DEVELOPING CHARACTER AND ALIGNING PERSONAL VALUES WITH ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES IN THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD A thesis presented to the Faculty of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF MILITARY ART AND SCIENCE General Studies by LUANN BARNDT, LCDR, USCG B.S., United States Coast Guard Academy, New London, Connecticut, 1984 M.S., The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 1993 Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 2000 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 1. REPORT DATE 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED (FROM - TO) (DD-MM-YYYY) master's thesis xx-08-1999 to xx-06-2000 02-06-2000 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER DEVELOPING CHARACTER AND ALIGNING PERSONAL VALUES 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER Unclassified 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER BARNDT, LUANN ; 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER ADDRESS U.S. Army Command and General Staff College 1 Reynolds Ave. Fort leavenworth , KS 66027 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR'S ACRONYM(S) NAME AND ADDRESS 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR'S REPORT NUMBER(S) , 12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT A PUBLIC RELEASE , 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT This study investigates the best method for developing character and aligning personal and organizational values in the United States Coast Guard. All five of the military services embarked on comprehensive efforts to develop character and teach core values. Several environmental and cultural events inspired this endeavor. Military services are competing for scarce resources: new personnel. Challenges in recruiting and retention are threatening the readiness of the five branches of the military, particularly the U.S. Coast Guard, the smallest of the five military services. Society appears to be experiencing increased youth violence, suicide rates, drug and alcohol abuse, and illegitimate births. Some attribute this ?bad? behavior to the lack of moral values, thus inspiring a corresponding resurgence of character education in schools. Of the dwindling pool of qualified candidates willing to consider the military, many potential recruits have engaged in activities directly contrary to military values, such as gang membership and drug use. At the same time, the public and the military organization itself holds its members to higher moral standards. The global environment enables smaller groups of military members? moral behavior to impact international relations. The reputation of the military is tarnished each time the media discovers breaches of honor by military members. For the military, this perceived deterioration of character and values threatens to undermine both the operational readiness and public support necessary to maintain an effective and empowered fighting force. Together, these factors make the character and values of military personnel as evidenced by their moral choices and behavior more critical than ever. 15. SUBJECT TERMS character; personal values; organizational values; United States Coast Guard; recruiting; moral standards 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON LIMITATION OF PAGES Burgess, Ed OF 158 MASTER OF MILITARY ART AND SCIENCE THESIS APPROVAL PAGE Name of Candidate: LCDR Luann Barndt Thesis Title: Developing Character and Aligning Values in the U.S. Coast Guard Approved by: , Thesis Committee Chairman Ronald E. Cuny, Ed.D. , Member CDR Robert M. Brown, M.S. , Member LTC Jeffrey L. Irvine, B.A. Approved this 2d day of June 2000 by: , Director, Graduate Degree Programs Philip J. Brookes, Ph.D. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student author and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to this study should include the foregoing statement.) ii ABSTRACT DEVELOPING CHARACTER AND ALIGNING PERSONAL VALUES WITH ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES IN THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD BY LCDR Luann Barndt, USCG, 151 pages. This study investigates the best method for developing character and aligning personal and organizational values in the United States Coast Guard. All five of the military services embarked on comprehensive efforts to develop character and teach core values. Several environmental and cultural events inspired this endeavor. Military services are competing for scarce resources: new personnel. Challenges in recruiting and retention are threatening the readiness of the five branches of the military, particularly the U.S. Coast Guard, the smallest of the five military services. Society appears to be experiencing increased youth violence, suicide rates, drug and alcohol abuse, and illegitimate births. Some attribute this “bad” behavior to the lack of moral values, thus inspiring a corresponding resurgence of character education in schools. Of the dwindling pool of qualified candidates willing to consider the military, many potential recruits have engaged in activities directly contrary to military values, such as gang membership and drug use. At the same time, the public and the military organization itself holds its members to higher moral standards. The global environment enables smaller groups of military members’ moral behavior to impact international relations. The reputation of the military is tarnished each time the media discovers breaches of honor by military members. For the military, this perceived deterioration of character and values threatens to undermine both the operational readiness and public support necessary to maintain an effective and empowered fighting force. Together, these factors make the character and values of military personnel as evidenced by their moral choices and behavior more critical than ever. