Retention is currently a serious problem in
all the military services. As we will establish, the retention problem
deserves further study and decisive action by leadership of all branches
of military service. Retention is defined by the Department of Defense
as the number of people in the military services, eligible to re-enlist,
who choose to remain on active duty. Generally the military services have
been able to meet retention goals with slight fluctuations. The lowest
retention in the last three decades occurred in the early 1970s as a result
of Vietnam War downsizing. Retention from 1993 through 1996 has been consistent
in the 80th percentile. However, since 1997 a noticeable drop in retention
levels has occurred, with a continuing downward trend (Cohen, 1998).
According to Secretary of the Air Force, F.
Whitten Peters (Air Force News, 1998), the severity of the problem hit
home during a recent visit to Moody AFB, Georgia, in August 1998. Forty
people were coming up for a reenlistment in their security forces unit.
Out of those, only two planned to reenlist. Data indicates this trend is
being repeated across all the military services, not just deployed personnel,
but for those members left behind as well.
A literature review of relevant material regarding
military retention is conducted, using the theories of organizational assimilation
theory, cognitive dissonance in persuasion, and mass communication media
richness theory, to form an approach toward answering our research questions
and providing research methods to implement and test possible solutions.
The research team will also discuss projected results and the implications
for public affairs and future theory building.
Retention: Creating Choice Through Dissonance
A military does not exist without people. However,
today’s all-volunteer force is experiencing a decline in service member
retention, which directly impacts the military’s ability to do its job.
Retention is defined as the number of people in the military eligible to
reenlist, who choose to remain on active duty (Pang, 1998). This paper
will discuss the retention problem for the military and the reasons service
members leave or stay. The impact of this problem has a broad national
scope that includes national security, force readiness, and military quality
of life. Using military service retention levels as the measured dependent
variable, this study will manipulate the independent variable, which is
the amount of information and choices available to military service members.
The military has generally been able to meet
retention goals with slight fluctuations. The lowest retention occurred
in the early 1970s (from the downsizing resulting from the end of the Vietnam
War), and was consistent from 1993 through 1996. A noticeable drop in retention
levels occurred in 1997, and there is a continuing downward trend, according
to DoD statistics (Cohen, 1998).
Army retention rates for Fiscal Years 1993
through 1996 remained consistent at slightly more than 80 percent. The
Navy retention rate rose to 85 from 1993 through 1996. The Marine Corps
retention rate remained fairly consistent at 83 percent for FYs 1995 and
1996. The Air Force retained 89 percent of eligible personnel in FY 1996
(up 3 percentage points from FY 1995) (Cohen, 1998). Additionally, lack
of retention is also expensive. “Based on a General Accounting Office estimate,
it costs taxpayers more than $20,000 to replace each individual who leaves
the military service prematurely” (Pang, 1997).
By relating relevant communication theory
to the problem of retention, this study
provides an alternative solution to limit the exodus of military service
members. A theoretical framework is proposed through which retention issues
will be addressed. Specifically, the frame offers a public affairs approach
to inform military members, eligible to leave the service, of career choices
difficult to refuse, and to consider the military as a viable alternative.
A literature review was conducted of relevant
material regarding military retention, using the theories of organizational
assimilation theory, cognitive dissonance in persuasion, and mass communication
media richness theory, to form a two-stage approach toward answering our
research questions and providing methods to implement, test and evaluate
possible solutions. We will also discuss projected results and the implications
for public affairs and future theory building.
Statement of the Problem
The U.S. military faces a retention crisis
resulting from extensive change. The changes include downsizing or reengineering,
loss of benefits and rewards, and the impact of a strong economy and low
unemployment. Retaining first term and second term service members is a
continuing challenge, as well as retaining the expertise and corporate
knowledge of careerists.
Only 69 percent of second-term enlisted members
are choosing to reenlist, according to Secretary of the Air Force, F. Whitten
Peters (Air Force News, 1998). The Air Force has set its goal at 75 percent
to sustain appropriate experience levels. Peters said that although some
believe a strong economy is the reason why people are getting out of the
service, he feels retention is directly related to deployment rates.
