Is it actually abuse, though? Or is it a failure of the organisation to recognise that there is substantial public interest in an organisation that spends millions of pounds of public money, and has also failed create a system to deal with requests in a timely manner, and ensure that our ābusinessā continues as it should?
There are provisions in the act to deal with malicious applications - which I would argue does not include most of the requests submitted by CFAV and other members of the public.
I think the bottom line for me is that if anyone, and I include CFAV at Sqn level in that, doesnāt like the idea of our emails, WhatsApp, or paper records, being subject to the act, then they need to rethink their connection with the organisation.
I think the narrative that CFAV exercising a right, as defined by an act of parliament, to make a FOI request is āabuseā or āpart of the problemā risks damaging all of the positive points you make.
Its not just HQ, Regions are the same which further compounds the issue for those below. Especially when each RC thinks they have their own little empire.
Perhaps āabuseā is the incorrect word. āMischievousā use of the system is perhaps a better description.
I would love for you to tell me what positive effect any FOI you have made has had on the organisation? You may get some more information but what positive impact does that information have on making the organisation better? I can tell you right now that the hours spent on these requests have a huge impact on the availability of paid staff to do their primary roles, there is also an additional admin burden which impacts the organisation. All of which is negative.
Perhaps consider writing an email and asking for clarity. Simple and Iāll wager gets a reply.
The fact that all youāve picked out of my post is the FOI elements indicates how you view the organisation and your own level of trust in those leaders. As Iāve indicated above, if you personally feel this is the only way you can trust the organisation, then perhaps another organisation could benefit more from your valued time.
shows the seniors that we wonāt just take things they throw at us. As has been stated itās not parent and child like in the normal RAF - outside of the RAFAC some of us have jobs/positions/experience which rank far above that of our positions inside RAFAC, so we donāt like to be treated like mushrooms.
Apologies for the thread drift, huge amounts of good in the post but as someone form the outside looking in, there does seem to very much be large level of mistrust in the leaders - as youāve stated quite clearly weāre not wholly beholden to the military way and so open and clear comms at all stages would probably stop FOIās sharpish!
Abuse is the incorrect word. Mischievous is a better word.
I donāt think anyone, myself included, would not wish to be held accountable and FOI is a mechanism for this, granted.
But this is a symptom of wider mistrust and not the correct mechanism if we wish to change our culture. The FOI system is being used to get information that should be readily transparent already, or accessible through the CofC. Itās a vicious circle. We need to break the cycle to move forward.
Even batting off those clearly mischievous FOIās takes time that is already in huge demand.
Youāre right, but it is interesting that your viewpoint is that itās the people making the requests that are the issue not the people who instead of learning from them and just giving us the information first time repeatedly hide information.
The circle does need breaking but Iād argue that it needs to start from the people responding to the requests before it does the people making them.
Direct that to the highly paid help, not those on the coal face who try their hardest to provide the best cadet experience.
You really need to take off those rosy tinted glassesā¦
Yep - & in many cases, you will get a polite (but dismissive) reply). I raised the issue of providing an alternative route / option for cadets who would age out from their ACPS award as Dundee has gone bust. Nope, not doing anything. Went a lot higher. Solution found.
Thatās just one factor - & clearly a very important one. When & if I get the chance to look at the other areas, I might deign to add further inputs.
Not at all. I think the deeper issue is as Iāve described. The FOI issues Iām highlighting are definitely a symptom of a parent-child culture. I hope thatās clear. But it also achieves nothing towards solving the underlying problem but expends huge amounts of time and energy to raise and resolve. Nobody wins.
All Iām trying to express, perhaps not that well. Iād that not all of the problems in the organisation stem from HQ. As volunteers we can often be our own worst enemy and by doing something we perceive as in the organisational interest, we can sometimes produce unintended consequences.
Yay - someone who else in the org who understands transactional analysis & ego states!
Although I think whilst parent-child is what is perceived to be the relationship what actually is happening is parent-parent cross connections with each side trying to be in charge.
i would argue that correct and proper (full) communication doesnāt make the organisation ābetterā either - but my word it makes everyone feel a little more satisfied weāve got the full picture and can appreciate the situation however right or wrong it might beā¦
the issuing being the volunteer is told to āget back in their boxā (see the comments on VoV as examples) or that Senior officers simply fob us off with non-answers
i donāt believe anyone is raising FOIs to āsolveā a problem - but they are to better understand what the problem really is or at least HQACs approach to it.
Oh I have. More than once. I like my glasses thanksā¦ they help me to see clearly., well beyond my own agenda.
Whilst we are all for getting things done to make the cadet experience better, do you think not getting the answer you like, then using influence through friends in CofC away from RAFAC helps mend the mistrust or make it worse? Or in your view does the outcome justify the means ? See my previous about being part of the solution.
This is very easy for you to say, because you clearly actually have an understanding of how volunteer organisations should communicate internally. However, there are many senior people people in this organisation who do not share that understanding.
Iāve gotten in trouble for emailing OC Wing because āI didnāt use the CoCā. There are too many people in this organisation who rigidly belive in the āmilitary wayā.
And this why the entire organisation needs to decide if itās a uniformed youth organisation or a military one. Any organisation has a hierarchy whether that be corporate, military, or volunteer. Whilst necessarily that command gradient is steep in the military, it should be much flatter in a volunteer environment, regardless of whether uniform and rank is worn, or not. Everyone should feel they have a valid opinion and have that heard.
This is where I think the defence and volunteer organisational cultures donāt necessarily mesh together well. Like any organisation the ābossā makes the ultimate decisions but a good one ensures that everyone is heard and can take people on the journey to that decision. Thatās good leadership and it can be achieved in organisations of great scale than RAFAC so why not here.
Iām trying to propose solutions to the perceived problems but we all need to recognise that we have to take ownership of our organisation to effect meaningful change.
