Culture Matters: Military Training and Host Nation Culture 

by Major Kyle Vetter

INTRODUCTION^{Footnote 1}

Canada has a distinguished history of providing military training to a number of foreign partners.  In addition to other national elements, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is employed by the Government of Canada to develop new or improved military capabilities to enable partner forces and their development. Whether as part of defence diplomacy (DD) or capacity building (CB), the CAF utilizes subject matter experts (SME) to support the development of specific skills in host nation (HN) personnel.^{Footnote 2}  Deployed on training assistance visits or as part of a mobile training team, CAF SMEs utilize the Canadian Forces Individual Training and Education System (CFITES) to support the HN in the development of required skills. Through instructional design, CAF SMEs utilize one, some or all phases of CFITES, which include analysis, design, development, conduct, evaluation, and validation of training programs to support capacity building and capability development in HNs.

The DD and CB activities will continue to remain a strategic geopolitical option for the Government of Canada. As the CAF continues to remain involved in capacity building and the provision of military training assistance, it is imperative to focus on one of the underexplored subjects within the broader context, that is, the influence of culture on training. It is pivotal to consider the impact of the HN’s culture^{Footnote 3}  on orientation, instructional design and training transfer when working to support the improvement or development of military capabilities of partner forces.^{Footnote 4}  This is particularly relevant when cultural norms in the HN differ from the individuals’ experience within Canada.

Culture can be examined and explained through many paradigms. However, it is often thought of as a group’s patterns of thinking, living, and beliefs, including common behavioural norms and manner of communication.^{Footnote 5}  As learning is impacted by culture in various ways, CAF personnel deployed on operations in other areas of the globe require a critical understanding of how the culture of an HN has the potential to impact the training and development of skills within partner forces.^{Footnote 6}  The process of designing training programs is strengthened^{Footnote 7}  and becomes more effective through an examination of how a culture orients itself toward the future, performance and work. It is equally pertinent to assess and understand the relationship that culture has with training and how that might impact the application of training on the job through training transfer. Failure to understand the critical impact of the HN’s culture can result in a negative end state, impacted by misallocation of resources and the ineffective and possibly culturally insensitive design, development and conduct of training programs.

THE IMPACT OF ORIENTATION ON TRAINING

As a country that is home to diverse cultural traditions from around the world, the CAF recognizes the importance of adapting the training program to the culture and circumstances of the partner force.^{Footnote 8}  In his research on cross-cultural psychology, Geert Hofstede delves into key links between cultures and highlights a culture’s relationship with the dimension of time orientation.^{Footnote 9}Time orientation is organized into two categories: long-term and short-term orientation. These orientations can be viewed as the extent to which a culture focuses on the future, that is to say, whether it indexes on the present and past (short-term) or on the future (long-term). It further evaluates whether there are rewards for behaviours such as planning and investing for the future.^{Footnote 10}  Cultures that are oriented toward the long term are typically more collectivist and have the tendency to think in terms of “we” instead of “I.”^{Footnote 11} 

The cultural dimensions identified by Hofstede were utilized as a foundation and expanded upon to explore the differences between cultures by the Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness (GLOBE) research project in 1991. The GLOBE project rebranded time orientation as future orientation and also included the cultural competency of performance orientation. Performance orientation factors in aspects of whether a culture has rewards and mechanisms in place to promote excellence, innovation, and performance improvement.^{Footnote 12}  The human resource management theory expanded further on the cultural competency of orientation and included work orientation. Its inclusion helped understand the importance that an individual places on working and whether it is viewed in terms of being a burden, constraint or responsibility, and the degree to which work is prioritized over other aspects of life.^{Footnote 13} 

When supporting the development of partner forces in an HN, it is valuable to examine the future, performance and work orientation. Those are important steps in understanding the cultural associations that people have concerning their role as military members of the HN. In a culture with high future, performance and work orientation, members of the partner forces will be highly motivated to learn and develop the identified skills, as they view themselves as part of a collective striving for excellence. They also find value in the training and tasks they are undertaking. That also applies to the organizations that they work for. Alternatively, in a culture with lower future, performance and work orientation, issues during training can stem from a lack of motivation, participation or even attendance of partner force members. At the organizational level, there may be a lack of motivation to deliver on commitments or contribute resources that may only be beneficial in the  long term. Understanding the culture of partner forces is crucial when working on capacity building and the development of skills with an HN. Overall, it can serve as an indicator of the maintenance of interest, level of commitment and dedication of resources (material, human and financial) needed to achieve the desired results.