The key underlying issue related to retention
is PERSTEMPO, defined as the time service members spend away from the home
station. Increased time away from home, be it deployed or working longer
hours, places stress on the members deployed, the members left behind who
shoulder the increased workload, and their families. The services work
to balance the needs for training, exercises, and peacetime operations,
with the individual needs of the service members for a "stable and predictable
tempo level." Service members want to serve their country, but they also
want a predictable tempo level and are obviously exiting the service when
their complaints are not heard (Cohen, 1998).
The Navy is currently exceeding budgeted deployed
ship OPTEMPO (Operations Tempo or number of operations conducted) of 51
days per quarter due to operations and the heightened threat condition
in ports in the Arabian Gulf, forcing ships to stay at sea. The current
COMFIFTHFLT OPTEMPO is at 78 days per quarter. “Sailors don’t mind working
hard at the front lines to support U.S. vital interests, but when they
see us continually robbing the rest of the force to do it, they wonder
where the health of their Navy is heading,” stated Admiral Archie Clemins,
Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (1999).
Air Force Secretary Peters (1998) said the
severity of the problem hit home during a recent visit to Moody AFB, Georgia,
in August 1998. “They have 40 people coming up for a reenlistment in their
security forces unit. Out of those, only 2 plan to reenlist.” Peters stated
that most of the service members had been deployed more than 120 days,
many for more than 160 days. He stated that when you reach that kind of
OPSTEMPO, no matter how much you like your job, the impact on family and
other goals is just too difficult.
This trend is being repeated across all the
services according to Department of Defense statistics. It affects not
only deployed personnel, but those members left behind as well. This trend
is precipitated by a lack of attractive alternatives at the critical point
when service members are deciding whether to stay in the military, or to
leave. One military member, an Air Force staff sergeant, said that constant
deployments are not only hard for those deployed, but for those left behind.
During the deployments, the extended 12-hour days take their toll.
Military public affairs staffs can help provide
service members with accurate updates on military benefits and the efforts
being made to reestablish previously existing benefits. Public Affairs
Officers can inform the internal community of training programs to improve
retention. Public affairs can be a critical tool in improving retention,
if used at the strategic planning stages of the program. In order to do
so, relevant communication theories will be reviewed and applied to the
Review of Literature
The full implications of the organizational
dynamic called retention are rooted in the theory of organizational assimilation
(Infante, et al, 1997). "Organizational assimilation refers to those
ongoing behavioral and cognitive processes by which individuals join and
become integrated into organizations," (Miller & Jablin, 1990). The
process of assimilation consists of explicit and implicit attempts by organizations
to influence or socialize their employees, and employees attempts to influence
Military retention is a stage of organizational
assimilation. Organizational assimilation affects military members as they
become part of the organizational in three states: anticipatory socialization
(pre-organization entry or predisposition), organizational or entry assimilation,
and exit from the organization. Miller and Jablin (1990) expanded the original
three stages into a four-stage model.
The expanded assimilation model includes the
stages of vocational socialization (predisposition), anticipatory socialization
(Job seeking and recruiting), the encounter stage (entry assimilation),
and metamorphosis (organizational and career socialization). The military
member goes through vocational anticipatory socialization in the recruiting
During the entry assimilation and metamorphosis
(career) stages the new military member will determine whether or not he
or she will continue. The member becomes formally affiliated with the military
in the entry assimilation and metamorphosis stages. Retention problems
are encountered in this stage.
It is important to impact these stages because
network ties (assimilation) must be established to maintain retention.
According to a 1992 study, strong network ties (for ex: cultural or core
values, camaraderie, etc.) are stabilizing forces for group composition,
while weak ties are destabilizing (McPherson, Popielarz & Drobnic,
1992). The research team seeks to reinforce the member’s network ties and
predisposition to stay in the military during the entry assimilation and
metamorphosis (career) stages.
