New leadership would be effective in communicating

New leadership would be effective
in communicating any upcoming changes and techniques to the employees and giving them thee
direction that they need and deserve. A new top leader can start out with small changes so that
the teams are not completely shocked with the cultural changes and the changes to strategic
practices in the Honor Guard Program. As Benjamin and Wong (2011) stated in their article
Continuous Organizational Development “a major aim of organizational learning is changing an

AIR FORCE BASE HONOR GUARD: AN O.D. INTERVENTION 6
organization's culture, routines, procedures, processes and systems.” (pg. 381) This is where
Management by Objective can thrive in the Honor Guard.
Management by Objective (MBO) is “a system of management set up to help in planning,
organizing, problem-solving, motivating, and other important managerial activities” (Brown,
2011, pg. 324). MBO can help the Honor Guard meet goals, objectives and establish problem-
solving techniques when problems arise at the last minute. Many times in the Honor Guard the
Ceremonial Guardsmen have to make a decision at a funeral within seconds. That though
process has to be taught so that the right decisions can be made. Training and education is
imperative. This can be done with intrusive leadership and proper use of MBO.
Leadership is unique in the Honor Guard. It is not an everyday leadership job in the military.
Daniel Palmer (2009) stated, “Leadership, at its core, essentially involves influencing others to
act in light of a vision of how best to achieve a shared mission” (pg. 527). MBO in the Honor
Guard creates a better structure of how MFH are being done and the process before and after the
event.
With the new learning organization that the Honor Guard has developed they will be
building a bigger and better team. The learning organization is a system-wide change program
that emphasizes the reduction of organizational layers and the involvement of all employees in
continuous self-directed learning that will lead toward positive change and growth in the
individual, team, and organization (Brown, 2011, pg. 375). The Honor Guard faces a different
event for every detail they do. Not one is the same. The atmosphere is different on each one as
well. Situations change, weather changes, family member change their minds, or strategic
methods fail at each event. . “Ethical leadership does not imply that a given leadership approach

AIR FORCE BASE HONOR GUARD: AN O.D. INTERVENTION 7
is reflecting only one” (Dion, 2012, pg. 4). The Honor Guard learns from each event. Either it is
a funeral or civic event, the Honor Guard acts as a learning organization.
While attending MFH the honor Guard has to make the spit second decision on the who,
what and where of what is legal to do or not to do. They object is not to disappoint the family or
the United States Air Force. Know the job and understanding the factual needs of the team is
imperative. Having that top leadership to guide and mentor the young employees will better the
organization.