Description The West Point Academy Honor Code states that "A cadet will not lie, cheat,

or steal nor tolerate those that do" (President and Fellows of Harvard College, 1981). In 1976 the Academy and the Honor Code came under scrutiny due to a broad range cheating incident amongst cadets in an electrical engineering course. In the class of 823 cadets, it is believed that 300-600 cheated on the assignment. Cheating is a direct violation of the Honor Code and all those found guilty by the Honor System are subject to expulsion. Because of the cheating incident, the Academy gained tremendous national exposure and publicity. The cadets caught in the scandal are questioning the Academy, the Honor Code and the Honor System itself. Lt General Sidney Berry, Acting Superintendent of the Academy, must sort through all information and satisfy the wishes of Congress, the Department of the Army, alumni, current cadets and the merciless public. Diagnosis The Academy produces battle-ready offices. Some of the "macro level" stressors that are visible are; competitive pressures, bureaucratic rules, restrictive untrusting culture, tight controls, centralized decision making, lack of participation in decisions, punitive appraisal system and physical and mental strain all of which exist at the school (Luthans, 2011). At the center of all the practices at West Point is the Honor Code. A change in the Honor Code would go against the what the Academy had always stood for and would hold future cadets to lower standards than the alumni. When Berry was appointed Superintendent of the Academy, the first thing that was brought to his attention was the Honor Code and that the Honor System was deteriorating. The Honor Code was seen by the public as too strict and was asking cadets to too strict of rules. In 1974, Berry established a joint officer-cadet task force to examine all tenets and facets of the Honor Code System. The task force suggested these changes: (1) investigation and appeals would be at the Honor Board level and the Officer Board eliminated. (2) A less than unanimous vote would be needed to find a person guilty. (2) Other cadets not on the Honor Board would participate in investigation and adjudication. One of the key recommendations was to end the mandatory expulsion for Honor Code violations but the Corps did not pass it, even though 65 percent of the Board voted to end it. Berry then reversed a decision to expel a cadet and the Corps was very disappointed in this ruling. Less than one month after this event, the cheating scandal occurred. During the scandal, internal and external requests came to dissolve the Honor Board due to suspicions of corruption, which reached the Secretary of the Army's office. During questioning of some cadets and with affidavits it was found that 73 percent of cadets would not report a good friend, 34 percent would not report an obvious violation and over 60 percent of both cadets and officers believe that the Honor Code had deteriorated. Berry held strong to his beliefs and trust in the Academy system. He wanted to keep the current proceedings involving the Corps and did not want outside intervention. Berry realized he must make the correct decision regarding the cheating incident and all participants.

Theory A word of caution in organizational change is not to abandon their roots and abandon their core values (Luthans, 2011). For many years the Academy has had a "dominant culture", which is a set of core values shared by a majority of the organizations members (Luthans, 2011). A large part of being a member of the Corp at the Academy is the amount of empowerment given by the school. The power contained in the Academy and the Honor system is identified by French and Raven as Legitimate Power. Legitimate Power stems from the internalized values of the other persons that give the legitimate right to the agent to influence them (Luthans, 2011). The military decides what power is legitimate and hands that power and influence down through the chain of command. Cadets are given large responsibility of the fate of their peers within the Honor System. The Honor Board has the reward and coercive power over all the cadets as well. Many cadets and alumni have a strong sense of "organizational commitment" to the Academy which is defined as having a strong desire to remain a member of a particular organization, a willingness to exert high levels of effort on behalf of the organization and a definite belief in and acceptance of the values and goals (Luthans, 2011). In order for change to take place, Berry will need to have a "state like" mentality which allow openness to learning, change and development (Luthans, 2011). Prescription Berry must continue with tradition and current practices at the Academy both in the short and long term. It is crucial that Berry and the Secretary of the Army maintain control over the events to ensure justice is served to all involved in the cheating incident. The Honor Code needs to stay intact, however the consequences for breaking the honor code should change. Automatic expulsion or "silencing" over one incident can be perceived as harsh. The Honor Code should be viewed as something the cadets strive to achieve. The stress and power of the Academy helped to push the cadets to the cheating incident, however each cadet made the choice to cheat on the assignment. It is critical that Berry and the Secretary of the Army involve the Cadets in the decision making process. Since there is a possibility that 300-600 cadets may have Honor Code violations, if any of them are on the Honor Board, the current committee should be resolved and a new board should be voted on excluding anyone that could have violations. Those who are guilty should still face punishment under the new consequences for breaking the Honor Code. Fallout

There is no answer that will satisfy all. If changes are made to the Code or the Code's consequences, those that have lived by the Honor Code will be upset. The media will surely dissect any choices or decisions that are made. Issues like this are a good time for an Academy to update there system while still maintaining the honor and nobility that have been bestowed upon it. Berry and the Secretary of the Army must maintain the strict standards the cadets are held to in all areas of their study at the Academy. If the Academy loses sight of the importance of their standards, it may lose sight of its ultimate goal of production first-rate military officers. References: Luthans, F (2011). Advanced Organizational Behavior. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill Learning Solutions President and Fellows of Harvard College (1981). West Point: The Cheating Incident (A and B). Boston, MA: HBS Case Services.