Infante (1997) states that organizations reinforce
certain attitudes, skills, and values that the organization wants the individual
to retain. This communication reinforcement is important because, “The
probability that members will enter or leave the group depends upon the
number and strength of social network ties that connect group members to
each other and to nonmembers” (McPherson, et al., 1992).
To better understand how to retain employees,
the research team sought research literature explaining why employees leave
organizations. Hirschman’s (1970) seminal work in the field of organizational
culture discusses the variables of exit (departing the organization), voice
(airing grievances) and loyalty (staying with the organization). According
to Hirschman, there are probably no organizations that are wholly immune
to either exit or voice (p. 121). An alternative or complementary way of
strengthening voice for service members can be done directly by increasing
the rewards of voice, as well as indirectly, by raising the cost of exit”
(p. 123). The rewards of voice can be opportunities for feedback or a variety
of choices to choose from.
Because military retention is a problem (Pang,
1997) the team chose to look at other foundational factors that could impact
retention in order to identify key messages needed in the retention assimilation
process. One possible negative retention factor could be in the area of
organizational decline. Decline is defined as decreasing number of employees
or financial resources within the organization. In the military, many of
the retention problems began when funding was cut. Decline produces dysfunctional
consequences at individual and organizational levels. The literature identifies
dysfunctional problems as increases in conflict, secrecy, rigidity, centralization,
formalization, scapegoating and conservatism; lower morale and innovativeness,
participation, leader influence and long-term planning (Whetten, 1987).
Additionally, increases in workforce political
factions severely limit the organization’s ability to engage in coordinated
efforts and the factions may increase dramatically as the cycles of management
fads such as reengineering increase. Factions within the military organization
can include the different services themselves, as each service competes
for the same funding, people (recruiting), and resources.
But even in civilian organizations, according
to Boje, et al. (1997), stories of worker stress, loss of corporate morale,
impact on family life, more work for the same pay, short-term gains at
the expense of long-term problems, and the exit of valuable talent, are
often omitted. The organization refuses to acknowledge the problems exist.
The military retention problem also falls into this category.
Many of the issues associated with decline
and military retention have been identified in the pilot survey. Any plan
developed by public affairs leadership addressing the retention problem
should understand the process of organizational assimilation and incorporate
key retention messages as well as questions and answers to handle deal
with possible dysfunctional problems identified within the services.
Persuasion Theory – Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance theory assumes that two
beliefs are related either in a state of consonance or dissonance.
A state of consonance is characterized by consistency. Dissonance is marked
by inconsistency or discomfort. A central tenet of the theory is: the more
mental discomfort (dissonance) that exists, the more a person is motivated
to change something to make things comfortable (Festinger, 1957). The dissonance
proposed here is the introduction of information that causes the service
member to reevaluate his or her attitudes regarding military benefits,
rewards, work level and service culture in such a way that they are persuaded
that the benefits of staying in the military are as attractive as the benefits
Cognitive Dissonance in Persuasion
Individuals are persuaded more by messages
arguing in a direction that increases consistency and are more resistant
to those arguing in a direction that decreases consistency. The more
choice a person feels he or she has in response to pressures to engage
in an unpleasant behavior, the greater the magnitude of dissonance experienced.
Consequently, the more a person will tend to reduce discrepancies between
engaging in that behavior and his or her attitude toward it (Rosenberg,
Hovland, McGuire, Abelson & Brehm, 1960). Cognitive dissonance, as
related to persuasion, is defined as working to cause an individual to
experience dissonance, and then to use that dissonance as a opportunity
to offer a proposal that reduces the dissonance (Infante et. al. 1997).
Cognitive Dissonance in Decision Making
Researchers suggest that subjective feelings
of choice are central to the creation of dissonance and the consequent
tendency to change attitudes (Rosenberg, Hovland, McGuire, Abelson &
Brehm, 1960). Hirschman (1970) in addressing ways to increase organization
retention, listed reducing the cost of employee feedback and raising the
cost of exiting the organization. The overall aim of introducing dissonance
in this study is to raise the cost of exiting the military; that is, to
change existing feelings from "It is not worth it to stay," to "It is not
worth it to leave."
