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Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this research article is to define and explain the role of security culture as an important factor in the provision of effective preparedness of security organisation members for managing new types of security challenges, which are transnational, asymmetric and complex in form. It should be noted that, to a great extent, the internalisation of security awareness and the attitude towards security information depends on the organisational dynamics in an organisation. The article will complement theoretical findings with the analysis of the nature of security culture in a security (military) organisation, the priority of which is a high level of awareness of the effects of security culture and its integration in individual and organisational values. Design/Methods/Approach: The article presents views of the Slovenian Armed Forces’ (SAF) members on the perception of factors relevant for the operation of processes forming security culture. The research was carried out on a sample of SAF employees who use classified information in their work. Altogether 53 respondents participated in the survey. The security culture was measured with questions in the form of 31 statements. The respondents answered these statements with the help of a five-level scale. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the listed statements was 0.932. Finally, the nature of security culture was established with the help of a factor analysis. Findings: A factor analysis, carried out at the beginning of the analysis, helped establish six factors of security culture which enabled us to explain 71.99 percent of the variance. The identified factors intended for explaining security culture in the context of a military organisation are as follows: personnel requirements for management of classified information, competence for maintenance of security culture, attitude towards the protection of classified information, procedures for ensuring protection of classified information, recording and elimination of violations in the protection of classified information and organisational measures for management of classified information. The results of the survey carried out among the SAF employees demonstrated that the respondents estimated marked all identified security culture sets of contents above average, with marks ranging between 3 and 4 in all statements. Research limitations: The survey covered those SAF members who use classified information in their work. Hence the results of the survey are primarily applicable to the military environment and could not be generalized for other security organisations. Practical implications: The results of the survey can be directly applied to the management of processes for the protection and management of classified information in the SAF. Furthermore, they also indicate the application of the theoretical understanding of security culture’s significance to the success of security organizations’ performance. Originality/Value: The survey introduces an original approach to the measurement of security culture in security organisations. It can serve as a valuable basis for further research on the interaction of security culture with other factors in security organisations, such as for instance organisational culture. Practicians of criminal justice and security, military science and other similar scientific disciplines can also find this article useful in their further study of standpoints and attitudes of security organisations’ members about their role in the processes of establishing an appropriate security culture, as a precondition for effective management of new challenges and threats that we witness in the contemporary security environment.
Keywords: security culture, armed forces, classified information, Slovenia
Published in DKUM: 04.05.2020; Views: 907; Downloads: 32
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