An Analysis Study Describing the Organizational Culture of the Army National Guard and Its Effects on Readiness
Abstract
The principal method used to determine the military readiness within the Department of Defense is the readiness reporting system, which serves as a resource management tool that seeks to quantify the measurable variables such as equipment, training, and personnel. The system, however, does not address subjective variables such as morale, commitment, leadership, discipline, and cohesion that may affect a unit's combat performance. These variables are difficult, if not impossible to quantify and measure. Organizational culture, as a concept, has taken center stage as a major concern in organizational studies. It has become a widely acclaimed metaphor for understanding how organizations differ; how members develop bonding, or cohesion; and how members interact. It includes values, beliefs, norms, assumptions, and cohesiveness. Utilizing the ethnographic approach, which emphasizes participant-observation, supplemented by survey research, this study examines the Army National Guard and suggests another way of viewing readiness, that is, through the lens of organizational culture. The results imply that there is one pervasive military culture permeating both active and reserve components. However, within the Guard a sub- culture exists that has as its very core, a shared value system that places emphasis on the freedom of the citizen to pursue his/her own interests, while at the same time providing for the common defense of the community and nation: the citizen soldier. Ethnography, Theses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA209124
Entities
People
- Joseph Galioto
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences