Recommended Changes to the United States Air Force Enlisted Career Progression System.

摘要

The highly qualified enlisted technician is perhaps the most valuable resource in the armed services today. Present U.S. Air Force progression policy requires senior enlisted personnel to leave technically-oriented positions and move into management roles. Those not desiring this change become dissatisified and frustrated managers or leave the Air Force. A three-year effort consisting of six theses examined and evaluated the current enlisted career progression system to determine whether changes to the system are required. This thesis is the final of the series, and it presents and analyzes information from the progression systems of the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Britain's Royal Air Force, and civilian airlines. Surveys, personal interviews, and an organizational behavior literature review provided a perspective of the enlisted force as compared with the civilian organization's perception of an equitable progression system. Middle and senior enlisted technicians viewed the progression system to be inequitable in many ways, and blamed these inequities for dissatisfaction and poor retention rates.