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SPOTLIGHT ON LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM THE MILITARY

When the Grand Forks Air

Force Base had to give up its
large fleet of manned aircraft
Positive Psychology as a
and handle the personnel
crisis that ensued, local
Catalyst for Change
leadership reinvented the
organization to keep it by John E. Michel and Andreas Neuman
relevant. •

Reprint W1011C
This document is authorized for use only in Mr. Rahul R Lexman's Organizational Development Subject-K-(2020-21) at Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship (XIME) from Nov
2020 to May 2021.
 When the Grand Forks Air Force Base had to give up its large fleet of
manned aircraft and handle the personnel crisis that ensued, local
leadership reinvented the organization to keep it relevant.

SPOTLIGHT ON LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM THE MILITARY

Positive Psychology as a
Catalyst for Change
by John E. Michel and Andreas Neuman

In 2005, the U.S. Air Force’s 319th Air Refuel- sources weren’t sufficient to help these airmen
ing Wing, located on North Dakota’s Grand build the basic life and relationship skills they
Forks Air Force Base, found itself in a precari- needed but lacked. Something had to change
COPYRIGHT © 2010 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

ous position. Three years earlier, a decision to move these young, impressionable people
had been made to replace its large fleet of from merely surviving to thriving. Failing to
tanker aircraft with an important but smaller address employees’ concerns about future em-
group of Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehi- ployment would only exacerbate the problems.
cles. With the entire manned fleet scheduled With limited financial resources, the base’s
to be redistributed in short order, we were left senior leaders sought insights from business
with a vast infrastructure, an underutilized leadership philosophies—most notably posi-
but very capable workforce, and a base and ci- tive psychology, positive deviance, and appre-
vilian population facing an uncertain future ciative inquiry—to energize dispirited person-
due to our pending change in mission. nel and position Grand Forks to compete for
Much of the staff worried about the base’s additional mission opportunities, should they
viability. Morale declined, and both military arise. The idea was to inject new life into the
and civilian personnel began to exhibit an in- organization and reinvent it in a way that
crease in destructive personal behaviors. Over translated into meaningful service for every-
the next four years, significant numbers of em- one who called the base home.
ployees were referred to mental health or alco- In a matter of months, the ailing culture
hol abuse counseling, and suicides exceeded began to recover, and the behavioral trends re-
the U.S. Air Force average. Furthermore, disci- versed enough that the base became a con-
plinary actions were disproportionately high tender for new opportunities. The DUI rate fell
for the most junior personnel. Traditional by two-thirds, to its lowest in our 50-year his-
classroom training and our other available re- tory. Suicidal behavior dropped dramatically—

harvard business review • november 2010 page 1

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2020 to May 2021.
 Positive Psychology as a Catalyst for Change •• •S POTLIGHT ON L EADERSHIP L ESSONS FROM THE M ILITARY

