E. Bryan - The Informal Organization Within the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard (JDFCG)
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Transcript of E. Bryan - The Informal Organization Within the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard (JDFCG)
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THE INFORMAL ORGANIZATION WITHIN THEJAMAICA DEFENCE FORCE COAST GUARD
(JDFCG (NR) Intake 99/01 Passing Out Photo.)
TTHHEEJJAAMMAAIICCAADDEEFFEENNCCEEFFOORRCCEECCOOAASSTTGGUUAARRDD
In the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) the essential need(s) of the individual
serviceman/soldier is association, and that necessitates local activity or interaction on bilateral-
level, i.e.; among or between other soldiers of equal rank. The willingness of people in the JDF to
endure onerous routines and dangerous or life threatening tasks, which they could have avoided
in civilian life, may be rationalized by the necessity for action by those individuals, to maintain
the soldiers' sense of social integration, whether the latter is as a result of instinct, from social
conditioning or from physiological necessity, or all of the above.
Definitions of Formal and Informal Organizations
Informal Organization
Definition
1. The aggregate of the personal contacts, interactions, and the associated groupings of people, withcommon objectives. It (the informal organization) may be indefinite and rather structureless, and
may have no definite subdivision. Indeed it may be regarded as a shapeless mass of varied
densities, the variations in density being as a result of external factors affecting the closeness of
people geographically, or of formal purposes, which bring them especially into contact for
conscious joint accomplishments.(Classics of Public Administration, 2nd edition, Shafritz et al (1987)
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2. \In*form"al\, a. [Pref. in- not + formal.] Not in the regular, usual, or established form; notaccording to official, conventional, prescribed, or customary forms or rules; irregular; hence,
without ceremony; as, an informal writing, proceeding, or visit.(http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/form)
Formal Organization
Definition
a group that restricts membership and makes use of officially designated positions and roles, formal
rules and regulations, and a bureaucratic structure.(http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/form)
TABLE 1THE FOUR MAIN CONTENTS OF INFORMAL NETWORKS
AffectFriendships, trust and intimate relations
PoliticalInfluence, power, authority
ProductionAdvice, exchange of technical/instrumentalknowledge and innovation
CulturalCommunication and flow of information
The formal structure is the one that can be found in organization charts. Usually hierarchical,
the formal structure follows job titles and job descriptions. Often this will try to coincide with
who is authorized to do a job or perform a function. But in most organizations, there is an
informal structure in which individuals recognize who actually gets which tasks done. It was
thought by Chester I. Bernard1, a scholar of sociology, that attitudes, institutions, and customs of
informal society, are affected and are partly manifested throughformal organizations, which are
conversely, those organizations that strictly observe organizational structures and procedures.
Bernard is also of the opinion that there is interdependence between the formal and the informal
organization, and that one may not exist without the other. Thus, the maintenance of
cohesiveness, in what may be viewed as a formal organization (the Jamaica Defence Force),
through the regulation of the willingness of soldiers to serve the, organization, and the
stabilization of objective authority must be considered. What this means in laymans terms is thatthe soldiers attitude to his job is heavily dependent on discipline and respect for his superiors and
comrades. The interactions of informal organization may not be consciously dominated by a
given impersonal objective or by higher authority/ authorities, e.g. the Chief of Staff,
Commanding Officers, etc. to express the desires of the organization. In fact, in this kind of
structure (informal), a peer is usually the authority figure. It is often through observing these
1The Functions of the Executive. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press:1968
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interactions that leadership potential is spotted by those with the authority to promote. The ability
to lead without any real or established authority is usually not an easy task. As military personnel,
we must recognize that these interactions are characterized by choice (of the individual soldier/
officer), and often present the opportunities for the reinforcement of personal attitudes and
behavior. Although this function is often deemed a threat to formal organization, it must instead
be regarded as a means of maintaining the personality of the individual against certain effects ofthe JDF, which tend to encourage the disintegration of personalities; indeed it is often perceived
by most servicemen, that their superiors often regard them as only a number2. One of the main
concepts responsible for the operations of the Jamaica Defence Coast Guard (JDFCG) is the
establishment of rigid system of authority (top down hierarchical structure) whereby the central
purpose or objective, i.e.:
Maritime Law Enforcement and Protection; Maritime Safety; Defence Readiness and Naval Duties; and Nation Building.
