Mikael Salo & Risto Sinkko (Eds.) Department of Behavioural Sciences Publication Series 1 Number 1/2012 2 © Military Sociological Society of Finland Cover picture: Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) Cover & publication layout: Heidi Paananen (FDF) Distribution and sales: National Defence University Department of Behavioural Sciences P.O. Box 5, 04401 Järvenpää, Finland ISSN-L 1796–671–X ISSN 2242–5446 (Online) ISSN 1796–671–X (Print) ISBN 978–951–25–2307–8 (Print) ISBN 978–951–25–2311–5 (Online) Juvenes Print Oy Tampere 2012 3 PREFACE Academic sociology is a relatively recent discipline, formally established in 1895. In that year, French scientist Émile Durkheim, the father of sociology, set up the first European department of sociology at the University of Bordeaux. Understandably, the origins of Finnish military sociology do not predate the main academic discipline. Academic structures were gradually organized, helping contemporary military sociology to break through as an outcome of the Second World War. In that era, a young Finnish sociologist called Knut Pipping served as a sergeant in a fighting unit and gathered empirical material systematically both during and after the Finnish wars. His work entitled Infantry Company as a Society was presented in Swedish as a doctoral dissertation at Åbo Academy in 1947. This was two years before the publication of The American Soldier, an academic masterpiece that has been considered to represent the beginning of empirical studies in military sociology. Thus, Finnish military sociology had a very early start, but unluckily behind the Anglo-Saxon language barrier. Pipping’s Infantry Company as a Society is the root of Finnish military sociology as a discipline. Another key work is the novel The Unknown Soldier by Väinö Linna. Like Pipping, Linna was a sergeant and made his notes on the battlefield. Published in 1954,The Unknown Soldier is considered to be a national debriefing on the war. The book is seen as an insightful reflection of real military life, but in the form of fiction. These two fountainheads of Finnish military sociology have not only fostered but also impeded the discipline in later years. To revitalize the stagnant field of military sociology, General Jaakko Valtanen, former Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces, accepted an initiative proposed by young officers to establish and chair the Finnish Military Sociological Society in 1994. The Military Sociological Society of Finland (MISSOF) is a small independent scientific association. The society aims to support Finnish fundamental and applied research in military sociology. The society defines military sociology as a multidisciplinary humanistic social science that involves studying not only inter-military functions but also civil-military relations and relations between all security-related actors in society. Part of its task is to establish contacts between domestic and international researchers and help their work to flourish. To that end, the Finnish Military Sociological Society translated Knut Pipping’s early work into English and published it together with the Department of Behavioral Sciences of the Finnish National Defence University. Moreover, the Society organized a seminar and subsequent tour of lectures in 2011 commemorating the early work of Finnish military sociologists and highlighting topical military sociological themes that have both scientific and practical implications for military units. 4 The main event was a seminar entitled “Unit Cohesion and its Impacts on Group Performance”. The respected guest speakers were doctors Reuven Gal from Israel and James Griffith and Guy Siebold from the USA. They, together with their Finnish colleagues, contributed to the whole project, including this publication. The Finnish Military Sociological Society warmly thanks the contributors and the Finnish National Defence University, the Army Academy, and especially the donor organizations for their wholehearted support: The only solid basis for building the military of the future is to understand how one’s own and other societies function and evolve. In the globalizing world, this is increasingly important also in Finland. Kalle Liesinen Chairman of the Finnish Military Sociological Society 5 CONTENTS Kalle Liesinen Preface .........................................................................................................3 Contents ......................................................................................................5 Biography of the Authors ..........................................................................6 Mikael Salo & Risto Sinkko 1 Introduction ........................................................................................9 James Griffith 2 Cohesion Forgotten? Redux 2011 – Knowns and Unknowns .......11 Jukka Leskinen 3 Sense of Coherence as a Buffer Against Crisis Management Veteran’s Stress .................................................................................33 Reuven Gal 4 Why is Cohesion Important? ............................................................37 Guy L. Siebold 5 The Science of Military Cohesion ....................................................45 Olli Harinen 6 Knut Pipping's Forgotten Study of a WW II Infantry Company and His Results about Soldiers' Informal Group Norms ................65 Juha Mälkki 7 Cohesion, Real War, and the Effectiveness of the Organization ...............................................................................81 Mikael Salo 8 Unit Cohesion – Theoretical Implications and Practical Recommendations .............................................................95 Klaus Helkama 9 Equality, Trust, Fairness, and Cohesion .........................................109 Aki-Mauri Huhtinen 10 Reputation – One Part of Social (Media) Cohesion also in a Military Organization ..............................................................115 Kalle Liesinen 11 Military Sociology