Is All Lost or A Lot Is Still Recoverable? A Case of 21st Century Indian Military Organizational Culture
Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government,
2021, Volume 27, Issue 3, Pages 1115-1126
10.47750/cibg.2021.27.03.152
Abstract
The armed forces of a nation ought to be infallible organizations, scrupulous in action and deeds. They stand testimony to a nation’s strength and solidarity. Non-military organizations strive hard to achieve military like austerity, discipline, work ethos and credos. Today, Indian Armed Forces in general and Indian Army in particular is an organization with troubled culture, much of which is attributable to its resistance to change and strong stereotypes. While the socio-economic and technological changes have swept the world, the Indian Armed Forces have not been to appreciate and accommodate the changes that have impacted the very fabric of the organization. The authors have attempted to study the organization culture at the Indian armed forces through the lens of Warrick’s 2016 framework for high performance and low performance cultures. Adopting the mixed-method approach for data collection, the authors divided the study in two phases. In Phase I an in-depth systematic literature review was conducted and in phase II the authors conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews. The methodology was selected to be able to go into a lot of depth, and allow the participants to bring to fore the topics that the researchers had not even considered and to identify all empirical evidence to answer all the research question that were created using the Warrick’s 2016 framework. Citing replete evidences, the authors propose that the armed forces present a case of stagnating culture. Is all lost or a lot is still recoverable? is the idea with which the authors explored the extant literature and garnered evidence from world class armies across the globe. Drawing from the experiences of world class armies, the authors present a well-researched way forward for the Indian armed forces. The study is original in its intent and execution and presents insightful recommendations for all levels of leaders in the Indian armed forces, policy makers, bureaucrats and diplomats.
Keywords:
Main Subjects:
- Acosta, M. P. (2007). The Kargil Conflict: Waging War in the Himalayas. Small Wars & Insurgencies, 18(3), 397–415. doi: 10.1080/09592310701674325
- AFSPA: Soldiers clear, but is everyone else? (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2020, from http://www.indiandefencereview.com/spotlights/afspa-soldiers-clear-but-is-everyone-else/
- Between 2011 and 2018, Almost 900 Armed Forces Personnel Died by Suicide. (n.d.). Retrieved
- December 7, 2019, from https://thewire.in/security/india-armed-personnel-suicides
- Arora, M., Bhatia, J., & Rana, K. (2008). Analysis of Non Enemy Action Deaths in Counter Insurgency Operations through Mortuary Services. Medical Journal Armed Forces India, 64(2), 104–107. doi: 10.1016/s0377-1237(08)80047-0
- Bakshi, G. (2010, October). Promotion System in the Army: Dealing with Peacetime Atrophy. Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://idsa.in/system/files/jds_4_4_gdbakshi.pdf
- Banerjee, S. (2017, June 21). Army Top Brass Who Talk Through Their Caps. Retrieved December 18, 2019, from https://countercurrents.org/2017/06/army-top-brass-who-talk-through-their-caps.
- Brady, D. (2005, March 28). The Immelt revolution. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg. com/news/articles/2005-03-27/the-immelt-revolution
- Bruneau, T. C., & Tollefson, S. D. (2014). Civil–Military Relations in Brazil: A Reassessment. Journal of Politics in Latin America, 6(2), 107-138. doi:10.1177/1866802x1400600204
- Bureau, O. W. (2017). Despite Stress Management, Fratricide, Suicide Cases In Indian Army On Rise. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/despite-stress-management-fratricide-suicide-cases-in-indian-army-on-rise/300192
- Businesstoday.in. 2019. 78,291 Jobs Available In The Indian Armed Forces; 9,427 Officer Ranks Vacant. [online] Available at: <https://www.businesstoday.in/sectors/jobs/78291-jobs-available-indian-armed-forces-9427-officer-ranks-vacant/story/360430.html> [Accessed 19 December 2019].
- Caforio, G. (2008). The Military Profession, Public Trust, and Public Interest. Connections: The Quarterly Journal, 07(4), 95-110. doi:10.11610/connections.07.4.05
- Chadha, V., (2019). Land Warfare in the Indian Context: Time for a Transformative Shift?, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 13, No. 3, July-September 2019, pp. 71-85
- Crew, T. (2020, February 05). 1100 Defence Personnel Committed Suicide Between 2010-19: Report. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://thelogicalindian.com/news/defence-personnel-suicide-report-19598
- Daft, R. L. (2015). The leadership experience (6th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.
