The Role of Culture in Shaping Perceptions of Discrimination among Active Duty and Reserve Forces in the US Military

Organizational culture allows workers in an organization to develop a shared understanding about events that occur within the organization. The US Army has developed its own culture, which allows it to pursue a variety of challenges that it must face. Today’s US Army relies heavily on citizen soldiers, consisting of the Army Reserve and the National Guard. These soldiers come from a different background than the active component soldiers, and as a result, interpret actions taken by the organization and its leaders differently, based on the subculture from which these soldiers come. The present paper examines the effects that culture and status have on perceptions of discrimination and fairness during a recent US military operation. An historical frame of reference of similar experiences in previous military operations is provided, and implications for organizations that employ both permanent and temporary workers are discussed.