The research team proposes to first create
dissonance in service members by presenting the two choices as equally
attractive. Dissonance, for the purposes of this study, is considered a
positive aspect of individual decision making. Discomfort is typically
perceived as negative, but the study takes the perspective of cognitive
dissonance’s positive effects. Researchers distinguish three types of decisions
(1) Preference. These decisions were characterized
by a clear preference for one of the alternatives over the other.
The decisions were important but usually there was not great conflict.
The preferred alternative was sufficiently preferred so that the choice
was easily made.
(2) Conflict. These decisions were characterized
by considerable difficulty because the alternatives were nearly equal in
attractiveness. The decision comes slowly and with effort. The choice
may be attended with doubt and a disagreeable feeling as opposed to assurance
and satisfaction; there may even sometimes occur a tendency to wish afterwards
that the other alternative had been chosen.
(3) Indifference. These decisions are characterized by
lack of clear preference for one alternative over the other and also by
indifference about the whole matter (Festinger, 1957). The decision
is highly unimportant for the subject of this study.
The study's goal is to present staying in
the military as an equally attractive alternative to leaving, thus offering
a viable alternative to cognitive conflict. This conflict introduces dissonance
through the discomfort of having to choose between two equally attractive
alternatives. Infante et al. (1997) identifies four dissonance producing
situations: (1) choice between equally attractive alternatives (2) forced
compliance (3) discrepant information and (4) discrepant source.
In the retention study, the research team used only #1 (choice) as a way
to introduce dissonance. However, the other three dissonance-producing
situations are also areas that deserve further study.
Reducing Cognitive Dissonance
To reduce dissonance the research team must
move service members from the conflict decision to preference decision.
The research team must expose service members to information that makes
staying in a clear preference over leaving. The information must present
the choice to reenlist as an important, but easy one. That information
would be the announcement that the previously mentioned proposals have
been adopted and are working; that is, the promise has been kept. (See
Communication channels are key in targeting
information, with special emphasis placed on a person to person approach
in which retention counselors talk to members eligible to reenlist. This
idea is further explicated through analysis of media richness theory.
Media Richness Theory
Carlson and Zmud (1999) describe media richness
as a communication channel’s ability to convey messages that are rich with
information. As the team explored the idea of improving retention in the
military, the literature noted that media richness theory stresses it is
not only important to pay attention to what message is delivered (to service
members) but also how the messages are delivered. The research team selected
media richness as one of the theoretical approaches because the theory
provides a clear understanding of the importance of clear, rich information.
The use of this theory focuses on the idea of communicating rich information
to all service members, with a goal of keeping them informed on how they
are being taken care of in the military today and what the plan is to take
care of them tomorrow.
According to Daft and Lengel (1984),
media richness theory describes organizational communication channels as
possessing a set of objective characteristics that determine each channel’s
capacity to carry rich information. Rich information is better at reducing
equivocality in a message receiver. All channels of communication, such
as telephone, regular mail, and e-mail, have qualities that lead to distinct,
objective richness levels.
Based on the theory, messages should be communicated
on channels with appropriate media richness levels. Messages that
are delivered on channels that are not appropriate to the equivocality
of the situation and the level of rich information desired may be misinterpreted
by the intended receiver or ineffective (Trevino, Lengel, & Daft, 1987).
To help avoid misinterpretation of the message,
the team suggests using face-to-face delivery for much of the message delivery
that is proposed in this study. Face to face delivery ranks at the
top as far as level of media richness. The level of richness is based
on the idea that face to face communication increases the chance for immediate
feedback and the message can be tailored or designed to meet the needs
of a specific target audience (O’Hair, 1999). This concept will come
into play as messages are tailored to meet the needs of both enlisted and
While this is the ideal, using public affairs
publication knowledge to ensure the retention messages receive the widest
distribution is also important. Since the target audience is large in number
and located around the world, the localization of retention messages for
publication, sent via email and other electronic modes of communication
are additional approaches to the retention problem.