Is translated or manifested into reality through the combined or coordinated efforts of its
service personnel, with each individual working in his/ her own field to realize the overall
objective/ goals of the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard. These goals are best achieved when
the soldier/ seaman shares the aim of the organization, i.e.; he believes in what he has been
ordered to do, whether thats patrolling at sea for days, or engaging in a search and rescue (SAR)
operation.
Further evidence of this train of though, may be found in sociologist Robert K. Merton 3,
argues that a formal, rationally organized social structure, involves clearly defined pattern ofactivities, which ideally is or should be functionally related to the purposes of the organization.
Merton goes on further to say that some of those authorities/ persons/ offices which have been
delegated by the relevant authorities are usually limited by specific rules that regulate the power
of control within that organization. In the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard, this is certainly
true. For example, if a serviceman/ seaman is given an order by a Chief Petty Officer/ Staff
Sergeant (or any other superior rank), initially and while executing that command he is given
another command by an officer higher in rank to the Chief Petty Officer, e.g.; the Commanding
Officer, the serviceman/ seaman is obligated to relinquish his previous order, and to execute the
order given by the higher authority, i.e.; the Commanding Officer's orders. Of course official
action in the JDFFCG (and the JDF at large) usually occurs within the framework of pre-existing
rules of the JDF, which is large contained in the Defence Act (1962).
2NOTE: Each service personnel is assigned a regimental number to identify firstly and for reasons of singularity secondly.
3Social Theory and Social Structure. MacMillan Publishing Company Limited:1957
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THE TRADITION OF FORMALITY IN THE JDFCG
Generally in the JDF, authority and the power of control, which derives from anacknowledged status, inheres in the office/ appointment, and not in the individual who performs
the official role. To some service personnel, the matter of giving orders seems a very simple
affair; they expect to issue their own orders, and have their superiors comply without question.
My observation of my fellow service personnel, makes it clear to me, that when officers/ NCO 4s
try to get soldiers to do things satisfactorily, ordering them in a 'high handed' fashion, or
exhorting them, often had a negative effect. Although the soldier/ serviceman is obligated to
comply with the order, reasoning with them, and even convincing them intellectually (making
them partners in the effort), usually produces a much more desirable effect.
The system of pre-described relations between the various parties in the JDF and the
JDFCG involves a considerable degree of formality and clearly defined social distance between
the occupants of the various positions/ appointments. This 'formality' is manifested by means of, a
set of complicated social rituals, which symbolizes and often support the pecking order of the
various service personnel at HMJS Cagway5, where there is strict adherence to the social
separation (or segregation) between enlisted personnel and, commissioned personnel (officers).
For instance, the officers are obligated (and some may even argue. required), by tradition to eatat the Wardroom, a place where officers congregate, while the enlisted personnel, eat in the
galley/ mess (dining hall). I should point-out, that not only is there strict observation of this social
separation between the officers and the enlisted ranks, but also between the NCOs and their
subordinates (i.e., the ordinary seamen/ privates), where there is a separation in the areas
designated for eating and for drinking/ congregating. Therefore, ready calculability of the other
group(s) behavior, and a stable set-up of mutual expectations are thus built-up. It would seem that
without this formality, the facilitation of interaction among the occupants of offices/appointments, despite their (possible hostile) attitudes towards one another, would be very
difficult. Also, in this way, the subordinates are protected from the possible arbitrary actions of
their superiors, since the actions of both are constrained/ governed by a mutually recognized set
of rules, both by the Defence Act, and a set of regulations commonly called the 'Rights of a
Soldier6
'. Let me hasten to say however, that adherence to this type of formality (to theamusement of my fellow seamen) is threatened most when JDFCG personnel is at sea. I have
witnessed enlisted and commissioned personnel feeding the fishes together arm-in-arm over the
side, and also sharing food and beverages whilst the vessel is underway! A clear deviation to the
strict observance of segregation outlined above.
