Effectiveness of the Battalion Personnel Administration Center, A Group Study

摘要

Since the implementation of the Personnel Administration Center (PAC) concept at battalion level in 1976, there has been considerable debate with regard to its effectiveness and its impact on battalion units. Several Army major commands have conducted studies concerning PAC effectiveness, but no major revisions of the system have resulted. Nevertheless, the debate on the PAC performance continues. This study reviews previous PAC studies and gives an extensive analysis of current data collected by survey of 374 respondents and interviews of 189 key personnel involved in the PAC system at battalion and company level. The study sample included 141 current or former commanders of PAC-supported battalions. The paper concludes that significant administrative workload still exists at company level even though the PAC has shifted much of that workload to battalion, and that the PAC has not freed company commanders and first sergeants to participate in training to the extent envisioned at implementation. The study also found that the number of people working on personnel and administrative tasks within the battalion has increased and that nearly all company-size units have shadow clerks. Fin ally, it concludes that the PAC, notwithstanding its shortcomings, is a viable concept. It recommends that the PAC concept be retained and that a clerk be authorized at company level to correct its most significant weakness. (Author)