A high proportion of the Defence population has reacted negatively to change. Many say there have been lots of surveys recently, but nothing ever seems to be done with the results.

However, a major feature of the comprehensive 2001 Defence Attitude Survey, commissioned by the Directorate of Strategic Personnel Planning and Research is a statistically significant improvement in some attitudes since the large major Defence attitude survey was conducted in 1999.

The 2001 survey comprised parallel Service and civilian surveys developed and administered to a 30 per cent sample of the Defence population.

The questionnaires, sent to a total of 14,000 Service respondents and 4000 civilians, received response rates of 52 per cent in Navy, 50 per cent in Army, 61 per cent in Air Force and 56 per cent from civilians.

Issues canvassed included: immediate supervisor leadership, senior staff leadership, senior Defence leadership, career management and postings, change, your job and service life, conditions, family and career intentions, personal performance, performance culture and morale.

In terms of the groups surveyed, the most marked differences were in responses between those of Service people and civilians to similar questions.

For example, 71.1 per cent of Navy respondents, 68.9 per cent of Army respondents and 72.7 per cent of Air Force respondents agreed with the proposition: There have been lots of surveys recently but nothing ever seems to be done with the results. However, only 61 per cent of civilian respondents agreed with it.

Responses to the proposition: Recent changes to the Service have improved my morale brought high percentages of disagreement - 72.6 per cent in the Navy, 67.2 per cent Army, 73.6 per cent Air Force and 61.5 per cent in the ranks of civilians.

However, these percentages were significantly less than the parallel figures for the 1999 survey, respectively 74.5 per cent, 75.6 per cent, 85.7 per cent and 71.1 per cent.
And there were a corresponding increases in agreement with the proposition ranging from 1.7 per cent more for Navy to 3.9 per cent for Army.

There were significant improvements also in perceptions about communication of change and greater optimism towards opportunities, job satisfaction and a service that is more effective as an operational force.

Considerably greater pessimism was voiced about job security in both the ADF and civilian circles; in the most recent survey, fewer than half the number of respondents from all three Services and the Australia Public Service agreed with the proposition Recent changes to the Service have improved my job security of the number who agreed with it in the 1999 survey.

There were similar drops of more than 50 per cent across the board to the proposition: Recent changes to the Service have improved my promotional prospects.

Reactions by all across the three Services and the public service were positive in their relations with their immediate supervisors which showed through in questions about trust, listening and responding, harmonious workplace relations, explanation demonstration of what is required, communication and good leadership.

The figures show an increase of five per cent or better in trust of immediate supervisors between the 1999 and 2001 surveys. However, there is a drop between 1999 and 2001 in the proportion of people who agree that their immediate leader always shows good leadership or keeps them informed about relevant maters.

While a number of areas such as performance, senior staff leadership and conditions were canvassed for the first time in the 2001 survey, comparisons showed between the 1999 and 2001 surveys that:

• In the public service, statistically significant improvements to personal and unit morale, but significant deterioration in attitudes towards the senior defence leadership and effect on family life;
• In the Navy, the only statistically significant difference was a lowering of attitude towards the effects of service on family life;
• In the Army, there were significant improvements in unit morale, organisational commitment and supervision, but a deterioration in perceptions of the effects of service on family life;
• In the Air Force, the survey found significantly more positive responses to change, personal morale, unit morale, organisational commitment and service life.

Public servants are significantly more positive than the ADF respondents in a number of areas - in their perception of working conditions, the effects of their service on family life and on their intention to stay in service.

The move into positive territory of public servants wishing to remain in service could be attributed in part, in Defence, on the proportion for former ADF personnel who have retired to civilian positions in Defence.

The survey shows elsewhere that more than 50 per cent of those in uniform agree that they would like to try civilian life, but only 12.8 per cent of APS respondents agree that they would like to try working in a military environment.

The 2001 Defence Attitudes Survey was the second Department-wide survey conducted by Defence.

Follow up surveys to monitor change in attitudes will be conducted quarterly from now on, however, with about 10 per cent of the Defence population rather than the 30 per cent of the Defence population.

By Antony Underwood