Organizational Perspective of Situational Constraints in Air Force Maintenance

摘要

Exploratory research conducted by the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory studied the maintenance system and found fourteen issues which thoroughly described current base level maintenance problems. A model presented five of these issues as critical to mission success: training, organizational structure, manpower, assignment, and weapons systems support. The model suggested that much of what impedes maintenance performance and degrades productivity is not controlled by the people who must accomplish the job. Peters and O'Connor proposed a theoretical construct in 1980, 'situational constraints,' which suggests task performance is negatively affected by situational characteristics in the work environment beyond a worker's control. Their original hypotheses received only modest support in field settings with only mild constraints and few significant effects on performance being reported. A new perspective is proposed by reconciliation of the research findings. An organizational view of situational constraints may reveal them to be not merely a nuisance factor but a force which cumulatively creates system inefficiencies. System inefficiences may cause low morale and frustration in addition to forcing the organization to use its organizational reserve to get the job done. Future research is proposed to test this link between situational constraints, system inefficiencies, and the use of organizational reserve. (Thesis)