THE UNFOLDING LANDSCAPE OF SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY CULTURE: The views of officers from within Prof Lindy Heinecken

1. THE UNFOLDING LANDSCAPE OF SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY CULTURE: The views of officers from withinProf Lindy Heinecken Presentation at 2011 Strategy Conference on Military Culture, Stellenbosch University, 23 September 2011 Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

2. OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION AIM • What factors influence military culture in South Africa from outside and within? SCOPE • The nature of the military task (warfighting, peacekeeping, constabulary) • The nature of military organisation(discipline, cohesion, selfless service) • Societal forces and effect on military culture (trade union rights, gender equality) CONCLUSIONS

3. POP SURVEY AMONG SANDF OFFICERS METHODOLOGY PROFILE OF OFFICERS RESPONDING TO POP SURVEY Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

4. POP SURVEY AMONG SANDF OFFICERS Profile of respondents to POP survey (1999-2009) Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

5. NATURE OF MILTIARY TASK

6. NATURE OF MILTIARY TASK DOD current training should focus on conventional training

7. NATURE OF MILTIARY TASK Constabulary roles rather than conventional roles

8. NATURE OF MILTIARY TASK As Frost (2000:38) states, where the task of an organisation is redefined, so the culture of the organisation changes and this in turn impacts on the functioning of an organisation.

9. NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION MILITARY DISCIPLINE AND AUTHORITY As Buckingham (1999:8) states, “failure to consistently enforce even minor standards or the failure to respect the legitimate authority of the leader may escalate quickly to insubordination that spreads throughout the entire organization”. For members of the military to show respect for authority there must be firstly trust in military leadership and secondly, faith in the chain of command. Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

10. NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

11. NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION Opposed to representative association bypassing the existing chain of command to negotiate on my behalf Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

12. NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION COHESION AND ESPRIT DE CORPS In this regard Seibold (2011:463) warns: “… regardless of shared goals, trust can be destroyed or much reduced among the team members due to favoritismbeing perceived as shown to certain members, perceived lack of fair play, or perceived aberrant behaviourwhich is perceived to be inimical to formal or informal group norms and standards. Lack of trust in turn can inhibit teamwork substantially and decrease support for pertinent otherwise accepted goals”. Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

13. NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

14. NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION Integration led to closer cooperation between former forces Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

15. NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION Affirmative action does not undermine competency level of DOD Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

16. NATURE OF MILITARY ORGANISATION Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

17. SOCIETAL FORCES James Burk (1999:458) states that on of the most profound influences (apart from the move towards all-volunteer force) is the expanding circle of citizenship and the push to institutionalize practices of equality of rights and opportunity. In South Africa, two issues which have a fundamental influence on military culture and which emanate from pressures from broader society are the demand for “worker rights” and “gender equality”. Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

18. SOCIETAL FORCES Support for collective bargaining and trade unions Disagree Agree Unsure Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

19. SOCIETAL FORCES Support for women in frontline combat roles Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

20. SOCIETAL FORCES Similar to the findings by Miller (1995) on women serving in the military in the United States, SANDF military women and ‘men’ feel that women should be allowed to serve in combat roles only if they can meet the standards required. Women generally resent being pushed into these positions and prefer policies where their choices are matched with their skills and abilities. • The issue of gender integration and the effect on military culture, stretches beyond issues of combat inclusion and masculinity. Of greater concern are matters of sexuality and sexual harassment. Webb (1997) states, for example that sexual jealousies, courtships and favouritism affect authority relations and drive a wedge into issues of fairness and discrimination. This is a matter of greater concern. Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

21. CONCLUSIONS Statement by Sun Tzu, quoted in Buckingham, (1999:8). “When the General is morally weak and his discipline not strict, when his instructions and guidance are not enlightened, where there are no consistent rules to guide the officers and men and when the formations are slovenly, the Army is in disorder and self-induced chaos”. Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology ● Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

22. COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS?