UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION
COMM 3055: ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
TO: Doctor Melissa Dobosh
FROM: Robert C. Hostert
DATE: September 22, 2014
SUBJECT: Military Budget: Job Cuts
Over the past couple of years, the military has seen the fruit of its plans to cut down on the size
of their force. The Department of Defense simply states that the spending budget is not sizable
enough to ensure that all men and women serving can be maintained.
The cuts being made by the Department of Defense are prime examples of Maslows Hierarchy
of Needs not being met by the men and women being cut and the Militarys use of Scientific
Management in their decision making process.
What this means for all branches of the military within the next few years:
A. Thousands of Officers will be forcefully retired.
B. Tens of thousands of enlisted will lose their jobs and their lifestyles.
C. Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Campaigns will lose more than they have
already lost.
Two things that this course of action from the Department of Defense highlights for me are as
follows:
A. A loss of the following steps in the Maslow Model:
a. Esteem: they will lose their sense of achievement, confidence and
sense of respect from others.
b. Love/Belonging: they will lose their sense of family and friendship
within the military.
c. Safety: They lost their sense of security in their employment and
resources.
B. A serious intake of Scientific Management:
a. The military has a long standing history of scientific management,
one best way to do something; soldiering, making everyone uniform.
b. Scientific Management also would call for those who are no longer
fit for the job to be released to increase efficiency.

No Distribution
Robert C Hostert
Public Relations Major
University of Northern Iowa