1. Leadership & Management
Discussion for Lesson 27:
Characteristics of the Situation

2. Lesson 27 Reading Objectives
Apply Schein’s four key organizational factors to the analysis of an organization’s culture.
Comprehend organizational culture and list some phenomena associated with the culture of organizations.
Comprehend the traditional military paradigm and its affect on the culture of the U.S. military.
Comprehend qualities of “supportive” command climates.
Comprehend command climate and identify the biggest threat to trust in the chain of command.

3. Lesson 27 Discussion Objectives
Apply Schein’s four key organizational factors to the analysis of an organization’s culture.
Comprehend organizational culture and list some phenomena associated with the culture of organizations.

4. Schein’s 4 Key Organizational Factors
Myths and Stories.
Symbols and artifacts.
Rituals.
Language:
Who “belongs.”
View of others.
Create a culture.

5. Organizational Culture
A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved problems…that has worked well enough to be considered valid…taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems.

6. Organizational Culture
A group has a culture when they have enough of a shared history to have formed a set of shared assumptions.

7. Cultural Phenomena Behavior regularities. Group norms.
Espoused values.
Formal philosophy.
Rules of the game.

8. Cultural Phenomena Climate. Embedded skills. Habits of thinking.
Shared meanings.
“Root” metaphors.

9. Command Climate
Defined: a unit’s atmosphere of support, confidence or cohesion (or their opposite) created by the commander’s acts and example.
Biggest Threat: the leader may coerce or use his subordinates for his private gain. (Getting to the top—by stepping on your troops.)

10. Exercise
You have just reported to a ship that has not won the Battle ‘E’ in 15 years. Safety breaches and accidents are common throughout the command. Other ship’s think your unit is unsat.
Your new Captain asks you for suggestions on how the command can be “fixed.”

11. Next Class Stress and Leadership
Read: Leadership and Management, Chapter 28

12. Summary
Organizational Culture and Command Climate have real impact on mission accomplishment.
A “supportive” command climate can make a big difference in attempting to improve an unsat command.