The Complexity of the Recruiting Processing Cycle Creates Ethical Dilemmas for the Recruiters
Abstract
Automation upgrades in the last 10 years have greatly enhanced the Army's ability to carryout its mission. This holds true in almost every career field and job specialty. New weapons systems, satellite communications on the battlefield, radar reducing uniforms, and even Meals Ready to Eat represent breakthroughs that distance the Soldier of the United States from the service personnel of every other nation on the globe. Even garrison has benefited from upgrades in technology including My Pay and eArmyu. The United States Army Recruiting Command finds itself caught in the technology web to process its applicants faster and smarter. In this instance, it is not for the better. Technology is hurting the people centered business of recruiting. The processing cycle contains so many steps that recruiters find ways around the system, creating ethical dilemmas. This could be anything from not reporting an appointment the recruiter made, to avoid entering it into the computer, to withholding medical information in order to streamline processing through the physical. At each decision, the Soldier must use the ethical reasoning steps to decide what the right course of action. A central database and automation provide a way for the Brigades and the Command to monitor to individual recruiter level. After numerous changes and acronyms like TOS, which stands for Top of the System, the system is a quagmire of checks and balances. Neither a recruiter, station commander, nor First Sergeant can complete everything required, in the current system, in an acceptable business day. Faced with a limited amount of time, they must make the ethical choices everyday to accomplish the mission and recruit with integrity. Each choice is its own problem. The rules are a mixture of regulations and recruiting policy letters changing the qualifications and ways to process future Soldiers. Recruiters have a split second to develop courses of action and them choose a an action.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 08, 2005
- Accession Number
- AD1144084
Entities
People
- Luke Legg
Organizations
- United States Army Sergeants Major Academy