Visualizing the Ties That Bind Us: A Cross-Sectional Thematic and Visual Analysis of Cohesion Across Three British Military Formations

Abstract

Military unit cohesion has been associated with team performance, combat motivation, and positive mental health outcomes. Scholarship of military cohesion has been dominated by the Standard Model of Cohesion and the Task Cohesion Approach. Recent shifts in the character of conflict alongside a range of sociopolitical changes require these models to be reevaluated. This article aims to empirically compare these models using a deductive exploratory approach to assess their utility for present-day military formations. Seven construct variables were operationalized as deductive themes, coded against 26 focus groups with personnel from three military formations. Thematic analysis was supplemented by graph modeling, allowing to visualize interactions of constructs. Findings show that military formations develop cohesion in different ways. Teams low in occupational similarity emphasized leadership and shared experiences, while those with high levels emphasized professional competence. This novel approach provided a powerful tool to analyze, visualize, and model qualitative data about cohesion.