- Dandeker, C., & Winslow, D. (1999). Challenges To Military Culture From Living In 21st Century. In D Hayne (Ed.), Governance In The 21st Century. Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada (Series VI, Vol X, pp. 195-218). Toronto. University of Toronto Press.
- Denison, D. R. (1990). Corporate culture and organizational effectiveness. New York: Wiley.
- Dorn, E., & Ulmer, W. F. (2000). American military culture in the twenty-first century: a report of the Csis International Security Program. Washington, D.C: Center for Strategic and International Studies.
- Ferst, T., & Tresch, T. S. (2017). The Swiss Public Opinion Towards the Tasks of the Swiss Armed Forces and the Constitutional Role. Sociology Study, 7(2). doi:10.17265/2159-5526/2017.02.001
- Fisher, C. (2000). Like it or not . . . culture matters. Employment Relations Today, 27(2), 43—52.
- Fowler, Eric S. (2016). Culture and Military Effectiveness: How Societal Traits Influence Battle Outcomes. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), dissertation, International Studies, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/fnbr-nx39 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gpis_etds/6
- Gokhale, N. (2012). Defamation case: High Court rejects army officers' plea against summons. Retrieved December 01, 2019, from https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/defamation-case-high-court-rejects-army-officers-plea-against-summons-492904
- Greene, T., Buckman, J., Dandeker, C., & Neil, G. (2010). The Impact of Culture Clash on Deployed Troops. Military Medicine, 175(12), 958–963. doi: 10.7205/milmed-d-10-00146
- Gautam, PK., (2019). Broadening the Education for Synergetic Civil–Military Relations, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 13, No. 2, April-June 2019, pp. 5-23
- Gautam, P. K. (2011, November). The Need for Renaissance of Military History and Modern War Studies in India. Retrieved July 10, 2020, from https://idsa.in/occasionalpapers/TheNeedforRenaissanceofMilitaryHistoryandModernWarStudiesinIndia
- Gurung, S. (2020, February 08). CDS makes renewed push for Defence University. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/cds-makes-renewed-push-for-defence-university/articleshow/74020894.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest
- Gurung, S. (2020, May 15). Indian Army considering proposal to allow civilians in force for 3 years. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://m.economictimes.com/news/defence/army-considering-proposal-to-allow-civilians-in-force-for-3-years/articleshow/75720210.cms
- Haidt, J. (2001). The emotional dog and its rational tail: A social intuitionist approach to moral judgment. Psychological Review, 108(4), 814–834. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.108.4.814
- Hoffman, B. G. (2012). American icon: Alan Mulally and the fight to save Ford Motor Company. New York: Crown.
- Homans, G. C., & Janowitz, M. (1959). Sociology and the Military Establishment. American Sociological Review, 24(5), 722. doi:10.2307/2096169
- India, P. (2019, September 16). "Corruption In Army Shakes Confidence": Court At Ex-Army Man's Sentencing. Retrieved June 25, 2020, from https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/corruption-in-army-shakes-confidence-court-at-ex-army-mans-sentencing-2101953
- Information Bureau, P., (2019). Suicide And Fratricide Cases In The Armed Cases. [online] Pib.gov.in. Available at: <https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1558887> [Accessed 19 December 2019].
- International, A. (2019, May 11). Army Lt Gen faces action for alleged corruption over misuse of govt funds. Retrieved June 25, 2020, from https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/indian-army-lt-genereal-corruption-misuse-government-funds-1522697-2019-05-11
- Joshi, P.S. (2006). Implications of Jointness in Synergistic Management Of War, College of Defence Management Seminar on Jointness in the Armed Forces, November 2006.
- Kaul, A. (2013, October 19). Indiscipline, insubordination plague Army. Retrieved June 27, 2020, from http://www.sunday-guardian.com/investigation/indiscipline-insubordination-plague-army
- Kamarck, K. N. (2019, October 2). Military Suicide Prevention and Respons. Retrieved May 15, 2020, from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/IF10876.pdf
- Kilmann, R., Saxton, M. J., & Serpa, R. (1985). Gaining control of the corporate culture. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- Kotter, J., & Heskett, J. K. (1992). Corporate culture and performance. New York: Free Press.