Rationale and Research Questions
Because of the broad nature and scope of the
military retention problem, all the military services are seeking methods
or programs to address and improve retention levels. The research team
addressed the research questions by designing a two-part study. Study I
is necessary to determine specific issues unique to the installation, because
what is important to an air wing, would be different from what is important
to a ground force command. In Study I, a survey was conducted consisting
of a convenience sample of military service members eligible to leave the
military, individuals who recently left the military and members who have
decided to stay.
Study I was developed on the basis of the
following research questions:
1. Why are military
members leaving the services in higher numbers now than in the past five
2. Why do military
members stay in the service?
3. How has the
military changed to the extent that it has affected retention?
Initially, six factors were chosen for Study
I, based on previous Department of Defense survey data, which included:
Manning, OPSTEMPO, pay, health benefits, education opportunities and retirement
benefits. Study II uses the information obtained in Study I to localize
and target key retention messages towards specific area audiences. Following
a detailed description of Study I, a design for Study II will be discussed.
The research team approached the retention
issue through a preliminary convenience sample of military service members.
The participants in the retention study were service members eligible to
remain on active duty or leave the service or individuals who recently
left the military. In an initial convenience sample, 31 U.S. Air Force,
Navy and Army service members were surveyed regarding their reasons for
staying or leaving the service. The purpose of this small survey was to
obtain current data to reinforce the already existing 1998 data provided
by the Department of Defense.
Of the participants, 23 were male and 8 female;
with 11 officers and 20 enlisted members serving on active duty for an
average of 10.4 years (a range of 3 years to 21 years), with an average
age of 32.5 (ranging from 22 to 41 years old). While no Marines participated,
the survey reflected the demographics in the overall military population
in that enlisted numbers are considerably larger than the officer corps,
and the number of women is about one-third of the total number of men in
the military services. The factors also matched those given in DoD retention
surveys, which covered all the services in a much larger sample (Annual
Defense Report, 1996).
In Study I a survey (see Appendix A) was drafted
to provide data that answers the research questions. The results of this
analysis (see Summary of Statistics) were collected via the survey, which
included a 5 point-linear scale from 'No affect' to 'Major affect'. Responses
were obtained from three of the military services (Air Force, Navy and
Army) across a broad range of grades (E3-E8 and O2-O4), which reflects
the first-term enlistees and careerists.
Seven factors were used to assess the participants
reasons for leaving or staying in the military which included: Manning,
OPTEMPO, education opportunities, health care, retirement benefits, pay
and other factors such as duty to country. The survey was faxed and emailed
to various bases within the U.S. and Germany, based on the research team's
contacts at current duty stations.
Summary of Statistics
Standard Minimum Maximum
Mean Mode Deviation
2) OPSTEMPO 2.4
4) Health Care 3.5
5) Retirement 3.7
Pay, health care and retirement benefits were
service members number one considerations in making decisions to leave
or stay. This somewhat contradicts the frequent reference by leadership
towards manning and OPSTEMPO as key considerations for leaving the military
or staying. Respondents who stayed in the military stated their reasons
were: job security and training, financial security, education and travel
opportunities. Service members leaving the military related their reasons
for leaving with suggestions to retain people in the future: Better pay
X3, merit-based promotion, tax exclusion, improved retirement benefits,
and decreased working hours. Officers often noted better leadership was
needed as well. Written comments included: "Pay is not as good as it could
be for as many hours you work."
"The [pay] imbalance is awful. I can get an eight hour a day, five
day a week [job], and make more than I am now."
"We are always too busy to get an education. You do not have time to
take any long courses."
" I would like to have a life."
Study II - Analysis and Discussion
Based on the retention data collected in Study
I, the research team recommends testing the effect/implication of introducing
cognitive dissonance through increased relevant information. Study
II is designed to introduce cognitive dissonance as a method of introducing
choice into their decision-making process. Study II is based on the following
proposed hypothesis: By increasing dissonance through key retention messages
and perceived choices (to service members eligible to leave the military),
retention levels will improve.
