Transcript Presentation Title goes here

THE UNFOLDING LANDSCAPE OF SOUTH AFRICAN
MILITARY CULTURE:
The views of officers from within
Prof Lindy Heinecken
Presentation at 2011 Strategy Conference on Military Culture,
Stellenbosch University, 23 September 2011
Department
Departement
of Sociology
Gesondheidswetenskappe
and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty Faculty
of Artsofand
Social
Sciences
Health
Sciences
OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
AIM
• What factors influence military culture in South Africa
from outside and within?
SCOPE
• The nature of the military task (warfighting, peacekeeping,
constabulary)
• The nature of military organisation (discipline, cohesion,
selfless service)
• Societal forces and effect on military culture (trade union
rights, gender equality)
CONCLUSIONS
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POP SURVEY AMONG SANDF OFFICERS
METHODOLOGY
PROFILE OF OFFICERS RESPONDING TO POP SURVEY
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Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
POP SURVEY AMONG SANDF OFFICERS
Profile of respondents to POP survey (1999-2009)
Race
Arm of
service
Rank
Gender
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Black/African Coloured
747 (52.6%) 106 (7.5%)
Asian
32 (7.5%)
White
536 (37.7%)
Army
Air Force
Navy
SAHMS
877 (63.8%) 211 (15.3%) 146 (10.6%) 141 (10.3%)
Lt/Captain
Maj/Lt Cdr
10 (0.9%)
302 (21.9%) 570 (41,3%) 452 (32.8%)
(SAN)
Lt Col/Cdr
Male
1259 (85.8%)
Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Col/Capt
Female
201 (13.8%)
Brig Gen/
46 (3.3%)
NATURE OF MILTIARY TASK
Warfighting vs peacekeeping roles
The Department of Defence should focus its
current programmes on conventional
military training rather than supportive roles
or external peacekeeping
The Department of Defence should provide
peacekeeping forces to African countries.
The present Department of Defence should
play supportive roles such as policing
support, humanitarian support and election
support rather than conventional military
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roles.
Agree
Unsure Disagree
33%
15%
52%
78%
9%
11%
46%
12%
42%
NATURE OF MILTIARY TASK
DOD current training should focus on conventional training
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NATURE OF MILTIARY TASK
Constabulary roles rather than conventional roles
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NATURE OF MILTIARY TASK
As Frost (2000:38) states, where the task
of an organisation is redefined, so the
culture of the organisation changes and
this in turn impacts on the functioning of
an organisation.
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NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION
MILITARY DISCIPLINE AND AUTHORITY
As Buckingham (1999:8) states, “failure to consistently
enforce even minor standards or the failure to respect
the legitimate authority of the leader may escalate
quickly to insubordination that spreads throughout the
entire organization”. For members of the military to
show respect for authority there must be firstly trust in
military leadership and secondly, faith in the chain of
command.
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Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION
Trust in chain of command
The respective headquarters and staff
divisions looks after the interests of
individual members of the Department
of Defence well
I am opposed to the idea of a
representative association bypassing the
existing chain of command to negotiate
on my behalf
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Agree Unsure Disagree
16%
27%
57%
51%
18%
31%
Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION
Opposed to representative association bypassing the existing chain of
command to negotiate on my behalf
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Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION
COHESION AND ESPRIT DE CORPS
In this regard Seibold (2011:463) warns:
“… regardless of shared goals, trust can be destroyed
or much reduced among the team members due to
favoritism being perceived as shown to certain
members, perceived lack of fair play, or perceived
aberrant behaviour which is perceived to be inimical to
formal or informal group norms and standards. Lack of
trust in turn can inhibit teamwork substantially and
decrease support for pertinent otherwise accepted
goals”.
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Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION
Factors affecting cohesion
Integration led to close cooperation
between the former statutory and
non-statutory forces
Affirmative action during the
promotion of officers does not
undermine the competency of the
Department of Defence
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Agree
Unsure Disagree
41%
26%
33%
37%
16%
47%
Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION
Integration led to closer cooperation between former forces
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Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION
Affirmative action does not undermine competency level of DOD
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Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION
Institutional/Occupational indicators
I prefer the military way of life to the
civilian way of life
Job satisfaction is more important than
a high income and good fringe benefits
Even if I would receive a financially
better civilian job, I will still not resign
from the DOD
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Agree
Unsure Disagree
68%
15%
17%
62%
17%
21%
34%
27%
40%
Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
SOCIETAL FORCES
James Burk (1999:458) states that on of the most
profound influences (apart from the move towards allvolunteer force) is the expanding circle of citizenship
and the push to institutionalize practices of equality of
rights and opportunity.
In South Africa, two issues which have a fundamental
influence on military culture and which emanate from
pressures from broader society are the demand for
“worker rights” and “gender equality”.
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Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
SOCIETAL FORCES
Support for collective bargaining and trade unions
Disagree
Agree
Unsure
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Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
SOCIETAL FORCES
Support for women in frontline combat roles
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Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
SOCIETAL FORCES
Similar to the findings by Miller (1995) on women serving in the
military in the United States, SANDF military women and ‘men’ feel
that women should be allowed to serve in combat roles only if they
can meet the standards required. Women generally resent being
pushed into these positions and prefer policies where their choices
are matched with their skills and abilities.
The issue of gender integration and the effect on military culture,
stretches beyond issues of combat inclusion and masculinity. Of
greater concern are matters of sexuality and sexual harassment. Webb
(1997) states, for example that sexual jealousies, courtships and
favouritism affect authority relations and drive a wedge into issues of
fairness and discrimination. This is a matter of greater concern.
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Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
CONCLUSIONS
Statement by Sun Tzu, quoted in Buckingham, (1999:8).
“When the General is morally weak and his
discipline not strict, when his instructions and
guidance are not enlightened, where there are
no consistent rules to guide the officers and men
and when the formations are slovenly, the Army
is in disorder and self-induced chaos”.
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Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology
●
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
COMMENTS AND
QUESTIONS?
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