United States Coast Guard

This case examines the bureaucratic structure and authoritarian culture of the military. Although many of these qualities allow the military to achieve its desired objectives, at other times such characteristics are a barrier. In this case, a new captain, Ron Sandura, takes control of the Coast Guard ship, the Henry. Ron’s leadership and management style do not meet the crew’s expectations in terms of positive motivation, port privileges, downtime, and so on. As tension mounts, Ron’s subordinate, Clark Minneo, must decide how to handle the situation in order to prevent further decline of the crew’s morale and work outcomes.

Main Topics

Leadership, Bureaucracy and structure

Secondary Topics

HR administration, Organizational culture

Teaching Purpose

To analyze culture and motivation within a military organization, and to propose suggestions for improvements in leadership and HR management

The Organization

The Henry, a U.S. Coast Guard river-tending ship

Main Characters

Ron Sandura, Ship Captain

Clark Minneo, Executive Petty Officer