Military and Civilian Cultural Differences

S. Tamer. Cavusgil, Gary Knight, and John Riesenberger, liken the United States to "..a mixture of many cultures that form a multifaceted collection of ethnic identities" (pg 126, 2008). Indeed, the United States is certainly a melting pot and it is both an old and a new country. American values have developed over the course of several centuries, affecting (and often being enriched by) successive waves of immigrants. The trend continues as old ways of thinking are continually blending with new ideas and ways of life. The best way to look at it is to realize that while America is often open to new ways of thinking, it also has a profound culture, one that is not easily defined or described because it is vast and varied. However, within the broad scope of American culture exists hundreds, if not thousands, of sub-cultures that are clearly defined. These sub-cultures have established customs, courtesies, ideas, values, and traditions, that are passed on from the more-experienced to the less experienced. These sub-cultures exist in all 50 states and they all play a prominent role in American society. However, one such culture has been, and continues to be, the 500-lb gorilla in American society. This culture is the Armed Forces of the United States.

The Armed Forces have played a significant role in nearly every major development within the United States, whether that be technological, environmental, or political, and continue to be one of the largest sub-cultures in American society. Despite the enormous impact the Armed Forces have had and continue to have on American society, most non-service members are unaware of what exactly the military culture is, and how it differs from standard "American culture." Because of this, there is often a great divide in expectations, personal relations and communications when dealing between the Armed Forces and the civilian business communities. Often times these differences are so small that they are negligible, other times, these differences are enormous and are cause for stopping to reflect on how best to proceed.

References

Cavusgil, S, Knight, G, & Riesenberger, J. (2008). International business: strategy, management, and the new realities. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Easton, P, Wild, J, Halsey, R, & McAnally, M. (2010). Financial accounting for MBAs. Canada: Cambridge Business Publishers.

Flatley, M, Rentz, K. (2010). Business communication. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Korn, J. (2010). Statics and dynamics of hierarchy. Kybernetes, 39(4), 602-607.

Unknown. (2011). Uniform code of military justice. Retrieved from http://www.ucmj.us/

US Navy. (2011, May 13). Navy personnel command. Retrieved from http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/Pages/default.aspx