- Kumar., Y. (2015). Armed forces losing an officer a day to early retirement: India News - Times of India. Retrieved December 10, 2019, from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Armed-forces-losing-an-officer-a-day-to-early-retirement/articleshow/48443862.cms
- Lencioni, P. M. (2016, March 22). Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/webinar/2016/03/why-organizational-health-trumps-everything-else-in-business.
- Ludwig, D. C., & Longenecker, C. O. (1993). The Bathsheba Syndrome: The ethical failure of successful leaders. Journal of Business Ethics, 12(4), 265-273. doi:10.1007/bf01666530
- Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2016). Leadership: Theory, appli- cation, and skill development (6th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.
- Malik, V. P. (2010). Kargil from surprise to victory. New Delhi: HarperCollins Publ. India.
- Mannion, R., Davies, H., & Marshall, M. (2005). Cultural characteristics of “high” and “low” performing hospitals. Journal Of Health Organization And Management, 19(6), 431-439. doi: 10.1108/14777260510629689
- Marcoulides, G. A., & Heck, R. H. (1993). Organizational culture and performance: Proposing and testing a model. Organization Science, 4(2), 209—225.
- Mathur, A. (2015, May 22). Corruption in Assam Rifles: HC issues notice to MHA, MoD, paramilitary force. Retrieved June 26, 2020, from https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/corruption-in-assam-rifles-hc-issues-notice-to-mha-mod-paramilitary-force/.
- Menon, P. (2018). The Indian Soldier Feels Let Down By Army Brass, Supreme Court And Politicians. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://theprint.in/opinion/the-indian-soldier-feels-let-down-by-army-brass-supreme-court-and-politicians/116282/.
- Mishra, P. (2020, June 07). Personal interview [Personal interview].
- Mohan, V. (2020, July 26). Army officers have higher stress but lower quality of life than other ranks: DRDO study. Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/army-officers-have-higher-stress-but-lower-quality-of-life-than-other-ranks-drdo-study-118184
- Murray, W. (1999). Does military culture matter? Orbis, 43(1), 27–42. doi: 10.1016/s0030-4387(99)80055-6
- National Portal of India. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2019, from https://www.india.gov.in/spotlight/career-defence-and-paramilitary-forces.
- Office of General Counsel, Department of Defence. (z ‘Encyclopaedia of Ethical Failures. Retrieved July 10, 2020, from https://www.hsdl.org/?view
- Ohri, R. (2018). CDS Applications Dip A Third To 4-Year Low. Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/cds-applications-dip-a-third-to-4-year-low/articleshow/57525800.cms?from=mdr.
- Online, F. (2016, September 08). Army to host Combined Commanders Conference outside Delhi. Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/army-to-host-combined-commanders-conference-outside-delhi/371556/
- Online, F. E. (2018, December 19). Military Suicides: Helplines, Counselling Centres Fail To Curb The Menace. Retrieved November 23, 2019, from https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/military-suicides-helplines-counselling-centres-fail-to-curb-the-menace/1418799/
- Panag, H. (2019). Outdated courses to rampant ragging: Why India's National Defence Academy needs urgent help. Retrieved July 02, 2020, from https://theprint.in/opinion/outdated-courses-to-rampant-ragging-why-indias-national-defence-academy-needs-urgent-help/264363/
- Prakash, A. (n.d.). Jointmanship in the Defence Forces: The Way Ahead. Retrieved July 10, 2020, from https://idsa.in/jds/1_1_2007_JointmanshipInTheDefenceForces_BSSachar
- Ram, S. (2011). Stress, suicides, and fratricides in the army crisis within. New Delhi: Vij Books India Pvt.
- Ramachandran, S. (2013, December 4). India's Troubled Soldiers. Retrieved November 15, 2019, from https://thediplomat.com/2013/12/indias-troubled-soldiers/.
- Robinson, P., Lee, N. D., & Carrick, D. (2008). Ethics education in the military. Aldershot, England: Ashgate Pub. Company.
