Marine Corporate Culture Assessing Corporate

Marine Corporate Culture

Assessing Corporate Culture (Marines)

In Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines, Marion F. Sturkey reminds the world that no one joins the Marines, they become Marines by surviving the basic training that sculpts the mind and body (Sturkey pp). An individual earns the title and enters the Brotherhood of Marines, and therein lies his strength, and in return, the strength of the Corps lies in the individual (Sturkey pp). The character is defined by three constant Corps Values, honor courage, and commitment (Sturkey pp).

Honor requires the ultimate standard in ethical and moral conduct, and a Marine must never lie, cheat, or steal, must adhere to a code of personal integrity and be accountable for his actions, and above all, must never sully the reputation of his Corps (Sturkey pp). Courage is honor in action, moral strength, heeding the inner voice of conscience and doing what is right in spite of adverse consequences (Sturkey pp). Commitment is total dedication to Corps and Country, and is a combination of selfless determination and relentless dedication to excellence (Sturkey pp). And once a Marine, always a Marine, for there is no such thing as an ex-Marine or former-Marine, only reserve, retired or veteran Marines (Sturkey pp). These three Corps Values make up the bedrock of each individual Marine's character, and are the foundation of the Corps itself (Sturkey pp). These values have been handed down from generation to generation and are the reason why the U.S. Marines are the most respected and revered fighting force on earth (Sturkey pp).

After the Korean War, the armed forces developed a Code of Conduct that was approved by the President of the United Sates in 1955, and contains six articles that create a comprehensive guide for all American military forces and embraces statements of dedication to the U.S. And the cause of freedom, conduct on the battlefield, and conduct as a prisoner of war (Sturkey pp). Sturkey points out that this new Code is not a part of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but is a personal conduct mandate for all member of the American armed forces throughout the world (Sturkey pp). The articles basically read:

Article I: I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

Article II: I will never surrender of my own free will.

Article III: If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available.

Article IV: If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners.

Article V: If captured, I am required to give name, rank, service, number, and date of birth.

Article VI: I will never forget that I am an American, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

Sturkey pp).

In April 2001, two busses carrying eighty passengers arrived at the Officers Candidates School (Covington pp). They were students from one of the nation's premier business schools, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School, who had come to participate in a special leadership course where the future business leaders would gain first-hand knowledge of Marine Corps leadership principles (Covington pp). Troy Turner, a former Marine artillery officer and first year master's of business administration student, said, "We spend a lot of time in the classroom talking about leadership in school, this was a unique opportunity to show students what Marine Corps leadership is all about...This gives them a different perspective on the Marine culture and military leadership" (Covington pp). According to Sgt. Gary Smith, the students have come to learn how to handle leadership challenges in a stressful environment, "That's why we're here, to create that chaotic environment and evaluate how they react and make decisions in that environment" (Covington pp). The business students were profoundly impressed with the OCS instructors, who were very professional, and hard but fair (Covington pp). The student were divided into two groups, half tackling the muddy obstacles of the OCS Combat Course, while the other half took on the mental and physical challenge of the OCS Leadership Reaction Course where they were forced to use their intellect to determine how the strengths of the group can work to their advantage in order to conquer the intricate structure of the course (Covington pp).