(Author Name)
(Institute)
- Describe the organizational culture of the Air Force Academy as presented in this case in terms of its similarity and differences to a typical college or university.
In many respects, there are similarities between the environment of a typical university or college and the Air force Academy. It is a common environment that creates a feeling of belonging, of identity for the students / cadets, provides a social support structure and consists of students of different ages and backgrounds working towards developing themselves and working towards their future.
However, in the case of the air Force academy, a few specific elements gain precedence. These reinforce the elements of discipline, of belonging and mutual dependence far more than those found in a university or college. Greater importance is given to discipline and authority and disobedience is considered a serious violation. Similarly, the importance of the collective over the individual is highly emphasized in the case of the Academy as against any university. As a result, the level of flexibility and understanding of different viewpoints is also lower, unlike in a university where students from all manner of backgrounds come together and retain their individual identifications.
- List the management and organizational forces that contribute to resistance to change at the Air Force Academy.
In case of the Air Force Academy, there is a greater power distance between the authority figures and the cadets. Therefore, the concept that seniors or instructors have the right to give orders and enforce compliance is absolute, unlike in other more open environments. This leads to situations where those in power have the opportunity to inappropriately exercise that power, with low fear of discipline or complaint. This combined with the acceptance of aggressive / assertive behavior as a norm creates an environment in which those in authority have the opportunity to exploit their position to the detriment of those without authority.
Also, the power of the individual is sacrificed for the enhanced power of the collective; hence the capacity of an individual to oppose or protest against the system is curtailed, irrespective of the rightness of the individual. The traditions and image of the institution are more important than resolving issues, which leads to any protests being raised by those without authority being dismissed or treated as a threat to authority, thereby leading to victimization of those complaining.
All these elements thereby create an environment that is resistant to change, since it espouses tradition and discipline rather than acceptance of changing norms and perspectives.
- Are the two major problems in this case, the 1993 and 2003 sexual assaults, and the 2005 religious intolerance, related in any way? If so, how?
Both issues are distinctly related on several fronts. In case of the sexual assaults, female cadets complained of being mistreated by male cadets, mostly seniors and those in authority positions. Their complaints were not treated with the seriousness they deserved, and instead the complainants were then targeted for indiscipline and in turn became the victims of discrimination, in spite of the validity of the complaints. This was mainly due to the structure of the administration which did not permit female cadets to raise complaints against those seen as being higher in authority.
In the case of the religious intolerance complaints, the same environment is noted, where those in authority profess a certain faith (Christianity) and expect everyone in the Academy to adopt the same, irrespective of their individual beliefs or inclinations. This led to a feeling that those in authority were using their position to provide undue benefits to those cadets who “fell in line” or accepted the beliefs of their seniors, while those who did not were subject to discrimination on religious grounds.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the changes that the Academy made after the 1993 and 2003 sexual assault scandals. Explain the reasons for your evaluation.
After the 1993 sexual assault scandal, a rape helpline was established and guidelines issued to create an environment free of harassment or discrimination. However, since the allegations had emerged in the Academy, no steps were taken to create an environment through which the anonymity of the victim could be ensured. In addition, until that point, most instructors and senior personnel in the Academy were male and should have undergone sensitivity training to make them understand the need and methods of dealing with these issues, which was not done. This led to victimization of the female cadets, as seen in the 2003 scandal.
After the 2003 sexual assault scandal surfaced where it came to light how cadets that complained were victimized and forced to leave the Academy, steps were taken to provide confidential counseling and medical care without fear of disciplinary action. However, there were no steps taken to ensure that those perpetrating the crimes would be punished or disciplined in any way. Instead, previous commanders who were responsible for the victimization during the period between 1993 and 2003 were let off without any disciplinary action, in spite of the fact that “ sexual assault in the military imposes significant costs and impairs mission readiness as a whole” (US Commission on Civil Rights, 2013). This indicated the unwillingness of the Air Force command and political leadership to take the necessary steps to correct past mistakes and set a precedent for the future. This is seen by the findings of DOD in 2013 which showed that the US Air Force Academy was one of two military training academies that did not implement “all the recommendations and action items from the APYs 08-09 and 10-11 reports.” (Department of Defense, 2013)
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the changes made after the 2005 religious intolerance complaints. Explain the reasons for your evaluation.