- Roche, E. (2020, February 04). Army, IAF, Navy integration in 3 years: Report. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.livemint.com/news/india/india-to-integrate-operations-of-army-air-force-navy-in-3-years-report-11580824028663.html
- Rollins, T., & Roberts, D. (1998). Work culture, Organizational Performance, And Business Success. Westport, CT: Quorum Books.
- Rosenthal, J., & Masarech, M. A. (2003). High-performance cultures: How values can drive business results. Journal of Organizational Excellence, 22(2), 3—18.
- Saini, S. K. (2008). Revamping the Military Training System: The Way Ahead, Journal of Defence
- Studies, Vol. 2, No.1, August 2008, pp. 65-78.
- Satam, P. (2017). Exclusive: Menial jobs, poor rations affect jawans, but army does little to boost morale, says 2007 internal report - India News, Firstpost. Retrieved November 23, 2019, from https://www.firstpost.com/india/exclusive-menial-jobs-poor-rations-affect-jawans-but-army-does-little-to-boost-morale-says-2007-internal-report-4140977.html
- Seppälä, E., & Cameron, K. (2017, May 8). Proof That Positive Work Cultures Are More Productive. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/12/proof-that-positive-work-cultures-are-more-productive.
- Sharma, S. (2014). Stress management in Indian Army. Retrieved November 23, 2019, from https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/stress-management-in-indian-army/
- Sharma, S. (2015). Occupational stress in the armed forces: An Indian army perspective. IIMB Management Review, 27(3), 185–195. doi: 10.1016/j.iimb.2015.06.002.
- Singh, D. (2016). Indian Army: Decay sets in the last Bastion. Retrieved May 10, 2020, from http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/indian-army-decay-sets-in-the-last-bastion/
- Singh, H. (2009). Kargil Controversy: Mismanagement of Higher Defence. Retrieved May 1, 2020, from http://www.indiandefencereview.com/spotlights/kargil-controversy-mismanagement-of-higher-defence/
- Singh, V. (2019, December 20). The COAS Controversy: Lessons From History. Retrieved December 31, 2019, fromhttps://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/newsdetail/index/4/9800/the-coas-controversy-lessons-from-history
- Sofat, P. (2016). Human resource management in the armed forces: transition of a soldier to a second career. New Delhi: Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses.
- Steers, R. M., & Shim, W. S. (2013). Strong leaders, strong cultures: Global management lessons from Toyota and Hyundai. Organizational Dynamics, 42(3), 217—227.
- Suman, M. (2010). Selecting Military's Top Brass. Retrieved December 01, 2019, from http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/selecting-militarys-top-brass/
- Subramaniam, A. (2020, January 08). It is high time the National Defence University takes off. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/it-is-high-time-the-national-defence-university-takes-off/article30516330.ece
- Swami, P. (2016, September 12). Ladakh troop revolt underlines Army class tensions. Retrieved from https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ladakh-troop-revolt-underlines-army-class-tensions/article3412907.ece
- Tyrangiel, J. J. (2012, December 6). Tim Cook’s freshman year. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from https://www. bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-12-06/tim-cooks- freshman-year-the-apple-ceo-speaks
- The Hindu. (2016, July 11). Praveen Swami responds. Retrieved March 27, 2020, from https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/praveen-swami-responds/article3446665.ece
- Warrick, D. (2017). What leaders need to know about organizational culture. Business Horizons, 60(3), 395–404. doi: 10.1016/j.bushor.2017.01.011.
- Warrick, D. D. (2016). Leadership: A high impact approach. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education.
- Warrick, D. D., Milliman, J. F., & Ferguson, J. M. (2016). Building high performance cultures. Organizational Dynamics, 45(1), 64—70.
- Watts, B., & Murray, W. (1996). Military innovation in peacetime. Military Innovation in the Interwar Period, 369–416. doi: 10.1017/cbo9780511601019.011
- Weiner, Y. (1988). Forms of value systems: A focus on organizational effectiveness and cultural change and maintenance. Academy of Management Review, 13(4), 534—545.
- Weiss, J. W. (2011). An introduction to leadership. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education.
- Winslow, D.J., Schwerzel, J. (2004), (Un-) Changing Military Culture? Building Sustainable and Effective Military Capabilities: A Systematic Comparison of Professional and Conscript Forces, ed. Kristina Spohr Readman, Amsterdam: IOS Press (2004).
- Article View: 367
- PDF Download: 202