2003 IMTA Proceedings - International Military Testing Association

understanding. Also, when individuals interpret others’ messages as threatening, they often
respond in ways that retard effective communication. As a result, the commanding staff is
perceived as being oppressive and not having the interests of the employees at heart. The latter
view is supported by Johnson and Johnson (2000) who state that the higher the level of
bureaucracy, implying more vertical levels, the greater the opportunities for filtering. Whether
the perceptions and interpretations that members have are correct or not, they do have a negative
impact on the effectiveness of their operational functioning.
c) The member and other members from other countries or the same country within the
deployment area.
It is a well–established fact that cultural differences may lead to uncertainty about human
behaviour (Cox, 1993). Individuals also selectively see and hear based on their needs,
motivation, experiences and other personal characteristics. However, within an international
deployment context, language differences acts as the greatest barrier to effective communication
(Ursin and Olff, 1995). Some members feel substantially depressed by the fact that they are
unable to communicate with their counterparts from other countries. Their inability to
communicate leads to a sense of alienation, stress, anxiety and increases the need to “go home”
(Makgati, 2001).
Pre-deployment preparation
Pre-deployment preparation does not begin when the deploying member actually reports at
the mobilisation area to receive briefings and to do the administration in order to deploy. It
commences from the moment that the member is informed that he or she has been selected for
deployment. Conflict and confirmation become the two primary aspects that members face when
they have to inform their loved ones about this.
At this time, members begin to build defences and coping mechanisms that enable them to
better deal with the deployment. Ursin and Olff (1995) theorise that it is possible to treat defense
as distorted stimulus expectancies within information processing theory. From the time the
members hear of the news, they begin coding and analysing. They would consequently attempt
to make projections into the future. In support of the latter, Lazurus and Folkman (1994)
postulate that we need to regard defense as part of coping strategies.
South African deploying members argue that they have not been fully prepared nor helped to
create these defences and coping mechanisms that are essential towards their deployment. They
argue that the deployment is treated as being an ordinary daily work experience at the home unit.
For instance, members may be concerned about “who will take care of the house” when they are
deployed. Those responsible are often individuals with different interests and this may cause
disputes upon the return of the member.
The Role of the Government and the Organisation
The SANDF is mandated and tasked by the government. However, the organisation is also
responsible to act in the interest of its members. As a result, these three parties are co–dependent
on one another. If one of these parties fails to deliver, the victim is the image of the government
through the deployed member. Both the organisation and the government play a role in the
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45 th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association
Pensacola, Florida, 3-6 November 2003