R 280830Z MAR 00 ZYW
FM CMC WASHINGTON DC//MP//
TO MARADMIN
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UNCLAS //N05354//
MARADMIN 170/00
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC MPE//
SUBJ/RESULTS OF THE MARINE CORPS CLIMATE SURVEY//
POC/D. L. SOSNOWSKI/DEP BRANCH HEAD/-/-/TEL:703-784-9371
/TEL:703-784-9372//
RMKS/1. THE 1999 MARINE CORPS CLIMATE SURVEY (MCCS, MCCS-R)
MEASURES ACTIVE DUTY AND RESERVE MEMBERS' EXPERIENCES REGARDING
ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE ISSUES, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, AND SEXUAL
HARASSMENT. THE SURVEY WAS ADMINISTERED TO A RANDOM SAMPLE OF
MARINE CORPS PERSONNEL (11,681 ACTIVE DUTY, 7,888 RESERVISTS)
STRATIFIED BY RACIAL/ETHNIC GROUP (WHITE, BLACK, HISPANIC, OTHER)
AND GENDER WITHIN ENLISTED AND OFFICER POPULATIONS. THE RESPONSE
RATES WERE 37 PERCENT FOR ACTIVE DUTY AND 33 PERCENT FOR RESERVES.
2. THE FIRST SECTION OF MCCS CONTAINS GROUPS OF ITEMS RELATED TO 10
ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE AREAS. THE CLIMATE MODULES ARE: LEADERSHIP,
UNIT COHESION, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, TRAINING, CAREER
PROGRESSION, SATISFACTION WITH THE MARINE CORPS, ACCOUNTABILITY,
INFORMAL RESOLUTION PROCESS/REQUEST MAST, DISCIPLINE, AND EXTREMIST GROUPS/GANGS. THE CLIMATE MODULES WERE FOLLOWED BY ITEMS ASSESSING
RACIAL/ETHNIC AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION, AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT.
3. THE RESULTS INDICATE BOTH POSITIVE RESULTS AND AREAS OF
CONCERN. THEY ARE AS FOLLOWS:
POSITIVE RESULTS:
- RESULTS FROM THE SURVEY ARE GENERALLY POSITIVE, PARTICULARLY FOR
ITEMS ASSESSING LEADERSHIP, UNIT COHESION, AND SATISFACTION WITH THE
MARINE CORPS.
- MOST INDICATE THAT THEIR CHAIN OF COMMAND TREATS THEM FAIRLY, AND
HAVE BEEN GIVEN ADVICE BY THEIR SENIORS OR SUPERVISORS THAT HAS
HELPED THEIR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
- RESPONDENTS ARE PROUD TO BE MARINES, ARE SATISFIED WITH THE
CORPS, AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO SOMEONE WITH A DIFFERENT RACIAL
BACKGROUND.
- VERY LOW PERCENTAGES ARE THE TARGETS OF EXTREMIST/HATE GROUP/GANG
ACTIVITY OR RECRUITMENT.
- THE PERCENTAGE OF ACTIVE DUTY PERSONNEL WHO SAY THEY EXPERIENCED
RACIAL/ETHNIC DISCRIMINATION IN THE PAST YEAR DECREASED.
- RATES OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION HAVE DECREASED, PARTICULARLY FOR
ACTIVE DUTY ENLISTED FEMALES.
- MOST HAVE RECEIVED SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING AND UNDERSTAND WHAT
WORDS OR ACTIONS ARE CONSIDERED SEXUAL HARASSMENT.
- SEXUAL HARASSMENT RATES DROPPED SHARPLY FOR ACTIVE DUTY ENLISTED
AND OFFICER FEMALES. FOR ACTIVE DUTY ENLISTED FEMALES, THE RATES
DROPPED FROM 42 PERCENT IN 1997 TO 30 PERCENT IN 1999; FOR ACTIVE
DUTY FEMALE OFFICERS, THE RATES DROPPED FROM 20 PERCENT IN 1997 TO
10 PERCENT IN 1999. RESERVE FEMALES ALSO SAW A DROP IN THE RATES OF
SEXUAL HARASSMENT; FOR ENLISTED, THE RATES DROPPED FROM 26 PERCENT
IN 1997 TO 23 PERCENT IN 1999. FEMALE RESERVE OFFICERS REPORTED A
DROP FROM 14 PERCENT IN 1997 TO 5 PERCENT IN 1999.
- MOST SEXUAL HARASSMENT BEHAVIORS HAVE DECREASED AND ARE AT THE
LOWEST LEVELS SINCE THE ORIGINAL MARINE CORPS EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
SURVEY IN 1994.
AREAS OF CONCERN:
- LEADERS ARE NOT WIDELY SEEN AS REGULARLY ADDRESSING EO OR
FAIRNESS ISSUES. THIS WAS TRUE IN BOTH THE ACTIVE DUTY AND RESERVE
COMPONENTS, FOR BOTH ENLISTED AND OFFICERS.
- RATES OF TEAM MARINE TRAINING AND IRS TRAINING, AS WELL AS
UNDERSTANDING THE TRAINING, ARE LOW.
- ENLISTED GENERALLY DO NOT VIEW THE PROMOTION/ADVANCEMENT SYSTEM
AS FAIR.
- ENLISTED EXPERIENCES DO NOT ENCOURAGE THEM TO STAY IN THE MARINE
CORPS; SMALL PERCENTAGE PLANS TO REENLIST.
- LITTLE CONFIDENCE IN THE REQUEST MAST PROCESS AND THE FAIRNESS
OF THE COMPLAINT PROCESS, PARTICULARLY AMONG ENLISTED.
- AS ON PREVIOUS SURVEYS, BLACK FEMALES ARE LEAST POSITIVE ON MANY
CLIMATE ITEMS (E.G., DISCIPLINE).
- DESPITE DECREASES IN RACIAL/ETHNIC DISCRIMINATION RATES, GAPS
STILL EXIST BETWEEN MINORITIES AND WHITES; 11 TO 19 PERCENT FOR
MINORITIES COMPARED TO 3 PERCENT FOR WHITES.
- RATES FOR NEGATIVE COMMENTS AND OFFENSIVE JOKES REMAIN RELATIVELY
HIGH AMONG ACTIVE DUTY MINORITY ENLISTED.
- AMONG ENLISTED FEMALES, THE PERCENTAGE OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT BY
HIGHER LEVEL SUPERVISORS AND CO-WORKERS CONTINUES TO INCREASE.
- THE PERCENTAGE OF ACTIVE DUTY FEMALE OFFICERS HARASSED BY THEIR
IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR AND SUBORDINATES INCREASED.
4. PROGRESS IS BEING MADE, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE IS A LOT OF
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. THE MARINE CORPS DOES TWO THINGS FOR THIS
NATION - MAKE MARINES AND WIN BATTLES. IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH
THIS, WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT EVERY MARINE IS ALLOWED TO BE A FULL
TEAM MEMBER. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A BETTER CORPS, BUT
ONLY TOGETHER CAN WE MAKE IT HAPPEN. WE MUST CREATE A CLIMATE FREE
OF DISCRIMINATION AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT. LEADERS AT ALL LEVELS,
OFFICER AND ENLISTED, MUST BE INVOLVED. THE ISSUE IS ONE OF
READINESS AND THE ANSWER IS LEADERSHIP.//
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