Introduction
Sexual abuse and hazing have a destructive effect on the military service, which foregrounds the need to promote ethical leadership. This analytical essay focuses on the story by SPC Wright about sexual harassment and hazing in the American army (Wright, 2021). He states that hazing and sexual assault harm the army profession.
First, it destroys the public image of the U.S. military and leads to the situation when people associate military service with abuse, humiliation, and the inability to serve their country with dignity. Second, systematic cases of harassment and hazing decrease the level of trust and respect between soldiers and their command, which destroys the army from the inside. It is possible to state that the principles of ethical leadership that aim at building trust and respect among soldiers and command can change the existing situation with abuse and humiliation.
Discussion and Analysis
Case Description
SPC Wright became the victim of systematic humiliation and sexual abuse from other soldiers when he changed the platoon. When he served in another troop, this behavior was unacceptable, and there was an atmosphere of mutual respect among soldiers. He always knew that he had the opportunity to ask the commanders for assistance, and they would react to the potential problems. The commanders in the last troop gained the trust of all soldiers, which made the communication adequate. In their turn, the commanders in the new platoon showed that they did not want to establish contact with the soldiers, and their problems were not their priorities.
As a result, the military leaders knew that the cases of sexual harassment and hazing happened when they did not watch the soldiers in their platoon, but they preferred to disregard these facts. SPC Wright received help only when he addressed the higher rank commandment and described the existing problems (Wright, 2021). This case shows that the soldier could no longer stay in the army when he was regularly humiliated and abused, and the commandment did nothing to change this situation.
Case Interpretation
Ethical leadership is connected with profound transformations in the military service. It is critical to pay precise attention to the cases that emphasize the existing problems in the army. In most situations, it is easier to ignore the problem than to reform the entire system that is rigid by its structure. Moreover, the pro-active position in the military profession is connected with potential problems because the army is a highly hierarchical institution where the individual’s status and authority have the most critical role in the decision-making process (Barnes, Doty, 2010). For example, SPC Wright could not solve the problem of sexual abuse and hazing until he addressed the commanders who had more authority than the platoon’s supervisors. As the soldier, SPC Wright did not have other opportunities to change the situation when his human dignity was regularly humiliated. This situation emphasizes that an average soldier in the army is powerless because of his comparatively low status in the military hierarchy.
A military leader who pursues ethical goals should be credible and trustworthy. It is vital for the moral leader to show the appropriate conduct in all critical and biased situations during the military service, communicate with the subordinates, and respect them as professionals and as humans. Paying attention to ethical principles can be complicated because military leaders require courage and stable morality to act according to ethics (Barnes, Doty, 2010). The case that SPC Wright describes is a vivid illustration of the problems with ethical leadership that exist in the American army. The commandment usually knows that hazing and sexual harassment exist, but they do not try to watch their soldiers and eliminate all signs of humiliation in the troop. As a result, they prefer to persuade themselves that such things do not exist because they do not see them when communicating with the soldiers. There is no need to say that this policy is far from ethical and practical.
There is an emphasis on professional competencies in the military, not on the person’s character, which leads to problems with ethical behavior. People who lack moral principles but are professionals in the military succeed, leading to cases of humiliation and abuse in the troops. As SPC Wright says in the interview, there is a vital need for people with high moral standards who do not hesitate to promote their ethical values and speak up (Wright, 2021). In other words, leadership based on the principles of morality is rare in the American army, leading to the absence of trusting relationships between soldiers and their commandments. Many soldiers cannot cope with this humiliation, stress, and feeling of powerlessness, which leads to their suicide or the assassination of the abusers. Therefore, it is critical to pay attention to communication within the troop and build trusting relationships between the commanders, the supervisors, and the soldiers.
Creating a culture of trust and respect in the American military is the priority for the commandment, and it is possible to achieve it by dividing the army into smaller units. It is possible to improve trust in the interactions with the soldiers when every commander knows the problems of the people with whom he works daily (Hoeft, 2021). This method of implementing ethical leadership in the military might give positive results in the future because it challenges the existing rigid hierarchical structure where low-ranked soldiers cannot express their concerns.
The ethical military leader does not only create a positive environment but also shows others a good example. It is part of social learning when the soldiers see how their supervisors behave and act similarly. It is impossible to underestimate the impact of the tradition in the military service, and ethical leadership can become part of this army tradition (Barnes, Doty, 2010). It is possible to state that the decision of SPC Wright to speak up about the problems of sexual harassment and hazing and his ability to solve this problem during his military service is a positive example for military professionals.
The soldier shows that he is a competent professional in the interview and he values discipline and subordination in the army. At the same time, he has a proactive position concerning the unacceptability of humiliation and abuse and is not afraid to discuss these problems in public. Many soldiers do not talk about these episodes because they feel ashamed of being victims of abuse and fear potential adverse outcomes. For instance, they hesitate to accuse their fellow soldiers of sexual harassment and hazing because the humiliation might aggravate after being punished for their actions. It shows that there is much work to do in the American army to promote a trusting and respectful atmosphere among people who have to protect the country professionally.
Conclusion
To conclude, ethical leadership is essential to creating a good atmosphere in the army. The primary goal is to build respectful and trusting communication between soldiers, supervisors, and commanders. Lack of mutual trust and interpersonal communication between the commanders and the soldiers leads to such problems as sexual harassment and hazing. Humiliation and abuse lead to the degradation of the relationships among soldiers and do not allow them to serve the country effectively due to the toxic atmosphere among troops. Moreover, these situations harm the image of the American army, which makes the military service not prestigious and connected with the constant humiliation of human dignity instead of professionalism and patriotism. Therefore, it is vital to address the problem of sexual harassment and hazing in the U.S. military, and ethical leadership might help solve these issues.
SPC Wright emphasized implementing ethical leadership principles in the mission command. The soldier described the existing problems in the American army connected with sexual harassment and hazing that the supervisors and the commandment disregarded because these problems required active actions. His competence foregrounds his position, and he shows that he is ready to accept the risks that are connected with the initiative. Summing up, SPC Wright’s behavior and story are examples of ethical conduct and leadership that serve as the role model for other military professionals. Initiative, competence, and ethical principles that people are not afraid to implement are the critical components of promoting ethical leadership and making the military service more oriented toward the needs of soldiers.
References
Barnes, C. M., Doty, J. (2010). What does contemporary science say about ethical leadership? The Army Ethics, 90-93.
Hoeft, J. (2021). Army leaders talk ethical leadership. Army.mil. Web.
Wright, J. (2021). The effects of hazing and sexual assault on the army profession. Video transcript. Army.mil.