Defence Forces Review 2010

Defence Forces Review 2010Representative Associations in the Irish Defence Forces –Simply a Change in the Force or a Force for ChangeComdt David B CampionABSTRACTThe aim of this thesis is to examine the level of inclusion afforded to the representativeassociations in the process of organisational transformation in the Irish Defence Forces.Legislation permitting the formation of representative associations for members of theDefence Forces was enacted in 1990 and led to the formation of the Representative Associationfor Commissioned Officers (RACO) and the Permanent Defence Forces Other RanksRepresentative Association (PDFORRA). The associations were empowered to engage inconsultation through a conciliation and arbitration scheme on matters relating to remunerationand conditions of service. The representative processes have matured in the past 19 years andhave been particularly relevant since the introduction of initiatives such as the modernisationagenda that is linked to social partnership agreements and the Government White Paper of2000, which introduced radical reforms. The research question posed is: “Representativeassociations in the Irish Defence Forces-simply a change in the force or a force for change?”The question is initially examined in the light of theoretical frameworks and performanceindicators relative to organisational transformation, with emphasis on public sector reform,as posited by a variety of academics. This review is related directly to academic commentaryspecific to the representative processes in the Irish Defence Forces.The field research is an action research model. The participants in the research are the seniorfigures from the representative associations, military management and the Department ofDefence ensuring the highest quality of data for analysis and comment.The thesis provides an interesting perspective on the successful development of theparticipatory nature of organisational transformation in the Defence Forces and offers somecomment on the theories and practices that are extant.108