Differences in Company Leadership Between Infantry and Armor Units in the Israel Defense Forces

In view of differences between the historical origins of infantry and armor units in the Israel Defense Forces and the more technology-dependent and mechanistic nature of armor units in comparison with infantry units, we hypothesized certain differences in the leadership style of company leaders in the 2 types of units. We compared leader behaviors and some of their correlates in 24 infantry companies and 21 tank companies on the basis of surveys answered by company staff members (n = 166 and n = 146, respectively) and soldiers (n = 310 and n = 235, respectively). We complemented the quantitative analysis with an interview-based qualitative comparison of high-performing company leaders in the 2 types of units. The findings provide partial support for the hypotheses and suggest that more attention should be given to interunit differences in leadership patterns.