| The purpose of this study was to determine how the provincial reconstruction team (PRT) organizational structure promotes cooperation within U.S. PRTs in Regional Command East (RC/E) in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2010. A case study approach, incorporating qualitative methods, was used. Twenty candidates were selected using purposeful sampling. These candidates participated in semi-structured, individual interviews. Interviewees included civilians and military personnel working with the PRTs in Afghanistan. Definitions of cooperation, cooperative behaviors, and non-cooperative behaviors were generated. These findings, in combination with social network analysis, were utilized to further identify and explain specific conditions and relationships required for effective civil-military cooperation in the PRTs. Using social networking sociographs, organizational structures that best promoted or not promoted civilian-military cooperation were mapped and compared. The study's results may serve as a useful guide for U.S. civilian and military leaders when considering the establishment of PRTs in other post-conflict countries. |
