Department of National Defence

Policy, an intricate and often-overlooked aspect of implementation science (IS), can be leveraged to facilitate the mobilization and uptake of evidence-based practices. However, there are varying conceptualizations of policy in research and practice, and multiple approaches to the policy-making process. This article brings together a selection of literature and current guidance on policy using an IS lens, focusing specifically on the use of policy as an implementation strategy or lever to increase the uptake of interventions and evidence-based practices. The article uses the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF’s) implementation of measurement-based care (MBC) as a case example to discuss IS implications regarding policy. The CAF adopted an MBC system in 2014, coinciding with the consistent evolution of its mental health system. Although MBC is mandatory within the parameters outlined in the current directive (policy), adherence has consistently fallen below target level. The authors provide a brief overview of early implementation milestones for MBC in the CAF and describe the guiding policy in its current form. The authors draw from the IS literature on policy development and implementation, including elements of contextual adaptation and stakeholder consultation, to frame a series of considerations for refining the policy approach to MBC in the CAF.

Purpose This paper investigates the potential collateral effects of A.I innovations, specifically ChatGPT, on three key variables: innovation, readiness to exert effort and risk behavior. Design/methodology/approach A field experiment was conducted involving nearly 100 senior university students at a public university in Egypt, at a time when ChatGPT had not yet been legally operational. Over a one-month period, participants submitted three graded essay assignments. The treatment group utilized ChatGPT to write the essays, while the control group completed the assignments without such assistance. After submission, both groups participated in a lab-based innovation game, a risk game and a real effort task to measure their respective innovation, risk aversion and effort exertion. Findings The results reveals that students who used ChatGPT demonstrated significantly lower levels of innovation (ChatGPT usage is associated with a decrease in innovation scores by approximately 0.6–0.72 standard deviation points, at the 95% confidence level) and risk aversion (individuals in the ChatGPT group are more likely to become risk lovers, at the 90% confidence level) compared to the Non-ChatGPT group. Although the reduction in effort exerted by the ChatGPT group was not statistically significant, the overall trends suggest a potential decrease in effort related to the use of A.I. applications. Research limitations/implications On avenues for future research, although field experiments will always have the advantage of high ecological validity, testing the effect of AITGs on behavior could also benefit from the controlled environment of lab experiments. In such designs, spill-over worries would be minimal and internal validity would be high. To address the issue of external validity however, new experimental designs could be thought of to test the generalizability of the findings; longitudinal studies that trace the effect of technology across time, expanding the participant pool across multiple institutions that vary in terms of type (public/private), age of students (schools/universities), academic background and majors … etc. Practical implications On practical and policy implications – and in line with economic theories on innovation and economic growth and development (Schumpeter, 1942; Romer, 1990; Acemoglu and Robinson, 2013) – our humble findings point to an urgent need to augment existing education with concrete, innovation-based practices. These could include embedding design thinking and problem-based learning modules directly into curricula, as well as choice architecture that alters people’s behavior without restricting options. In addition, designing student innovation competitions and startup incubators that reward novelty and impact would incentivize the value of innovation. Originality/value This study is among the first to empirically test the impact of ChatGPT on innovation, effort, and risk behavior in a real-world academic setting. It provides preliminary evidence of the potential negative effects of A.I. applications on these variables, offering valuable insights for further research into the broader implications of A.I. on human behavior.

Antenna measurements are subject to many sources of error and uncertainty. One of the most common and significant is impedance mismatch error. This error is a result of a difference in impedance looking into the antenna terminals and the circuitry that directly precedes it. Furthermore, this error is difficult to quantify and compensate for when the antenna is embedded in a dense, three-dimensional integrated package. This paper proposes a theoretical methodology to correct this error if the return loss of the antenna is known. Its usefulness is demonstrated by implementing it as a custom NSI2000 script to process data from recent antenna measurements. The results from two test cases show the expected behavior and prove that even in well matched cases, errors can be identified and compensated for. The simplicity and ease of implementation of this method make it attractive for use with any type of antenna measurement for the purpose of increasing gain measurement accuracy.

