Cultural Assessment of the U.S. Navy

Mission Statement

The US Navy has founded its self with being an organization that will train and activate skilled combat naval personnel. The official mission statement taken off their web site states, "The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas." (http://www.navy.com) The Navy also prides itself on the adventurous spirit it takes to embark on a career in the navy. The slogan used in getting new recruits is "Accelerate your life". These statements suggest that the Navy is not only clear in its purpose and design, but also dedicated to its end. The clarity of its mission is seen in the extensive training that recruits receive in boot camp and the mental focus directed by their superiors to focus on the mission statement. In recruitment, the Navy seeks young men and women, often bogged down with school and jobs that to an eighteen or nineteen year old seems to be boring and slow paced.

Work Environment

The navy workspace is most commonly out on the sea, on a ship, or in a submarine. Part of the Navy's mission is to maintain freedom of the seas, thus the sea is their workplace. The design of many of these vessels does not allow for tremendous amounts of space or access to the outside world. A ship in the middle of the ocean is constricting of a person's mobility. Thus the ideal is to function as a crew and to work as a unit in order to accomplish the goal. The tight quarters emphasize connecting with your fellow shipmates.

Use of Slogans

"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of All Who Threaten It" is currently the slogan for the United States Navy. The slogan was meant to express the Navy's core mission of projecting power globally to protect and defend America. In addition, it has become a focus of purpose, pride and loyalty about standing up for your country and what it represents. Past slogans intended to capture the real meaning and spirit of the Navy were "Sailors Have More Fun," "Go Navy," "Fly Navy," "Join the Navy and see the World," "You and the Navy, Full Speed Ahead," "It's Not just a job. It's an Adventure!" and "Accelerate Your Life." ("Life, Liberty," 2004).

Techniques and Training that are Emphasized

The Navy's ads feature real sailors describing Navy life in their own words. The ads also focus on the benefits of training, education at sea and ashore, preparation for the future, travel and adventure, teamwork, and quality of life leisure activities such as e-mail at sea and family support (Borlik, 2003).

The Blue Angels are an essential part of Navy and Marine Corps recruiting and retention programs. The mission of the Blue Angels is to improve Navy and Marine Corps recruiting and to represent the naval service to the civilian community, its elected leadership and foreign nations. The Blue Angels serve as positive role models and goodwill ambassadors for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps (Official Blue Angels Site, 2004).

Status and Reward System

The U.S. Navy uses an award system to publicly recognize outstanding performance for specific accomplishments or for sustained performance over a period of service. Although award presentations have become more frequent such that the effect of being recognized has been diluted, the awards are warmly received with the main impetus being the benefit the award will have on advancement opportunities. Members with few or no awards will seldom be advanced to higher paying, more responsible positions. When these members do advance, it is with less expediency as compared to the fast-track war heroes with rows of medals on their chests.

In reality, sailors are more motivated by "training, security, or a feeling of doing something worthwhile" (Stevens, 2001). Rarely will you meet a sailor whose main goal is to receive an award for recognition purposes.

U.S. Navy Tradition

The U.S. Navy is a strong supporter of tradition. It is blatant in the terminology, the day-to-day operations, and in all of the frequent pomp and ceremony. One example of tradition is the initiation process for sailors crossing the equator for the first time on a ship. This infamous crossing results in an uninitiated Pollywog becoming a respected and revered Shellback for the remainder of their Naval Career.

There are numerous other rites of initiation that have been naval tradition for years, however, they have been affected by our changing culture. Sailors place more emphasis on personal rights and respectability now than they did 10 or 20 years ago. Many found it degrading to be subjected to the humiliation of these initiations and, over time, have found substantial support for their beliefs such that "hazing," as it is called, is now strictly prohibited. Even with strict prohibition, incidences of hazing still occur partly due to that engrained tradition of when "ships were made of wood and men were made of iron."

The entire operation of the U.S. Naval organization is a measured and controlled environment. There are continual inspections, audits, and certifications of which the results directly reflect on the prestige of the organization, and contribute to the promotion of the individuals in the organization to positions of higher authority and pay. There is enormous pressure to perform well during these events. Passing an inspection will satisfy the requirement, but passing with flying colors will earn praise from your senior commanders and respect from your peers. Hamblet (2001) gives a good example of how important inspection performance is perceived.

I was shocked; my squadron finished dead last of the ten squadrons in the air wing. I walked to the ready room with my tail between my legs. The skipper was sitting in his chair at the front of the ready room. I sat next to him. He looked at me over the tops of his "cheaters" and said, "Well, Zygote, how'd we do?" "Not too good, sir. We finished last in the wing." He must have sensed my feeling that I'd let down the entire squadron. This was not a squadron that ever finished last, in anything!

Leadership Response to Crises

Since the military organization is designed to function in a combat situation, a large part of the day-to-day operation is designed to train members on how to function in that kind of an environment. There are few environments filled with more critical incidents or crises than the military.