Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify key strategies used by Marine Corps battalion commanders for building trust among Marines in a combat environment. Methods. After a review of the cogent literature, the key conceptual framework categories were identified as concern, competency, and integrity. To identify the key strategies, Marine Corps battalion commanders responded to a series of questions using the dynamic narrative approach, which allows for individual as well as group participation. The participants were all former battalion commanders in Iraq or Afghanistan and were still on active duty. Validity was established through an expert panel of researchers, and data analysis included interrater reliability. Findings. The study identified key strategies for building trust as perceived by Marine Corps battalion commanders for each category outlined in the conceptual framework: concern, competency, and integrity. The research resulted in 12 overarching themes: 4 for the importance of trust, 3 for concern, 3 for competency, and 2 for integrity. Conclusions. The results of the study indicate the importance of key themes in trust development. These key themes represent an overarching approach that Marine Corps battalion commanders can apply when leading Marines in garrison or combat. The study revealed that it is important for Marine Corps leaders to foster trust through concern, competency, and integrity. Recommendations. Marine Corps leaders can increase a unit's combat proficiency and level of trust by implementing key strategies identified herein. Further research could examine the characteristics of concern, competency, and integrity so that all Marine Corps leaders could develop trust, unit cohesion, and be better prepared to accomplish the mission over the range of military operations. The findings in this study offer Marine Corps battalion commanders key strategies for developing trust in a combat unit.