and even as the installation’s population was dividual solutions that can be used to tackle in-
slashed by more than a third, voluntary in- stitutional problems. Grand Forks applied this
volvement in base activities more than quadru- philosophy more extensively than any other
pled. Perhaps most important, we found a po- U.S. military base previously had. For example,
tential new mission—as a federal government because the destructive and disciplinary ac-
center of excellence for the rapidly proliferat- tions had a relational component, base leaders
ing field of remotely operated aircraft, offi- invited junior personnel who were seen by
cially called unmanned aerial systems (UAS). peers as informal leaders to assist in cocreating
We created a hybrid organization with various a solution that would promote desired behav-
partners, such as the University of North Da- ioral and social change. Airmen worked with
kota, the Department of Homeland Security, the University of North Dakota to develop a
and elected civic and state officials. As a result, six-hour program for all newly arriving base
the base is now on its way to becoming a nexus personnel. It was a phenomenal success—pri-
of UAS research, training, and operations for marily because the target audience understood
the United States. it was a program for airmen, developed by air-
men, and guided by disciplined research part-
Positive Philosophies for Change ners who could offer tools to help bring about
Although positive leadership methodologies the desired changes. It has since been adopted
have become fairly commonplace in the busi- by a number of other bases in the Air Force;
ness arena, they are only recently taking root more are slated to follow suit in early 2011.
within the military. For many organizations Base leaders used the appreciative inquiry
facing a significant transition, it is hard to framework to involve all personnel in con-
overcome the tendency to hunker down structing a shared vision for the future.
within the clear, comfortable boundaries Though the natural inclination is to tighten
they’ve always known. Grand Forks Air Force control in times of stress, we focused on em-
Base was no different. Its “safest” approach powering the workforce and creating an inclu-
during this tumultuous time would have been sive environment to foster positive change. For
to stay inside the fence line and hope things instance, we held a series of workshops that al-
would work out for the best. But the risk of lowed military personnel, civilians, and com-
becoming obsolete forced a change. munity members to come together and voice
Positive psychology, as it’s applied in business, their ideas about how to move forward. These
emphasizes talent and fulfillment rather than insights gave us a comprehensive blueprint for
barriers and negative emotions. Leaders at the organization’s potential in a promising
Grand Forks recognized that positive psychol- market space: unmanned flight. Leaders also
ogy’s meteoric rise in popularity had much to developed a team invitation—as opposed to an
do with its ability to help organizations under- assignment—to participate in reshaping the
stand how they can and should invest as much organization’s culture. People at all levels were
John E. Michel, a colonel in the U.S. Air in their psychological and emotional balance encouraged to voice their opinions, offer their
Force, serves as the executive officer to sheet as they do in their financial balance sheet. ideas, and respectfully challenge the status
the commander of Air Mobility Com- We developed, taught, and promoted five posi- quo. One good idea that emerged was to create
mand in Illinois. He was previously the tive behaviors: caring, connecting, committing, an open source platform, called Sven’s List
commander of the 319th Air Refueling communicating, and celebrating (collectively (akin to Craigslist but named after the base’s
Wing, the host unit of Grand Forks Air known as “the 5 Cs”). These behaviors, mar- Nordic mascot) so people could solicit support
Force Base in North Dakota. Andreas keted through a basewide program, established for projects and programs benefitting base per-
Neuman, an Air Force captain, is in a common language to help members of the or- sonnel and their families. Having the effect of
training to become a mission com- ganization cultivate healthy relationships. They “flattening” the organization, this system en-
mander for the Global Hawk unmanned ranged from improving internal and external abled people from all levels to engage in dia-
aerial system. He previously served as communication to celebrating individual and logue on issues of mutual interest.
the executive officer to the 319th Air Re- organizational successes. This campaign proved To infuse these positive philosophies into
fueling Wing’s director of staff. The views so effective in fostering positive relational their decision making, base leaders developed
expressed in this article are the authors’ change that other segments of the U.S. Air a framework called 4 Yes. Designed to increase
and do not necessarily reflect the official Force have subsequently adopted it. organizational transparency, individual em-
policy or position of the U.S. Air Force or Another approach, positive deviance, in- powerment, collective agility, and shared
the U.S. government. volves identifying and building on unusual in- meaning, the framework acknowledged that

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2020 to May 2021.
 Positive Psychology as a Catalyst for Change •• •S POTLIGHT ON L EADERSHIP L ESSONS FROM THE M ILITARY

everyone—regardless of their place in the hier- dorms, where the kitchens were not well
archy—had the wisdom, integrity, confidence, suited for cooking and eating together in
and security to propose what was right. Lead- groups larger than three or four. Coming up
ers throughout the base were told to use this with a compelling alternative seemed like a
simple decision-making tool to assess people’s good opportunity to encourage greater social-
ideas for change quickly and fluidly. If initia- ization, build relationships, and increase sense
tives met the four organizational design crite- of belonging. With financial support from
ria (as appropriate), we could respond with a higher headquarters, downtown businesses,
resolute “yes,” and no further permission was and community leaders, we converted an old
required for execution—as long as the actions chapel basement into a professional-quality
were legal, moral, and ethical. The base’s most kitchen where personnel could create meals
senior leader met one on one with the other and enjoy them in groups; it seats up to 80
leaders to ensure that 4 Yes was universally un- people. Architects who had for decades been
derstood and employed. accustomed to designing for the military now
had a chance to be creative: They built a Tus-
Putting the New Mind-Set into cany-inspired space, complete with a 10-burner
Action stove. The area includes a large playroom for
It took great effort to establish an environ- children (the community donated toys, furni-
ment of trust, the first necessary step in bring- ture, and decorations). It’s open to the public
ing about positive change not from the top but reserved for airmen on holidays. One rule:
down and from the outside in (as is so com- no cell phones or televisions. You have to en-
mon in bureaucratic enterprises such as the gage in personal conversations. The idea was
military), but from the bottom up and from to give people opportunities to communicate
the inside out (consistent with the positive de- and connect in a more intimate setting—face
viance philosophy). Essentially, the power to to face. They would have a place to enjoy
make decisions affecting the future of the or- themselves and bring others along with them.
ganization was diffused throughout the base. Recognizing that community involvement
This had the widespread effect of making peo- can help build a deeper sense of purpose, the
ple at all levels feel as though they were per- base developed a one-of-a-kind policy that en-
sonally and proactively involved in fostering couraged employees to spend four hours a
positive change—that they could start getting month, during the business day, volunteering
things done, with the help of others’ insights, on or near the base. Typically, in a military
rather than fixating on roadblocks. culture, allowing people time off from work
Next, we assessed the base’s culture, using to volunteer was interpreted as a signal that
an online survey tool to pinpoint organiza- they must not be busy enough. Service was
tional strengths as well as sources of dissatisfac- appreciated—but on your own time. Now,
tion. One important finding was that current leaders at Grand Forks communicate that its
operations focused primarily on solving imme- mission is job one, but there’s often enough
diate problems as opposed to exploring future downtime to volunteer either on the base or
opportunities. This short-term perspective led downtown. In one case, a nearby town had a
to a sense of hopelessness and anxiety, which major flood and needed help. Airmen from
could easily contribute to an ongoing cycle of the base put in thousands of hours filling
destructive behaviors if not addressed. We also sandbags, building dykes, and rescuing items
conducted a search across the organization for from a local museum.
potential positive deviants—people who, de- The primary purpose of the volunteer pro-
spite possessing the same limited resources as gram is to elevate the act of serving others to
their peers, still managed to achieve unusual an organizational priority instead of treating it
success and might provide replicable models of as an individual responsibility. The airmen in
behavior. the example above happened to be serving a
In our surveys seeking to understand how to local town, but employees can use their four
better engage employees, for instance, we hours each month for any type of service they
found a significant number of respondents choose. They can teach economics to fourth
who enjoyed food and liked to cook and social- graders, coach their kids’ baseball team—the
ize over meals. But a lot of them lived in important thing is to give back. In the spirit of

