Perceptions of Quality Air Force on the current operational culture of the Iowa Air National Guard.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to survey and determine what effect the Air Force's involvement in Quality Air Force is having on the current operational culture of the Iowa Air National Guard. In 1998, the Air Force leadership chose to "operationalize" Quality Air Force. Operationalizing Quality Air Force was designed to build upon what training had taken place in the past and focusing it on excelling in those tasks most critical to accomplishing the day-to-day Air Force mission.;The population for this study comprised the three Air National Guard units in the state of Iowa. The Air Force Quality Culture Survey was used to determine the perceptions of unit members concerning the quality culture of the Iowa Air National Guard. The survey also measured perceptions of Quality Air Force as it relates to the mission and the operational management style within the Iowa Air National Guard. Two groups were surveyed: senior managers and non-senior managers.;The information collected was analyzed using a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the study indicated that, overall, Iowa Air National Guard members feel positively about the quality culture within the units. Senior and non-senior managers differed to the point of significance on only four of the 20 items related to quality culture.;Respondents also perceived that Quality Air Force is making a strong contribution to the mission and to the vision of the Iowa Air National Guard. While both senior and non-senior managers felt there is a strong connection between Quality Air Force and the mission of the Iowa Air National Guard, senior managers felt a stronger association. Overall, the respondents felt that Quality Air Force is a positive operational management style for the organization. The results of the study indicated that Iowa Air National Guardsmen feel that the tenants of Quality Air Force represent a viable management style and they feel positive about the extent to which the components of Quality Air Force are incorporated into their organization.