The United States Navy was born as the Continental Navy six months after the out break of hostilities between England and the American Colonists. On October 13, 1775, “the Continental Congress authorized the outfitting of a ten-gun warship ‘for intercepting such transports as may be laden with stores for the enemy’” (Cutler, 2002, p. 555). That fateful day gave birth to a culture and heritage that would become one of the greatest the world has ever seen. Core values based on HONOR, COURAGE, and COMMITMENT. The Navy’s mission, to protect America, its citizens, allies, and interests throughout the world. As will be seen, the Navy’s espoused values do indeed align with its enacted values. Also, it will be shown how communication in an organization is determined by the organization’s culture and what role communication plays in the way the culture is perceived. Lastly, conflict can play a role in the communication of groups and in certain instances, organizations may use that conflict to improve communication between the groups. With reference to the Navy, how and why does this occur? The first leaders of the Navy created a culture that has lived on to the present day. Leaders such as John Paul Jones and Esek Hopkins believed in honor and fought for a purpose. Today the terms honor, courage, and commitment are instilled into the minds of recruits so they can carry those values with them not only throughout their Navy career but also in their civilian lives. In fact, in October 1992, the terms honor, courage, and commitment were officially declared the core values of the Navy by then Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Frank Kelso (Kilcline, Elson, Sardiello, 2010). Do the espoused values just mentioned align with what is practiced in the Navy? The Navy (along with the rest of the military) is punishable under its own set of laws known as the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Those who do not adhere to the Navy Core Values are not tolerated. If an act is committed, which is punishable under the UCMJ, the penalties can be severe and are taken very seriously. A prime example was the dismissal of Navy Captain Owen Honors from the Navy because of inappropriate behavior as Commander of the USS Enterprise. The espoused values are indeed practiced and those who do not adhere to and practice them are not tolerated. Communication in an organization is determined by its culture. Organizational communication and the culture of the organization can operate in different directions such as upward, downward, and lateral (Robbins & Judge, 2011). The direction of communication is influenced by the culture. The Navy for example, is very militaristic in that it follows a strict chain of command. Orders are given from the top to bottom. Communication can also flow from the bottom to top. The difference between the two is that orders do not come from the bottom, they always begin from the top. Also, communication from the very top always reaches even the lowest level but communication from the bottom does not usually end up in the top. This again is a result of the military culture present in the Navy. Communication also plays a role in perception and organizational culture. “A strong organizational culture provides stability to an organization” (Robbins & Judge, 2011, p. 520). Effective communication is an essential element to a strong organizational culture. “Among effective managers (defined in terms of quantity and quality of their performance and the satisfaction and commitment of employees), communication made the largest relative contribution and networking the least” (Robbins & Judge, 2011, p. 8). Ineffective communication can be perceived as an ineffective culture and in the workplace that can lead to employee dissatisfaction (Robbins & Judge, 2011). When the enacted values of an organization are not exactly following the espoused values, there can be a negative change in perception within the organization. This is especially true in the Navy where the actions of the Commanding Officer (CO) influence the entire command. That the orders go from top to bottom increases the weight of the Commanding Officer’s actions. A CO who does not adhere to the core values might cause a sailor of a lower enlisted rank to question those values and in turn not adhere to them. The sailor might be inclined to say, “Well if the boss doesn’t follow the rules then why should I.” Although this situation is rare, an ineffective CO might create a situation where this could occur. Conflict can have either a negative or a positive effect on an organization and with group communication. “An employee who insults a colleague, steals, gossips excessively, or engages in sabotage can wreak havoc on an organization” (Robbins & Judge, 2011, p. 26). A disgruntled employee can have a negative effect on the organization. Conflict can also have a positive effect. In the Navy (and the entire military), conflict can have the result of unifying the group. It is amazing how two individuals indifferent to each other can come together to succeed when they are engaged in conflict. Culture and communication play an important role in an organization no matter what type of organization it is. In the Navy, where there is a strong military culture, we can see communication, which reflects that culture. We can also see that it is important for the leaders to adhere to the values of that culture because doing otherwise can have a negative effect down the chain of command. Finally, although conflict may have a negative impact on some organizations, in can be positive in some instances.

References
Cutler, T. J. (2002). The Bluejacket’s Manual (Centennial ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.
Robbins, S. P. & Judge, T. A. (2011). Organizational Behavior (14th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Kilcline, T. J., Elson, I., Sardiello, C. Developing the Whole Sailor. U.S. Naval Institute Procedings, 136(7), 52-58. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=52382932&sit e=eds-live