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Royal military college as a cult

Royal military college as a cult To view the Royal Military College (RMC) as an instrument for molding military officers for the nation would be an accurate means of outlining the institutions objective. In the Organizational Behavior Concepts, Controversies, Applications, textbook by Stephen Robbins and Nancy Langton, organizational culture is defined as: "a system of shared meaning and common perception held by members of an organization that distinguishes it from other organizations." (Robbins and Langton 316) Like all institutions RMC is full of variables and cleavages that link peoples together in a variety of manners. There is however more than simply a catchy motto "Truth, Duty, Valor" that binds the peoples of RMC. It is the contention of this paper that at RMC there exist a deep culture, profuse with many subcultures important to the implementing of change, promoting cohesion and development of the institution as a whole. If organizational cultures are said to herald shared meaning and common perceptions held by its members, who distinguish the organization from other organizations; one need compare RMC to similar organizations and determine if RMC is indeed distinguishable. In stating this, it is implied that by using a comparable institution to contrast RMC one will be able to see if members of RMC share a clearly distinguishable persona. RMC harbors "institutionalization" in so far as the textbook definition is concerned. Institutionalization is; "The process whereby an organization takes on a life of its own, apart from any of its members, and acquires immortality." RMC fits nicely into this definition, as RMC is immortal in the sense that it lives on even after the commandants, cadets and everyone in between have passed on. The institutions impact on society is also immortal. While in the early part of the last century some of the original goals of RMC included producing quality officers in Canada for the war effort at the same time developing Canadian autonomy from Great Britain; today's goals and objectives are indeed different. Yet the point remains that the college did not get shut down when the mandate changed. This fact reflects its immortality. There are many other military academies in the world; an example of one closest to home is that of the United States Military Academy, WestPoint. RMC and WestPoint have nursed a competitive rivalry since the early years of RMC. While both institutions are in the business of producing commissioned officers for their respective nations, the two academies are very different in terms of character and personality. According to the field of organizational behavior, institutions are said to have personalities just as people do. This is where culture plays a role in each respective military academy and determining the atmosphere of the institution. At both RMC and WestPoint there are differing notions of acceptable behavior. The first years at WestPoint are treated very differently than they are at RMC. The USMA 4th classman, also known around the campus as "pleebe" is kept distant from the upper years at WestPoint. While RMC has taken a very different stance, whereby first year cadets are treated as full fledge members of the Cadet Wing. The character of the two institutions differs even at higher levels. At WestPoint tradition is not compromised even at the risk of violating the morals of current day society. A blind eye is not as easily turned at RMC. Clearly the two examples lead one to reason that firstly RMC is an institution and secondly that RMC is distinct in character from other similar institutions. This brings this discussion to identifying the characteristics of RMC's culture and potentially subcultures. To further clarify what psychologists generally view culture to be, one may look to A.F.C. Wallace. Culture is an entire learned way of life. (Wallace 419) He further claims that culture satisfies the conditions that: 1) culture is a set of beliefs that in turn shape behavior. It is a form of a shared paradigm, 2) culture is based in part on emotion which are particularly conspicuous when change is threatened, 3) culture is based on a foundation of historical continuity. The potential loss of continuity in part explains the resistant to change, 4) cultures are defined by, and subsequently define symbols, 5) although culture resists change, it is constantly changing. This paradoxical condition limits the speed of change and consumes large quantities of energy, and 6) culture is more probabilistic than deterministic, a set of fuzzy imperatives. While Robbins and Langton describe an organizational culture as a system of shared meaning, they further qualify their definition with seven primary characteristics that in a comprehensive manner incarcerate the spirit of a culture. It is equally important to note that in addition to having a macro culture, RMC is comprised many subcultures. These subcultures can be defined as: "Minicultures within an organization, typically defined be department designations and geographical separation." (Robinson and Langton p. 616) Firstly there is innovation and risk taking: Members of RMC whether military or civilian, are not encouraged to take risk and break the status quo. For the most part, people at RMC regardless of position or role, are expected to act within their roles in keeping with the pre-existing templates laid out. The institution is dependent on obedience and good followership. The rewards and punishments are distributed in such a manner that those who tow the company line are viewed as good followers and thus good members. Secondly there is attention to detail. One of the very first principles taught when recruits arrive at the memorial arch, is to pay close attention to detail. Recruits are expected to pick up on the college history from day one. Uniforms are to be prepared paying close attention to lint and possible out of place threads. The public scrutinizes members of RMC and so the entire ambiance of the college down to the smallest of details must be monitored for political correctness and public appeal. Attention to detail is imperative to all levels at RMC, from the commandant down to the cadet population. Thirdly is outcome orientation: The most pragmatic means of determining the quality of officers RMC produces is to look at the rest of the Canadian Forces, singling out the RMC graduates and contrasting them against the remainder of the officer corps. This is a prime example of being outcome