Australian Army Journal

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ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE From Institution to Occupation: Australian Army Culture in Transition individual attitudes and organisational restructure have seen the Army move a long way down the occupational path in pay matters while stepping back from the collective action nexus. Individual rights Shifts in individual attitudes and behaviour are also part of the broad cultural change overtaking the Army. These changes to individual characteristics are, however, partially due to cultural trends in the broader civilian society. Sociologist John Faris argues that, as the military organisation shifts in orientation, it ‘both indirectly and directly affects both the attitudes and values of military personnel as individuals’. 23 The changing culture of the organisation and individuals within the Army can become self-fulfilling as both groups reinforce each other. As the organisation becomes more occupational in nature, members become more occupational in outlook. In turn, the members make more occupational demands on the Army and so the process continues. A dichotomy exists between the role of a soldier as a citizen who is subject to the laws of the land and an individual who is entitled to his civil rights. On enlistment, the soldier is subject to military law and discipline above and beyond the civil code. The Defence Force Discipline Act was implemented in 1985 to overhaul the then incumbent system and, in part, bring the individual rights of service members into line with community standards. The civil rights of individual service personnel were also the driving force in the establishment of the Defence Force Ombudsman in 1983. Service personnel lacked a legally binding contract and their employment was at the pleasure of the Crown — they enjoyed few substantive rights. The Defence Force Ombudsman extended to soldiers a measure of legal protection such as from unfair dismissal, which civilians take for granted. The Defence Force Ombudsman is, in fact, the many-hatted Commonwealth Ombudsman which handled 104 cases for the Army in 2011–2012 with a 100% closure rate. 24 This compares favourably with the Ombudsman’s other 160 clients from various Commonwealth departments with a caseload in excess of 40,000 in 2011–12. Despite these relatively small numbers the Defence Force Ombudsman, as an independent body to redress grievances outside the chain of command, further undermines the traditional institutional approach. Australian Army Journal Culture edition 2013, Volume X, Number 3 Page 196
ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE From Institution to Occupation: Australian Army Culture in Transition Project LASER The Directorate of Strategic Personnel Planning and Research regularly conducts research into retention and every member who separates from the military is debriefed as part of Project LASER (Longitudinal ADF Study Evaluating Retention). 25 Specifically, the quality of retention initiatives is evaluated through survey and interview. Clearly, a healthy organisation needs a constant throughput of new blood and fresh ideas and the Army in particular requires the physical toughness of youth. What Project LASER has established is that a member rarely separates on the basis of a single issue. Reasons for leaving are generally complex and are part of a wide range of factors both personal and professional. Evidence of a shift Dramatic movement and change in the areas of recruiting, retention, remuneration and individual rights support the hypothesis that the Australian Army is shifting from institutional paternalistic attitudes and adopting more occupational marketoriented work practices. Nick Jans summarises this cultural trend in the ADF as ‘the legitimisation of military service [which] remains strongly normative, but with simultaneous trends towards a more industrial attitude by service personnel.’ 26 There are, however, limits on how far the occupational shift will go. These limits are set by a combination of public opinion, the attitudes of service personnel, the Army hierarchy and the government itself. The Army also has an ethos and image formed by strong elements of tradition and patriotism. Symbols such as ceremonies, parades, uniforms, medals, and the ANZAC legend are closely linked to the national identity which is not easily put aside. Certainly, the recruit who casually enlists in the Army believing he joined a heavily armed branch of the public service will be quickly disillusioned. Evidence also suggests that this is not a zero sum game in that more of one means less of the other. Smith and McAllistar’s Survey of the Military Profession collected data on the attitudes of officer cadets from all three services over ten years. As officer cadets represent future elite opinion in the armed forces, their attitudes are of particular interest. Preliminary findings indicated that cadets reflected the attitudes of the wider society on individual rights and freedoms, and concerns over pay and conditions — as would be expected of an occupational orientation. At the same time, traditional institutional values such as service to the nation and patriotism were still strong. It appears that the individual serviceman is able to successfully integrate both strong institutional and occupational attitudes. Faris adds that, in fact, the introduction of occupational measures strengthens the individual’s commitment to the institution and makes the serviceman (and woman) a more dedicated and effective member of the organisation. 27 Australian Army Journal Culture edition 2013, Volume X, Number 3 Page 197
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CONTENTS CHIEF OF ARMY FOREWORD....
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CHIEF OF ARMY FOREWORD When I assum
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CHIEF OF ARMY FOREWORD her gender,
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EDITORIAL the way in which it deals
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HISTORY Serving Their Country: A Sh
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HISTORY ‘A Homosexual Institution
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GENDER AND SEXUALITY Steyrs and She
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GENDER AND SEXUALITY Sexuality, Coh
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RELIGION Religious Diversity in the
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IDENTITY Military Retirement: Refle
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DISCIPLINE Hazing in the ADF: A Cul
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OPERATIONAL CULTURE The Myths of Cu
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ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE Securing Arm
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Page 159 and 160: ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE Learning to
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Page 187 and 188: ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE From Institu
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Page 203 and 204: OPINION Army’s Spirit Warrant Off
Page 205 and 206: OPINION Army’s Spirit Pride As RS
Page 207 and 208: OPINION Army’s Spirit Mateship ca
Page 209 and 210: OPINION Army’s Spirit Our people
Page 211 and 212: OPINION Army’s Spirit I think it
Page 213 and 214: OPINION Brothers and Sisters in Arm
Page 227 and 228: OPINION On the Culture of the Austr
Page 245 and 246: OPINION Fifty Shades of Grey: Offic
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OPINION Fifty Shades of Grey: Offic
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CREATIVE WRITING Lost in Translatio
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CREATIVE WRITING Lost in Translatio
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NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS NOTES FOR CO
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