The research design includes the use of a
control installation that will not have cognitive dissonance introduced.
The prediction is that the control base will stay at the same retention
level or decrease. Realistically the process of introducing cognitive dissonance
will be an ongoing process that begins early in the service member’s career
and continues throughout the member’s time served. Based on the criteria
discovered in Study I, key retention messages are tailored for the target
audience in Study II. The criteria helps to develop the independent variable
(key messages), which in turn are provided to service members with a focus
on retention (dependent variable).
The research team’s goal was to first create
conflict decision in order to introduce dissonance among service members
and then to move service members on to preference decision, in order to
reduce that dissonance. In creating cognitive conflict, the research team
worked from the assumption that service members who decide to leave the
military are predisposed to leaving because they do not see an attractive
alternative to getting out. The most attractive choice then, is to leave,
but the choice is made by default, because nothing better is being offered.
(See Figure #1)
Several stories from the different services
illustrate this point. A Navy lieutenant was ranked one of eight lieutenants
in the command on his last set of fitness reports. He asked to be assigned
to his current command. “Keeping this young officer in the Navy should
have been a no-brainer. Instead, he had put in his letter, along with five
other lieutenants in the wardroom. The skipper shook his head. He had a
feeling of trying and failing, but not really knowing what he was doing
wrong. Regretfully, he signed the endorsement and moved on to the next
item in his inbox…" (Natter, Lopez & Hodges, 1998).
Comments from the retention survey conducted
by the research team were similar in tone and content to stories related
by military leadership. One survey respondent commented that one way the
military could work to retain people was to care that he was leaving. “No
one ever tried to convince me that leaving wasn’t the way to go.” This
type of feedback from Study I can then be used in formulating the key retention
messages used in Study II.
Study II has the best opportunity for success
with continuous effort and involvement by the public affairs office and
through the one-on-one “media rich” channels available within the command.
The introduction of dissonance in the form of choices may not necessarily
result in the military’s desire to improve retention, but the one-on-one
retention message and interest can provide attractive alternatives to stay
in the military not otherwise considered by the member. Military leadership
must also deliver on at least a portion of the proposed steps addressing
the other factors of OPTEMPO, manning, and increased benefit packages.
Through command information provided in base
newspapers and news briefs on overseas radio and television stations, the
retention messages can be used via media “rich” channels to tell service
members that yes, the draw down continues, and yes, it is stressful and
more demanding than when there were more people in the service. Service
members are then provided information that carries the message: For those
who decide to stay in the service, the benefits will soon outweigh the
stresses. The message paints those who stay as “winners." Each service
is already taking steps to address specific PERSTEMPO concerns:
**The Army sets the limit to 179 deployed days in a single
deployment. Extensions are considered on a case-by-case
basis, based on a goal of
no more than 120 days per year.
**The Navy has set a deployment cycle of a maximum of
six months, with a minimum turnaround time between
deployments equal to twice the
length of the deployment.
**The Marine Corps' goal is a six-month deployment, with
time between deployments also equal to twice the length of
**The Air Force has limited the number of deployed days
to 179 in a single deployment, with a goal of members being
away from home no more than
120 days per year.
The Department of Defense is also addressing
the other issues including pay, health and retirement benefits, and education.
While the military offers many benefits, like medical care and commissaries,
it is very important that military pay, the most visible element of military
compensation, be competitive with private sector pay. Military retired
pay is a critical element of the overall military compensation package.
It is an important tool in our effort to manage the force and retain experienced
mid-career personnel in the face of the uncertainties and sacrifices inherent
in military service (Pang, 1997). The focus is the fact that the troops
do not know this. Which is the public affairs goal within Study II, to
inform the troops. In the model (see Figure #1), the positive aspects of
cognitive dissonance cause an individual to decrease the dissonance through
decision making, which is a change in the predisposition to leave the military.
