Leveraging Commitment Theory to Increase Female Representation and Retain Talent

The Chief of the Australian Army has set a goal of increasing the female representation rate from 12.1 percent to 15 percent by 2023, with the ultimate goal of 25 percent female representation longer term. This paper will use Meyer and Allen's ThreeComponent Organizational Commitment Model to analyze how to develop and retain talent in high potential female officers in the Australian Army. This analysis will compare data with other nations attending Army War College, information obtained from Defence reports, and survey data from Australian Army female soldiers and officers. The primary recommendation is that the Australian Army use organizational commitment models to better understand the issue, which is a critical prerequisite to effective action. The paper also recommends analysis on why women leave in greater numbers than men, and recommends the establishment of a Talent Management Strategy focused on retention of high potential female officers within the Australian Army. Leveraging Commitment Theory to Increase Female Representation and Retain Talent Commitment binds an individual to the organization. —J. P. Meyer and N. J. Allen Two key structural forces currently fuel the war for talent: the first is that the power has shifted from the organization to the individual, allowing talented individuals to have negotiating leverage to manage their career. The second is that talent management has become a crucial source of competitive advantage. Recruiting and retention in the twenty-first century is expected to be more challenging with millennial “job-hopping” being the new norm. Global dynamics are changing, experienced baby boomers are retiring, and therefore, to remain competitive, organizations must develop focused strategies to recruit and keep talented individuals. The Australian Army, too, must develop a long-term strategy that better focuses their ability to attract, hire, develop and retain talent across the entire available workforce – of which half are women. Talent refers to those “individuals who can make a difference to organizational performance, either through their immediate contribution, or in the longer term by demonstrating the highest levels of potential.” In the last sixty years, the Australian Army has confronted major positive changes in the composition of its personnel and organizational structure, to the point where both men and women complete identical training at every level and are able to be employed across all trades and corps. The Australian Army has focused on targeted recruitment and retention efforts, and has introduced initiatives such as women, peace and security policies, as well as equity, diversity and unconscious bias training. However, one could argue that such efforts provide limited statistical success as female