CULTURE AND INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

Culture must be a constant factor of consideration throughout the instructional design process, as it is necessary when designing and developing effective instructional programs that adequately address the needs of the HN and partner force.^{Footnote 14}  It is important to “fully understand” rather than “simply consider” the culture of the HN. More importantly, it is worth examining how one’s own culture impacts the way training is designed domestically, especially because the intent should be to design training programs “with” the partner nations and not “for” them.^{Footnote 15}  Cultural aspects should also be considered when a skill or capability deficiency has been noted within the partner force, and the training must be designed, developed and customized to address the identified skill gap.

In each phase of CFITES (analysis, design, development, conduct, evaluation and validation), instructional designers must be aware that culture is integral and, for it to be effective, the training must be culturally sensitive.^{Footnote 16}  When working with a partner force, the instructional designer must continuously consider the implications of a culture that differs from theirs in a wide variety of subjects, including time, performance or work orientation. For that reason, instructional designers should be embedded with the partner forces because increased interaction with the culture may offer them a more nuanced understanding of whom they are designing the program with and what the most culturally appropriate aspects that must be incorporated are.^{Footnote 17}  By being cognizant of our own beliefs, attitudes, feelings and desires, we are better equipped to understand the overlapping areas and intersections between the culture of the HN and partner forces. That ensures that the skills or the identified capability gaps within the partner force are respectfully addressed in the most effective way possible.

CULTURE AND TRANSFER OF TRAINING

The transfer of training, or training transfer, refers to an individual’s ability to apply the skill and knowledge they have learned while in training at the workplace.^{Footnote 18}  Similar to civilian corporations, the Government of Canada wishes to ensure that the allocated resources effectively contribute to the desired results. Within the realm of military skill and capability development, this is often assessed through the lens of training transfer. When developing training for a partner force, whether as part of CB or DD, it is invaluable to focus on the perceived relevance of the training for the trainees. If the training is not relevant or not perceived to be relevant—regardless of the trainee or work characteristics that were factored into the training design—the learned skills may not be applied upon returning to work.^{Footnote 19}  If members do not or cannot apply the skills gained from training, then the training objectives are not achieved, and the needs of the HN remain unaddressed.

In addition to the perceived relevance of training, characteristics of the trainee and their workplace must also be factored in during the design and development phase. That increases the chances of the members’ applying the skills learned in training to their place of work. When examining the characteristics of a trainee, self-efficacy and motivation are important factors of consideration. When members leave the training feeling confident in their ability to perform the tasks that they were trained to do, they are likely to be more resilient in facing and addressing the obstacles associated with the training they’ve completed.^{Footnote 20}

Self-efficacy is very critical because military employment can be dangerous, and the application of skills learned in training can mean the difference between life and death. As the confidence in their training increases, the members’ resilience and motivation plays a crucial role in the application of skills or knowledge. If the member’s motivation is low during training, the likelihood of them employing the skills gained is also low.^{Footnote 21}  When a member is motivated, they are likely to invest more effort in the initial transfer and maintenance of the trained skill. The transferability of skills and knowledge is central to gauging the success of a training program.^{Footnote 22}  A trainee’s cultural background and values are important because they greatly aid the design and development process in ensuring that the motivation to learn and the perceived relevance of the training are maintained throughout.^{Footnote 23}

In order to preserve the skills and motivation that a member has acquired during training, a trainee’s workplace and the organizational reward structure must support the member to maintain these skills.^{Footnote 24}  Without support from the organization—including providing opportunities to apply the skills, having tolerance for mistakes, and fostering a supportive environment that facilitates the transfer of learning—a member’s ability to apply the skills may diminish over time.^{Footnote 25}  This phenomenon is referred to as skill fade. To understand a partner force’s relationship with the training through its perceived relevance, developers of the training must consider the characteristics of the trainees and the characteristics of the work environment and ensure that the trainees gain the skills required

CONCLUSION

The role and impact of an HN’s culture within training, while often underappreciated, is vital to the effective design, development and delivery of military training^{Footnote 26}  for partner forces. A failure to incorporate the impact of culture can negatively affect the development of new or existing skills in a partner force. Overall, training can be designed, developed and conducted more effectively to ensure that it is tailored to the needs and realities of the HN. That not only requires a comprehensive understanding of the impact of culture but also demands knowledge of the cultural orientation, of how culture impacts learning, and of the characteristics of the HN environment. Finally, it must be recognized that developing culturally aware training programs requires continuous effort and a willingness to constantly learn and adapt to the varied settings and nuances of an HN’s culture. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Major Kyle Vetter is a training development officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. He recently deployed on Op IMPACT as part of the Canadian Training Assistance Team – Lebanon (CTAT-L), working with the Lebanese Armed Forces on capability development.

This article first appeared in the April, 2024 edition of Canadian Army Journal (20-2).