harvard business review • november 2010 page 3

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2020 to May 2021.
 Positive Psychology as a Catalyst for Change •• •S POTLIGHT ON L EADERSHIP L ESSONS FROM THE M ILITARY

true integration with the community, however, dire straits, leaders took a more active role in
they aren’t permitted to wear their uniforms articulating its potential to both internal and
when volunteering their services off the base. external audiences. They pursued a host of
Some people are apprehensive about the nontraditional practices to shake things up,
volunteer program. They worry about public reaching outside the base’s borders to forge
perception. The base works for the taxpayers, mutually beneficial partnerships with universi-
who understandably want to know how per- ties, business owners, and even industry. This
sonnel are spending their time. But we are con- commitment to assist government decision
fident that the policy has played an important makers in shaping the base’s future by step-
part in Grand Forks’ turnaround, as evidenced ping outside the confines of the status quo was
by the slew of remarks from airmen and com- largely uncharted territory for a military
munity members about how it has engendered group.
greater esprit de corps and a newfound appre- But the story also illustrates how any organi-
ciation for making service a priority every day. zation going through a crisis with severe re-
Realistically, our positive philosophies had source constraints can boost morale and per-
to be complemented by more hard-line, tradi- formance by appealing to workers’ sense of
tional approaches. In particular, we took a purpose and desire to contribute in a meaning-
very strong stand on DUIs. Many of our em- ful way. Monetary incentives are not required;
ployees worked in remote locations. We in fact, in this case they were prohibited. Any
wanted to provide a prepaid taxi service so that company struggling with an outmoded or bro-
they wouldn’t drive under the influence. But ken business model, or unable to fulfill its po-
the concern was that it would encourage drink- tential for other internal or external reasons,
ing. (Remember, many of our airmen are confronts essentially the same problem that
under the age of 21.) So, we resorted to puni- Grand Forks faced—a loss of mission and rele-
tive measures instead. DUI offenses were esca- vance.
lated to the senior-officer level, which is pretty Of course, we didn’t win all of our battles. For
traumatic for a young airman. We also re- example, the civilians who worked on base (a
searched and posted the cost of a DUI for an big portion of our personnel) were as worried
individual: upwards of $10,000 in legal fees about their jobs as our airmen. They had less
and a significant career interruption (including job security than the military employees, and
loss of rank and potentially one’s security clear- they didn’t have all the same benefits. Since
ance). No one could visit any of our major fa- they were positioned out of town, many of
cilities on the base without being reminded of them at least 15 miles from home, we wanted to
the cost of making a poor personal choice re- give them access to some services normally lim-
lated to drinking and driving. ited to uniformed personnel, such as use of the
commissary. But we couldn’t overcome the in-
Grand Forks Air Force Base transformed itself stitutional barriers; for one, figuring out how to
from a cold-war-era installation into a model of tax them was highly complex. It was disap-
21st century government entrepreneurship, pointing for the base civilians and for us.
stewardship, and partnership. It is currently Though the future of Grand Forks, like that
poised to lead the aviation community’s fastest- of any evolving organization, is subject to un-
growing segment: unmanned aerial systems. certainty, the base is undeniably on a path to
The collaborative and inclusive focus of its regeneration. In the end, positioning Grand
change efforts has generated external interest Forks for success came down to getting peo-
in its success—so much so that the community ple—military and civilian—to focus on what
received a $5 million grant from North Da- we can do, not what we can’t.
kota’s governor specifically to fund initiatives
supporting the base’s ongoing transformation. Reprint W1011C
The turnaround at Grand Forks shows how To order, call 800-988-0886 or 617-783-7500
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creative ways. Realizing that the base was in

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2020 to May 2021.