Introduction: The Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR) program delivers mental health training, which includes a guided discussion and wellness check for Canadian Armed Forces search and rescue technicians (SAR techs) during their annual dive proficiency and currency training to support their mental health and performance and helps to decrease barriers to care and encourage care seeking when necessary. A mixed-methods evaluation of SAR techs’ perceptions of the wellness checks was conducted in July 2024. Methods: Sixty SAR techs completed an anonymous survey three months post-training to capture their perceptions of the wellness checks, including their usefulness; common therapeutic factors identified as important mediators of wellness check effectiveness from previous research; and attitudes toward care-seeking, supporting others, stigma, and resilience. Results: Most SAR techs found their most recent wellness check to be at least a little helpful in supporting their mental health and well-being, and their attitudes toward the wellness check appeared to improve afterward. The learning of new skills was a common therapeutic factor that most related to perceptions of wellness check usefulness. In terms of related outcomes, those who rated the wellness check as more useful reported greater confidence in accessing mental health care, but not greater resilience or stigma. Finally, most SAR techs who received a follow-up recommendation followed through with it. Discussion: The findings indicate that SAR techs perceive the current R2MR training as useful for supporting their mental health and well-being, but the findings are limited to this unique occupation.

LAY SUMMARY Cultivating a fair and equitable workplace is a key aim of the culture change efforts of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Furthermore, low perceptions of organizational fairness have been linked to poor retention outcomes within the military. However, little research has focused on identifying the antecedents of perceived (un)fairness, particularly in a CAF context. This paper describes exploratory research aimed at identifying the main fairness concerns associated with four key CAF employment aspects: posting decisions, career management, performance evaluations, and promotion decisions. Thematic analyses revealed substantial similarities between the most common types of concerns associated with postings and career management (i.e., a lack of input by members, the mistreatment of personnel, and poor career management), as well as performance evaluations and promotion decisions (i.e., the underweighting of job performance, the overweighting of factors unrelated to one’s job, and a perceived lack of objectivity). While the qualitative analysis also uncovered influential themes that were unique to each of these employment aspects, the current paper focuses mainly on the fairness concerns that touch on multiple domains.

LAY SUMMARY Masculinity contest cultures (MCCs) are prevalent in male-dominated organizations, with previous research showing the harmful effects for employees. MCCs value competition, aggression, and dominance over cooperation, respect, and diversity, fostering a climate of harassment, discrimination, poor psychological health, and high turnover. Conversely, transformational leadership promotes positive interpersonal interactions. This study examined whether transformational leadership counteracts the effects of an MCC on three outcomes (i.e., psychological distress, microaggressions, and turnover intentions) among Regular Force members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The findings revealed the negative effects of an MCC on all three outcomes, with the effects of two of these outcomes (i.e., psychological distress and microaggressions) influenced by gender. Whereas the results suggest that transformational leaders can mitigate the effects of an MCC on microaggressions for all members, this mitigating effect on psychological distress was only significant for men. Overall, these findings help inform defence strategies and policies targeting cultural issues.

This study evaluates the resilience of Arctic supply chains to climate change by introducing the concept of supply chain serviceability. We define serviceability as a function of vulnerabilities in transportation nodes and modes under disruption threats, focusing on climate change impacts. Using climate data from Northern Canada, we assess serviceability under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs): SSP1-2.6 (low emissions), SSP2-4.5 (moderate emissions), and SSP5-8.5 (high emissions). We use Monte Carlo simulations to predict climate-induced impacts on six airports and three aircraft types. The detailed analysis of Yellowknife and Iqaluit airports and military aircraft validates our methodology. We include the results for additional airports and aircraft types in the e-companion. Our findings indicate average serviceability index declines of up to 51 permafrost degradation, extreme weather events, and infrastructure vulnerabilities. Our study provides actionable managerial insights and theoretical contributions to support supply chain resilience initiatives. • Serviceability framework to evaluate supply chain resilience under climate change. • Methodology to calculate serviceability index using climate projections. • Arctic Canada case study to illustrate practical implications of the framework. • Insights to guide resilient supply chain strategies and infrastructure planning. • Theoretical and empirical opportunities to extend the proposed framework.

Workforce planning is at the core of military strategic planning. We focus on a critical aspect of many occupations in military workforces: the on-the-job training received by an inexperienced mentee under the supervision of an experienced mentor. We introduce the Experience Accumulation Module to allow the Athena Lite workforce modelling software to consider experience gained through on-the-job training. We compare four models and illustrate their differences with detailed results and analysis: (a) promotion requires minimum time in level; (b) promotion requires upgrade gained through physical resource usage; (c) promotion requires physical resource usage and Mentors; and (d) promotion through physical resource-constrained upgrade. We verify model implementation in Athena Lite by comparing our results from (a) through (c) with a well-known continuous workforce model. We then increase the complexity of our model in (d) and study the impact of resource levels on the upgrade process and the health of the population.