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Organizational Development

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Organizational Communication and Organizational Culture in the Air Force
University of Phoenix
April 11, 2011
Organization Communication and Organizational Culture in the Air Force As most any branch of the military, the Air Force’s vision and mission statements are the same which are to serve, fight and win. The Air Force’s mission is to “fly, fight, and win”. (U.S. Air Force, 2009). Organizational communication is important when setting the boundaries of organizational culture so employees will know how to act and will understand the vision and mission statements. Every branch of the military has their unique field that they protect such as the Navy’s specialized area is the water, the Army’s specialized area is the land, and etc. The Air Force’s specialized area is in the air, space, and cyberspace. The Air Force “achieves this mission with Global Vigilance, Reach and Power… by developing Airmen, technology to war fighting and integrating operations” (U.S. Air Force, 2009). The Air Force’s core values are integrity first, second is service before self and third is excellence in all we do (U.S. Air Force, 2009). The appearance of the Air Force’s mission statement and core values shows the organizational culture to be strict and rigid and the organizational communication seems to be straightforward to meet these goals. From stories that are handed down from generation to generation and learning from movies, the public seems to picture any military branch as strict and rigid and the Air Force’s web site seems to have that same picture. The one idea that I believe the public has about the Air Force or any military branch is if you do not support the values and mission to do as is communicated then the consequences could be catastrophic. Organizational communication is very important when it comes to organizational culture. An organization should communicate its role in the mission statement and the values to promote the proper culture that the organization wants to achieve. I believe the Air Force espoused values are represented with the enacted values. If the espoused values are enforced through organizational communication then the enacted values would be represented and the organizational appearance would appear to be responsible and respected. Dr. Christopher Hugh Toner found inconsistencies within the Air Force values and codes. He found inconsistenties between the Air Force Core Values booklet and the Air Force Doctrine document; these documents are for leaders of the Air Force and the airmen that are mentored and lead could be confused between the two documents (Toner, 2006). Miscommunication within an organization’s mission and vision statements and values could lead to confusion, disrespect, and a horrible reputation. I have always believed that proper financial records are the backbone to any business or organization but in addition, communication is the key too. If the communication is lacking in an organization then the employees are not going to know how to perform their job in a manner that is most beneficial to the organization. The enacted values of the employees would not represent the espoused values of the organization. In an organization, conflict between the core values and mission and vision statements will lead to miscommunication. The conflict could be seen as constructive progress. If conflict is communicated properly then it would create a more efficient and reputable organization. Some aspects of organizational culture are constantly changing but the core values should always stay the same. The Air Force’s core values should never change but the descriptions of how to keep the values should change and as technology changes and time advances. With any change comes conflict, however conflict can be effective. Within the Air Force the leaders are commanders, which have been with the Air Force for many years, and the younger generation is more up to date with current changes with technology, economy, etc. Usually the older generation prefers to go against change but the younger generation is for change. The younger generation should communicate in a gentle way so that the older generation would be more apt to go with change. If conflict is communicated in a correct manner then it can also be viewed as constructive criticism. The Air Force has the same mission and vision statements and core values as other branches of the military but as time advances and technology changes so should mission and vision statements. Organizational communication and organizational culture are related to each other however if the organizational communication is not effective then the organizational culture will not be viewed as the vision and mission statements are promoted.
References
Hugh Toner, C. (2006). A Critique of the Air Force's Core Values. Air & Space Power Journal, 20(4), 99. Retrieved from EBSCOhost on April 10, 2011.

U.S. Air Force. (2009). Our Mission - Learn about the Air Force. Retrieved from http://www.airforce.com/learn-about/our-mission/ on April 10, 2011

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