The model shows the process for both the first-term
enlistee and the careerist. A sample public affairs campaign would include
drafting key retention messages, coordinating and educating key leadership,
disseminating information and analyzing the results. Such a plan might
include the following:
Public Affairs Campaign -- Dissemination strategy:
--Base newspapers. Periodically, base newspapers would run a story on
the latest first term service member or careerist to reenlist. The
story would highlight what the service member was offered (bonus, station
of choice, travel) woven into the context of a personality feature. Positive
retention-related stories are an avenue to creating dissonance.
--Face to face. Using an information packet containing key retention
messages, a unit retention counselor would interview the service member
at the point he or she enters their reenlistment window. The interview
is preceded by an e-mail or phone call to the service member from a key
leader. The call or e-mail is used to motivate the service member
with a key message. That message is that the command realizes there is
no military decision more important than the one the service member is
about to make, and that it is important to the command if the service member
would seriously consider staying on active duty.
--Small group. A retention class could be rotated into the weekly service
training schedule. A retention counselor would moderate the class,
emphasizing key messages and encouraging feedback about job satisfaction.
Pay issues and current benefit news should also be included as part of
The threshold of success would be the 80th
percentile identified by the Department of Defense as a successful retention
level. The analysis would be monitoring retention numbers to see if they
move from the current level towards the 80th percentile.
Implications for Public Affairs
The involvement of public affairs staff in
a retention program is critical to the success of the two-stage process
as identified in Study I and Study II, as well as a key factor in the effectiveness
of the campaign. Public affairs staffs could be directly involved in publicizing
the training program, to get the word out to supervisors and higher levels
of leadership in the chain of command, enlisting increased support and
pressure to improve retention.
Due to the changes in the past five years,
the military has also experienced a loss of culture, with members no longer
feeling pride and ownership of their organization. By regaining the
commitment of its military members, the services can improve retention.
But public affairs staffs must be included in the very beginning, during
the planning stages of retention programs. Public affairs staffs can assist
in updating and keeping the internal audience, the military service members,
informed on the status of benefits and available choices, personalizing
(or localizing) the information.
Based on the theoretical approach of media
richness the projected public affairs implications stem from the idea that
further study needs to be conducted to determine the impact face-to-face
communication has on retention. In addition, key military leadership support
is critical in reducing retention problems in all services. Public affairs
is the command's voice and method of information distribution.
Command level public affairs leadership should
be the driving force in creating a plan to communicate key retention messages
at test installations in each service. Public affairs involvement can ensure
the messages delivered to service members are clear and consistent, and
help to reduce "exit."
The interjection of cognitive dissonance into
the retention model (see Figure #1) is expected to open a new avenue into
persuasion, organizational systems, and media richness theory research
by introducing cognitive dissonance through key retention messages. The
message is not what the target audience will expect to hear, resulting
in new information in regard to their decision to either stay or exit the
As a direct conduit to the affected populations,
public affairs can incorporate numerous "rich" mediums of communication
ranging from increasing the study populations knowledge of benefits and
awards to showing how leadership is aware of the problems affecting retention
and are attempting to reduce them through proactive measures. A public
affairs plan will be required for each service to clearly establish key
retention messages with questions and answers (both written and produced)
as well as showing how they are to be implemented.
The research team recommends that commanders
utilize key retention messages in face-to-face communication such as: commanders
calls, staff meetings, and counseling sessions. Other avenues could include
articles published in the base newspaper, command email, military cable
TV channels, and in overseas locations, broadcast through local command
television and radio outlets.
Implications of Theory
Based on the theoretical approach of media
richness, further study is needed to determine the impact face-to-face
communication has on retention. Other areas for further research could
include how organizations gain cohesiveness and loyalty, qualities that
keep the organization together and retain employees, even in the face of
more serious problems.
Another implication for further study is:
if the U.S. military improves funding, manning and the current operation
tempo (work schedules and deployment schedules), retention will also improve.
Another factor is senior and mid-level military leadership who actively
seek to be a driving force to reverse service members exit from the military.