Social Climates: Drivers of Soldier Well-Being and Resilience

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss findings from empirical studies of social climate in military settings. Much of this work has been conducted by researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) in the period from the early 1990s to 2005. Most of this research centers on the role that shared social climates play in the well-being of soldiers. Well-being is a broad concept incorporating (but not limited to) factors such as depression, morale, job satisfaction, and physical health. Results from studies of well-being have implications for soldier performance and resilience in that well-being is presumed to be a driver of both (see for instance, Bliese, Thomas, & Jex, 2002). Studies of climate and well-being conducted at WRAIR have revealed two important things: (1) the existence of specific social climates can be empirically demonstrated using a variety of statistical tools; and (2) some specific types of social climate, most notably climate as related to unit leadership, directly and indirectly affect soldier well-being. Within these two broad themes, however, are a number of important nuances that help advance the theoretical understanding of the measurement properties of climates, and the role social climates play in individual and organizational outcomes.