orientated. The culture at RMC depends greatly on the feedback from the rest of the Forces. There has in recent day been a wide shift towards looking at the means by which RMC trains its officers. Yet the system remains very outcome orientated. Fourthly there is People orientation: RMC is people orientated even though to the cadet body the institution at times may appear not to be. Ultimately RMC`s 'raison d'être' is to benefit the cadets in terms of their officer development, regardless if this means interfering in other aspects of their lives. In other words whenever a cost benefit analysis is applied systematically there is indication that a consideration for people is being made. After all, people orientation is all about management taking into consideration the effects of outcomes on people within the organization. Fifthly is Team orientation: The college is divided into many teams. Each squadron acts as team, the respective classes by year, every committee, every sport, the band and every club in a sense is a team. One can also look further into this principle and point out that each of these groups is also a subculture of the college as a whole. In most cases the culture at RMC encourages team activity. Even in terms of studying, for the most part both engineers and arts students alike collaborate in study teams. Sixthly is aggressiveness: Most of the population at RMC is type A, with a high drive for competition. Cadets are trained to be aggressive and intense in everything they do. Recruit camp is all about getting the new recruits to adapt to driving themselves aggressively in all facets of college life. Competition between the squadrons are encouraged and reinforced with rewards like exemption from certain duties. Mandatory sports encourage people to engage in aggressive physical activities. Drill in itself demands a command presence and as such an aggressive manner of commanding or obeying commands. Finally there is the characteristic of stability: The maintaining of status quo is a large part of RMC culture. There are countless traditions and rituals that are not interfered with simply for the sake of maintaining stability. While history is viewed linearly, the future is not, as one cannot look straight into the future along a projected path. The future is uncertain and thus prediction is based on a series of probabilities. At RMC the culture is conservative in nature such that people try to keep doing things as they were done in the past. Even though trying to force a linear path on the college routine may conflict with the changing times. It is for these reasons that the new Enhanced Leadership Model has met so much opposition from cadets and staff alike. The entire Canadian Forces have adopted new policies yet RMC lags behind in implementation by almost a decade. A good example of this can be the harassment and alcohol type policies, which are only coming about in the year 2000, when they were to be implemented in the early 90s. Another example is that of the College Code of Conduct, which used many measures that were not in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms 1982. Clearly stability at RMC is valued deeply. Having listed examples of the college's cultural characteristics, it is only appropriate to put the culture in perspective. To do this, one need picture the entire world as a culture, and then Canada as a subculture within the world culture. There are many cultures within Canada, and RMC can be said to be a subculture of the entire nation, as it is comprised of people from all parts of the nation, from diverse backgrounds that reflect the nation as a whole. Within RMC itself are a number of subcultures. These cultures can be illustrated best using the Venn diagram model. There is overlap between the subcultures in the sense that most if not all everyone at the college belongs to a number of subcultures of RMC. Some examples of subcultures at RMC are; each individual squadron, engineering or arts programs, sports teams, bar positions, clubs, element and military occupations, etc. In each there exist shared meaning and common perceptions that distinguish themselves from the other respective groups or group. A specific example could be that of the hockey team's shared meanings, values and beliefs contrasted that of the fencing team. Both could possibly be comprised of cadets from perhaps even the same squadron, academic program and MOC. The contrasted cadets could quite possibly part of the same subculture i.e. the squadron, while also being part of different subcultures with respect to their sports team. The dominant culture would be that of the college in general for both of the contrasted parties. This discourse on culture brings rise to the issue of its function. The functions of culture are firstly, to create a boundary-defining role, secondly to convey a sense of identity for the organization's members and thirdly to facilitate the generation of commitment to something larger than ones own self-interest. At RMC the culture involves an implicit set of rules that govern day to day behavior. Such things as military etiquette right down to the most basic military culture is all engrained in the culture at RMC. The basic functions of culture at RMC are to cement together a sense of e'sprit de corps in the college. A major function of having a macro culture is that is bonds all the subcultures together. The subcultures are created intentionally to aid in training. It is more difficult to exert influence over a large mass than it is to influence smaller groups. It is much easier to divide the large population of the college and then conquer their minds for the sake of re-socialization. This re-socialization is necessary for the military in order to ingrain in young adults from diverse backgrounds the ethos of the Canadian Forces. It is for that reason the wing is divided into squadrons, flights and sections. Also by doing so, the individuals in small sections can have a close interaction within their group. From the moment cadets arrive at RMC they are bombarded with the unique culture of the institution. The recruits are not accepted as part of the college until the have passed their indoctrination training. The recruits are exhausted and overworked while all along being fed the RMC values. The function of such culture is to help the recruits internalize the values of RMC. The culture is relatively strong in comparison to that of other institutions, and RMC is not a day-job but a lifestyle in itself. There is no real break from the culture with the exception of a couple of