Expectations and Integration of Organizational Military and Civilian Cultures
Abstract
The U.S. Army has numerous types of organizations, some of which have primarily military personnel, while others have mostly civilian government employees. Both types of employees bring different but important skill sets to the organization, and both are critical to its success. In addition, U.S. Army military and civilian workforces have different organizational cultures. Allowing both cultures to exist within an organization rather than trying to unite them can impact overall organizational effectiveness because each has different rules and expectations. Having two separate and distinct cultures within an agency can cause unintentional consequences to the success of the agency and may affect morale, team-building, and turnover. The extent and type of the differences will vary by organization and may be a reflection of the senior leader. For example, in an activity run by a civilian, civilian work practices usually prevail. Likewise, a military leader generally establishes military-type policies. When analyzing how to integrate two distinct organizational cultures, the following question arises: What organizational culture expectations do Army and civilian personnel have, and how do they differ? Knowing the answer may help leaders develop an effective culture for their agency that maximizes what both their civilian and military personnel value. In this study, existing knowledge provides baseline information on the impact organizational culture can have on a workforce, and the consequences of allowing multiple cultures to co-exist within the same agency. A survey is used to collect data from civilian and military employees at two agencies at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, to determine if, and how, organizational culture expectations are different for Army military and civilian personnel. The survey also will gather information on whether the two distinct cultures impact the operational effectiveness of the agency in terms of morale, team-building, and turnover.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA549320
Entities
People
- Alvin T. Lee
- Sharon L. Meirose
Organizations
- Defense Acquisition University