While the report on the 2005 religious intolerance complaints outlines steps to be taken, it does not provide a definitive guideline on how these steps should be implemented. Where a clear mandate for the treatment of religious diversity was required, the report only asked for the reinforcement and reiteration of present guidelines. Since the complaints were a result of religious bias being exhibited by those in authority – the commandant of cadets and others such as the head football coach – disciplinary action should have been taken to ensure that such violations did not occur again. At the same time, steps to re-educate and instill a sense of religious tolerance should have been taken, which were lacking.
Therefore, the overall outcome of the report was insufficient to create the right environment to ensure that those enforcing their religious beliefs on others were in future discouraged from doing so with the perceived impact of disciplinary action that might result from their actions. All cases of religious intolerance were instead trivialized by claiming these were either voluntary or insignificant, instead of using them to define the boundaries of what behavior was acceptable or unacceptable.
- Given the unique military culture of this organization, what recommendations would you suggest at this point in time?
Since the organization is military in nature and relies on discipline to ensure compliance, clear policies of defining behavior that is acceptable or unacceptable need to be outlined. This would be best enforced by setting examples by taking action against those named as being the cause of these issues, viz. the authority figures at the Academy and senior staff as well as cadets / senior cadets. A clear guideline document also needs to be in place and available to all, such as the UK Ministry of Defence (2013) guidelines.
This could be done by disciplinary action in the form of compulsory training for dealing with the issue in question (whether sexual harassment or religious tolerance) ranging up to denial of promotion in rank and in the most severe cases a court-martial of the accused. However, this can be done only when clear disciplinary and policy guidelines without ambiguity are in place to enforce these rules. Therefore, a clear set of guidelines is the first issue that needs to be addressed, followed by action against those violating these rules in any manner. Sensitivity training towards these issues also needs to be incorporated as part of the learning curriculum so that cadets are very early in their careers clear on what behavior is expected of them. This will go a long way in setting parameters for their future.
- What impact do you think that the DOD’s new Sexual Assault Prevention and Response ( SAPR) program will have on the culture and the historic problems of sexual assault/ harassment and religious intolerance at the U. S. Air Force Academy?
The new program is likely to have a significant impact as the cadets are henceforth assured of a mechanism to deal with their individual issues. At the same time, the program needs to be highlighted to all cadets right from the start, and they should be thoroughly aware of how they can use it for addressing their issues.
Proper training and guidance on this should be part of their curriculum which will ensure they remember and inculcate the principles of tolerance towards others in their career and personal lives. This will go a long way towards addressing the issues raised in this case study.
References
US Commission on Civil Rights (Sept. 2013) Sexual Assault in the Military, retrieved from http://www.usccr.gov%2Fpubs%2F09242013_Statutory_Enforcement_Report_Sexual_Assault_in_the_Military.pdf&ei=VOgsVIXQItDkuQSh44GADQ&usg=AFQjCNH-uPSclogtyXvjTq5S3qPRfCvdNg&sig2=rL5YqL5xZqAXeuCpQjSOBQ
UK Ministry of Defence (2013) Guide on Religion and Belief in the MOD and Armed Forces, retrieved from http://www.army.mod.uk%2Fdocuments%2Fgeneral%2FGuide_on_Religion_and_Belief_in_the_MOD_and_Armed_Forces.pdf&ei=P-0sVPi0FIqdugTA_YCwCw&usg=AFQjCNGLCDEZMv7QODeuV8JiGBFZRU4jDQ&sig2=duFwhRIeWuHOaAEI1-0A7g
