Is the herd(phalanx) behavior intended to be a pain in the ass? I've frequently had issues in combat with civilians standing in my line of fire and obstructing doorways between me and the aliens. Obviously my soldiers are going to be in the heat of combat, so herd(phalanx) is equivalent to 'run toward gunfire'.
I would much prefer: herd(phalanx) --> herd(dropship/insertion). That is, the civis see the soldiers, run to them, and the soldiers tell them to go to the ship (usually the safest direction).
There should definitely be a panic mode for civis, where they freak out and do counter-productive things, and having them stick to my soldiers like glue would be a great example of that sort of behavior. The default though should be something like the above, a simple, rational, evacuation.
As things are now, civilians are essentially suicidal. The only way to save them is to kill the aliens as rapidly as possible (hence preventing the civis from getting themselves killed). I effectively ignore the civilians when they're not in my way.
If I could count on the civis to act logically it would improve game play. I might actively seek them out (in order to send them to the ship) and maintain secure routes of egress for them. That would be a significant tactical addition to the game.
