If you’ve been in the military for a year or longer, you’ve probably been asked to take a Defense Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS). This survey is designed to function as a report card of sorts on military units, identifying strengths and weaknesses within an organization. The survey works well in principle, and can give leaders a snapshot of how their unit is doing, but the survey isn’t perfect. Though the survey is marketed as being completely anonymous, users must first click a link in a government email and enter information from said email to begin this survey. These steps for users to use the survey automatically make them suspicious of the anonymity aspect of the survey. Second, most have been lied to me senior leaders or commanders. When that trust is broken, it is clear that personnel are not going to trust them when they claim the survey is anonymous.
Another issue with the DEOCS is that it has to be requested or initiated, usually by a unit commander. Because of this, if a commander is worried that they will not be rated well, they might “accidentally” forget to request or initiate the survey. This does not build trust in a leadership team that wants subordinates to trust them on the anonymous nature of the survey. The results of the survey are shared among unit leadership, but they are under no requirement to share that information with their units as a whole. As a result, users of the survey do not get to know how the unit is performing, and often do not have their specific concerns addressed. Transparent commanders will often share some of the survey responses, providing the good and bad, and informing the unit of their overall score, and plans to address any short comings. Commanders who are not transparent may try to bury the survey by not addressing the overall summary of the survey or the areas addressed as issues of concern. The DEOCS only works if the commander in charge cares enough to make the changes necessary to change the unit’s climate, or if their commanding officer ensures changes are being made.
Commander Ratings fixes this shortcoming by making all comments, good and bad, available to the public. And, through our ratings system, commanders are given a score from their units. This ensures that the commanders are held accountable for their duty performance whether good or bad, and ensures everyone in the unit can review the discrepancies needing attention. And because commander Ratings is not sponsored or endorsed by the DoD, users can be sure that their anonymity is guaranteed. There will be no retaliation from leaders when you use this platform.