5Non Commissioned Officers, i.e., those enlisted service personnel, who are not privates, usually at, or above the rank of lance
corporal (army) or able seaman (navy).
6Her/ His Majesty's Jamaica Ship Cagway, the Headquarters of the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard, which is situated in Port
Royal.
7A document aimed at illustrating the individual rights of military personnel, serving in both in the regular and reserve forces.
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INFORMAL ASSOCIATION
I have also observed that since most soldiers have the same or similar interests /objectives, in-group aggression is not as prominent in the lower ranks, as in the higher ranks,
since there is esprit de corps (co-operative and motivational attitudes) among servicemen. This
often leads to servicemen defending or promoting entrenched interests, which are usually
consistent or compatible with the aims of the JDFCG. This may be defined as dedication or
commitment.
To further enforce the caption, I will once again refer to Bernard, who further suggests
that informal organizations arise out of, and are necessary to formal organizations but that when
informal organizations come into operation, they create and require some formal organization.
It is thought by some sociologists, public administrators, and scholars, that comradeship
is much more powerful than patriotism. In the JDF, where those individuals responsible for
training potential servicemen and servicewomen are immediately in contact with recruits/ officer
cadets, their style of leadership usually influence the potential serviceman/ womans opinion of
his/ herself within the JDFCG, and the JDF, as a whole. Thus, these bonds are formed during the
process of assimilation, from civilian to soldier, that recruit / officer training entails, and are
usually, sustained long after the passing-out ceremony. During this period, the informal
organization is at its most intense. A leader is selected from among the recruits by his/ her peers
(or sometimes by the instructors) and each recruit is allowed to develop their leadership potential
through interdependency, i.e.; that is they must each assume responsibility for each other A
Chain is as strong as its weakest link. In this way, the informal organization, which in my
illustration above is the Recruit Squad, helps to churn out soldiers of the highest caliber for the
formal organization, i.e.; the JDF.
Based on my observations and experiences thus far, in my military life there is evidence
that interaction among service personnel, based on personal objectives, rather than joint orcommon purposes, eventually become systematic, and organized. The leader of the Recruit Squad
is often delegated by the Instructor to undertake simple tasks, which would in effect give him/ her
official authority in this instance.
Informal organizations will often give rise to formal organizations, in that formal
organizations are critical to any large informal or societal organization (such as the Jamaica
Defence Force Coast Guard and the Jamaica Defence Force at large).
I also believe that the reverse is also true, i.e., formal organizations, which once
established, will in turn, create informal organizations themselves.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bernard, Chester, I. The Functions of the Executive. Massachusetts: Howard University Press, 1968.
Hughs, Owen. Public Management and Administration. 2nd
ed. London: MacMillan Publishing Co. Ltd., 1998.
Hyperdictionary [accessed: December 30th
2003] see:
Jones, Edwin. et al, Critical Issues in Caribbean Development: Institutional Aspects of West Indian Development,
No. 3. Kingston: Ian Randle Publishers and the Institute of Economic Research (ISER), University of the West
Indies, 1998.
Merton, Robert K. Social Theory and Social Structures. London: MacMillan Publishing Co. Ltd., 1957
Shafritz, Joy M. and Albert C. Hyde. Classics of Public Administration. 2nd
ed. California: Brooks/ Cole
Publishing Company, 1978.
Turner, Micheal. and David Hulme. Governance, Administration and Development. London: MacMillian, 1997.
______________________________________________________________________________________
NOTE:Ordinary Seaman Bryan is a member of the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard (NR), a member of theJamaican Foreign Service (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade), and a part-time student of the University ofthe West Indies, Mona Campus.