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research is a collaborative process made possible by many people. I thank everyone whose valuable assistance helped me complete this paper for submission. It is still a work in progress and I will never be satisfied with the contents. I hope that the information presented will inspire continued research in the areas of character development and values training. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page APPROVAL PAGE ........................................................................................................ ii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES AND ILLUSTRATION................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................................. 21 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ........................................................................ 43 4. ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................... 49 5. CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH .................................................................................... 74 APPENDIX A. STATEMENT ON COAST GUARD ADVERTISING WITH THE WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION ....................................... 95 B. SURVEY RESULTS ..........................................................................................104 C. COMPARISON OF VALUES ...........................................................................119 D. NAVAL ACADEMY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PROGRM.................124 E. USAF ACADEMY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM .................127 F. OVERVIEW OF TYPOLOGY OF VALUES EDUCATION APPROACHES .........................................................130 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...........................................................................................................132 INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST ...................................................................................151 v TABLES Table Page 1. Comparison of Principals View of School Problems in 1950 and 1990 ............. 53 2. Core Values of the Five Military Services ......................................................... 59 3. Education Approach Comparison ....................................................................... 77 ILLUSTRATION Figure Page 1. U.S. Army’s Model of Character Development .................................................. 68 vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION These three core values are the foundation of the United States Coast Guard. Honor Absolute integrity is our standard. A Coast Guardsman demonstrates honor in all things: never lying, cheating or stealing. We do the right thing because it is the right thing – all the time. Respect We value the dignity and worth of people: whether a stranded boater, an immigrant, or a fellow Coast Guardsman; we honor, protect and assist. Devotion to Duty A Coast Guardsman is dedicated to the accomplishment of our missions. We are loyal and accountable to the public trust. We 1 welcome responsibility. New Coast Guard members are taught throughout initial entry training that these core values: honor, respect, and devotion to duty are to guide their performance, conduct, and decisions every minute of every day. As public servants, Coast Guardians must embrace these values in both their professional and personal lives. By their very nature, the Coast Guard’s missions of protecting life and upholding the nation’s laws take them out into situations others refuse to accept: dark, stormy nights on turbulent oceans with twenty- foot seas and sixty-knot winds, whether it be on a 378-foot cutter, 110-foot patrol boat, 47-foot motor lifeboat, HH65 helicopter or C130 airplane. Without strong personal character and personal belief in the organization’s values, most men and women would 1 not venture into such a situation to rescue a stranger. What influences men and women in the Coast Guard to do what they do? The Challenge(s) Like many organizations, particularly the all-volunteer military service, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) experienced personnel shortages caused by both recruiting gaps and low retention and increased attrition. After two years of using conventional tools and interventions which were unsuccessful in achieving authorized personnel levels, critical workforce shortages caused existing members to work overly long hours to compensate for staff shortages. This negatively affected retention. In a bold, controversial move, the Coast Guard began advertising with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Why WWF? The reasoning appeared sound since WWF successfully targeted the demographic age groups from which the Coast Guard recruits. Several other factors made Coast Guard advertising on WWF an appealing option to reach a larger targeted market over a short period of time given the Coast Guard’s limited recruiting budget: 1. WWF owner Vince McMahon’s father served in the Coast Guard. 2. Current WWF champion, Stone Cold Steve Austin’s brother, is serving as a Coast Guard Petty Officer. 3. Between the first ad on 15 February 1999 and 28 May 1999, 3,546 people called about CG opportunities. 4. Ratings for the WWF broadcasts increased 87 percent from the 4th quarter 1997 to 4th quarter 1998. 5. WWF programming airs in more than 120 countries and is available in 9 languages. 2