leave weekends and a couple of weeks away at Christmas, spring break in the summertime. In all aspects of the seven key characteristics of culture by Robbins and Langton, RMC ranks high. This is also a good indicator that the culture at RMC is particularly strong. Along with the strong culture come some strong liabilities in the form of barriers. These liabilities come in the form of barriers. The first of which is the barrier to change. As already expressed in this paper there is a huge resistance to change within RMC. In recent days at the college there is a revamping of the general program that is meeting much opposition from all levels. The change disrupts the stability that provides a sense of comfort for members of the college. The idea of changing the uniforms from the Canadian Military College uniforms to the regular dress elemental uniform is also bringing about much resistance from the ex-cadets. A second liability that culture imposes is the barrier to diversity. Introducing women to the college happened in the early 1980s and till this day there is a resistance to accept the diversity brought about. There are few visible minorities at RMC and there are probable grounds to believe that this is due to the image of the college demographically being comprised of white males. While the government wishes to introduce further diversity to the college there is a perception that taking in people whom are visibly diverse may be more intrinsically diverse. This perception leads people to believe that diversifying the college may cause a paradox. The archetypical cadet is a well-built rough and tough cadet. It is no surprise that this is the target of recruitment. The strong culture not only influences whom the college takes in as recruits but also the manner in which they will behave, making diverse behavior less likely. The third liability of culture is the barrier to mergers and acquisitions. In the early 1990s the federal government shut down two of the three military colleges in the country, leaving all the cadets at RMC Kingston to finish there training. There were some very bitter cadets who felt somewhat out of place here. All three colleges had unique cultures of their own. When everyone was thrown into RMC they had to conform to the existing culture in Kingston, and forget about the ones they left behind in Roads or St. Jean. The members of RMC who had already been in Kingston for a while, also felt somewhat violated. This is a pragmatic example of the barrier to change found at RMC. To understand the functions of culture within an institution, it is necessary to understand the socialization process. Organizational behavior as a study considers socialization "The process that adopts employees to the organization's culture." (Robbins and Langton, p628) The socialization process takes effect in three stages. All of the three stages can be clearly related to RMC. The prearrival stage is that period of learning before a recruit becomes part of the institution in general. For a recruit this stage commences with recruitment, and endures past BOTC, into recruit term. It is where the recruits learn what the Canadian Forces culture is all about, and during recruit term, what RMC's culture is all about. There is indeed a fair bit of irrelevant or excess material in recruit term that does not per say, well reflect typical RMC life, but it is a useful method of re-socializing recruits to the culture of RMC. It the best chance at making the recruits internalize the values of the college, like Truth, Duty and Valour. The encounter stage in the socialization process is where all employees see the organization for what it is, and may concede the possibility that expectations and reality may deviate. At RMC this begins in third year, as cadets are placed in positions of authority, they get to learn the ins and outs of the system. This is usually when cadets become bitter and skeptical of the system in general. People can become totally disillusioned by reality that they withdraw from the culture and merely wade out the remaining years at the college. In some cases this stage occurs earlier in a cadets career at the college, for instance in first year. If the reality deviates greatly from the prearrival conceptions cadets either quit or endure the remaining time at the college trying to change things, or simply endure them. The metamorphosis stage is that in which the socialization process in which a new employee adjust to his or her work group's values and norms. This stage is complete when the member has internalized the norms of the organization and is essentially a "believer". At RMC this stage can occur as early as the end of first year or as late as third year. It is at this point for most cadets that they become comfortable at the institution. This is easily noticed when cadets start volunteering to take on more responsibilities and increased commitment. The fact that obligatory commitment takes effect the first day of classes in second year, is indicative that those who remain at the college after first year are probably somewhat comfortable, thus undergoing metamorphosis. If there is one single recommendation for positively developing the culture at RMC it is that the cadets and staff of this institution must be made aware of the RMC culture itself. Having experienced three years at the college and reading the organizational behavior text as it pertains to culture, one can easily simplify and comprehend the type of development that goes on at the college. This awareness however, may have been of much more benefit had it come sooner. Perhaps the first years or even the recruits at RMC need such training earlier on in their cadet careers. It may help to put first years' lives in better perspective, allowing them to understand the encounter stage for what it is before ever entering it. Awareness is always beneficial; it only leaves more food for thought. This is especially true when it come to battling the liabilities of culture. It makes change and progression much easier to bring about and subsequently much easier to pallet. Robbins, Stephen P & Langton, Nancy. Eds. Organizational Behaviour. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc. 1999. Wallace, A.F.C. Culture and Personality. New York: Random House. 1970. Bibliography: WORKS CITED Robbins, Stephen P & Langton, Nancy. Eds. Organizational Behaviour. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada Inc. 1999. Wallace, A.F.C. Culture and Personality. New York: Random House. 1970.

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