NS4 Textbook

Avoiding Communication Pitfalls

Review Questions

1. According to Admiral Holloway, when are orders most likely to be misunderstood?
2. What is accomplished by giving subordinates sufficient background material?
3. What should a leader avoid doing to a subordinate at all costs?

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Avoiding Communication Pitfalls

Thinking Ethically: Inflated Readiness Levels

From Ethics for the Junior Officer: Selected Cases from Current Military Experience

During flight school and subsequent assignment to a flying billet, officers are educated as to the
requirements for attaining training proficiency. An O-3, newly assigned to a squadron, found that more
senior officers were inflating individual aircrew readiness levels so as to reflect high squadron readiness
levels.

Both short- and long-term effects were felt at the aircrew squadron levels. The individual aircrews suffered
from lack of adequate training and the squadron’s performance levels were poor. The ethical climate of the
command was such that the result was wholesale acceptance of the concept “that’s the way it is.”

What do you do?

This ethics issue deals with false reporting of aircrew readiness levels. Instead of bringing aircrews up to
standards, effective training of aircrews was sacrificed by failure to perform numerous basic training
evolutions, while recording that they had been accomplished. This was done to reflect high squadron
readiness levels.

Senior and intermediate-level personnel further compounded the situation by accepting certain readiness
levels regardless of completion of required events. This set an example that was followed by all in the
command.

With their seniors accepting less-than-required results, junior officers succumbed to the seniors’ influence.
They followed their examples all allowed this situation to continue. It is noted that there were written
instruction governing what the required training should have been.

Assignment:

1. Complete the “Critical Case Evaluation.”

2. Decide what you would do and record your
response on the “Case Evaluation Response”
form.

3. Review what actually happened in this real
scenario.

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Michael Dehner, right, points out
an item on the preflight checklist to student, Navy Lt.
Christopher Dotson, prior to a flight from Naval Air Station
Patuxent River, Md. The flight was a systems evaluation on
the F/A-18B Hornet. Both Maj. Dehner and Lt. Dotson are
assigned to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, stationed on
board Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

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A Critical Case Evaluation

Case Title: ________________________________________________________________________________

Directions: Use the questions from the Thinking Ethically: Things to Consider chart (on page 6) to help you
evaluate the case.

Pressure  No  Yes
Is there pressure from peers, subordinates, seniors, or other sources to behave in an unethical
manner?

If yes, who or what is the source of the pressure?

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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Seek the Truth  No  Yes
Does the leader validate the facts and obtain clarification?

If no, what actions does the leader need to take?

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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Subordinates  No  Yes
Do the factors in the case affect subordinates and their perception of their leader?

If yes, what effect is caused, or might be caused, to the subordinates?

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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Avoiding Communication Pitfalls

Organization  No  Yes
Is an ethical work environment being maintained?

If no, what action does the leader need to take?

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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Know the Rules  No  Yes
Does the leader properly enforce the rules, regulations, or policies?

If no, what action does the leader need to take?

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Additional Points
Are there any additional points to consider?
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___________________________________________________________________________________________

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Case Evaluation Response

Case Title: ________________________________________________________________________________
What would you do and why?

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What Actually Happened in this Real Scenario?
The most suitable course of action would have been to follow the required training as per the instructions
versus inflating readiness levels in order to look good.
During the course of meetings between junior and more senior officers, a great deal of conflict was
generated between the O-3 aviator, assigned to a Fleet Maritime Patrol Squadron, and the O-4 Training and
Operations department heads.
Sadly, we report that the pressure was too much; while the JO should have insisted upon sticking to the
specific requirements governed by instructions, such was not the case.
There is every likelihood that the seniors would have felt pressured to do it right if the JO had insisted.
Again, we have the instance of an officer willing to die for the nation but not willing to lose a career to fight
for doing what is right and appropriate.

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