University of San Diego Digital USD Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2018-08-31 Command Climate and Ethical Behavior: Perspectives from the Commandant's of the Marine Corps Brian Kerl University of San Diego Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations Part of the Leadership Studies Commons, and the Military and Veterans Studies Commons Digital USD Citation Kerl, Brian, "Command Climate and Ethical Behavior: Perspectives from the Commandant's of the Marine Corps" (2018). Dissertations. 119. https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/119 This Dissertation: Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Digital USD. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital USD. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COMMAND CLIMATE AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE COMMANDANT’S OF THE MARINE CORPS by Brian David Kerl A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2018 Dissertation Committee Fred J. Galloway, Ed.D Lea Hubbard, PhD Robert Donmoyer, PhD Paolo Tripodi, PhD University of San Diego © Copyright by Brian David Kerl All Rights Reserved 2018 University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences CANDIDATE’S NAME: Brian Kerl TITLE OF DISSERTATION: COMMAND CLIMATE AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE COMMANDANT’S OF THE MARINE CORPS APPROVAL: _____________________________________, Chair Fred J. Galloway, EdD- _____________________________________, Member Lea Hubbard, PhD - _____________________________________, Member Robert Donmoyer, PhD _____________________________________, Member Paolo Tripodi, PhD - COMMAND CLIMATE AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE COMMANDANT’S OF THE MARINE CORPS Abstract Marine Corps commanding officers today face challenges aggravated by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, strategic uncertainty, and societal changes that carry over to the military such as women serving in infantry roles and the use of social media. These challenges are exacerbated by the stressors unique to the military such as lengthy separations from loved ones and multiple relocation moves, which underscore the significance of command climate and its influence on ethical behavior. Importantly, the consequences of a command climate not focused on ethics may negatively affect combat readiness and warfighting effectiveness. To date, however, little scholarly work, if any, has been done that examines the role that command climate plays in influencing the ethical behavior of Marines. To begin to fill this void in the literature, this qualitative study employed a case study/cross-case design using a two-phased research approach. The first phase included a document analysis of the command climate curriculum taught at the Marine Corps’ formal schools, and personal interviews with four key individuals relative to the topic. The second phase involved face-to-face interviews with eight Marine Corps commandants using a semi-structured interview guide designed to provide their perspectives on command climate and how it influences the ethical behavior of Marines. These data were examined using an analysis of the eight narratives, and the analysis produced four common categories: setting the example; open communications; core values; and accountability and responsibility. When these four common categories were then used during the cross-case comparison, the following three themes emerged: command climate is significant with respect to the ethical behavior of the Marines in the organization; climate must be focused on the routine maintenance of core values, and the character development of the individual Marine; and the ethical behavior of the individual Marine is the best way to continue to win the hearts and souls of the American people. This study hopes to modestly contribute to the Marine Corps’ leadership development program by providing recommendations to assist with the training and education of commanding officers who establish ethical climates designed to enhance combat effectiveness and character development within their organizations. Keywords: ethical Leadership, ethics education, ethical decision-making, and ethical climate DEDICATION Since my youth, my parents have always emphasized the importance of my education. Further, my father was an avid reader of military history and always discussed the Greatest Generation and what they did for the country. Many of these veterans who served in WWII lived in the neighborhood where I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. My mother would show me the ration books from her childhood growing up in Covington, Kentucky, and how families had to sacrifice while the men were fighting the war. My folks instilled in me the concept of service, patriotism, and education. So, at a very early age, my parents had a big influence on my joining the military. When I was a kid, I was always outside playing sports, army, or guns. All the kids had toy guns and after watching movies like None but the Brave, and the Sands of Iwo Jima, we would disappear into the woods fighting the “Japanese” in the jungle for hours until it was time to hike back to our homes for supper. These movies, my dad’s love of military history, and the influence of the veterans who lived in the neighborhood were the primary drivers that paved the way for me to join the Marines. My dad taught me the importance of a good education and a sound work ethic; my mother taught me the value of compassion, and the importance of being honest. All these ideas and values enabled me to successfully lead Marines for 28 years. I owe much of my success in the Marines, and in life, to my parents. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have many people I wish to thank who made this project possible. First, I would like to thank the eight commandants who graciously gave their time to be interviewed, and the time to review what I captured in their respective sections of the dissertation. Further, I would like to thank the people at the Marine Corps University and the Lejeune Leadership Institute who provided me access to certain interviews on the base in Quantico, and who offered their support throughout the research process. I would not have been able to have accomplished the goals of this study without the training, education, and mentorship from the members of my committee. First, I would like to thank the four members of my dissertation committee. Dr. Fred Galloway, who was my academic advisor for all five years of my doctoral education at USD, and who served as my dissertation committee chair. Fred was always available, and he always provided great advice on how to approach the project. I’ll never forget our conversations while listening to classic rock in his office. Dr. Lea Hubbard was my professor for the advanced qualitative analysis course, which prepared me for the research project. Lea offered sage advice on how to tackle the transcripts, analytical memos, and the jot notes necessary for the data collection phase of the study. Dr. Bob Donmoyer taught me how to write. It was his basic qualitative analysis course where I really started to appreciate and learn the art and science of good writing. Bob also taught me the fine points of how to conduct personal interviews, which came in handy for the interviews with the Commandants of the United States Marine Corps. I would also like to thank Dr. Paolo Tripodi for providing a Marine Corps perspective to the dissertation committee, and for believing in the project. He was a great friend throughout the process. I would also like to thank my fellow students Elissa Haddad, Bharat Mohan, John Hinck, Robert Ehnow, and Beth Garofalo for their assistance and friendship. viii Finally, I want to thank my entire family. I could not have finished the program or conducted the research without the support from the love of my live, Sally Cohenour, and my son, Brian. They both made sacrifices while I spent countless hours at the library, or at SOLES in one of the classrooms. I would also like to thank my parents, Dave and Lucy Kerl for their love and support, as well as my siblings, Lisa Ray and Brad Kerl, who all had to put up with my stories about school and my research project. ix PREFACE Throughout my service in the Marine Corps, both enlisted and officer role models emphasized the importance of integrity and one’s character. In fact, most of these Marines suggested that integrity was the most important attribute for a Marine to possess. As a former commanding officer, I made every attempt to focus on the character development of my Marines and to emphasize the Marine Corps’ values. I take great pride in my military service of over 28 years in the Marines. I have had the opportunity to witness good command climates, and I have had to endure poor command climates. The good command climates promoted a positive environment where people were happy and there was solid unit cohesion. The poor climates forced people out of the Marine Corps, and these units experienced numerous disciplinary problems, which degraded unit readiness and mission accomplishment. Recently, the military has experienced numerous policy changes commensurate with the changes in the society such as women serving in combat arms occupations (e.g., the infantry) and the use of social media. These changes have underscored the importance of a good command climate. A command climate focused on the Marine Corps’ Core Values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment, and character development. These climates will produce better people who typically make better Marines. Further, the expectations of the American people are extremely high, and it is the responsibility of all Marines, especially the commanders to make every effort to meet the high expectations that Americans have for their Marines. x The impetus for this study was the result of the numerous articles and headlines in the news where Marines had tarnished the image of the Marine Corps due to incidents of misconduct.