FRAMEWORK FOR EFFECTIVE TRANSITIONAL LEADERSHIP IN DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

Presented by: Dr. Maurice Dawson, Dr. Darrell Burrell, & Dr. Emad Rahim

Bio & Introduction

Abstract

This article proposes a framework created for Effective Transitional Leadership in Defense & Aerospace. This study sets forth to understand and establish what is needed to develop a framework for understanding the transitional process of leadership within program management in the Defense & Aerospace industry; this affects selection of program managers from the military in transition to a defense contractor support organization. The conceptual framework for the study has been developed from the investigations of scholar project management models and other researchers who have built upon the work of Dr. Harold Kerzner. If this model is proven effective, the study will also reveal key identifiers to selecting proper personnel.

Research Design

Inquiry can be comprised of quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods as a form of gathering information together. Figure 1: Alternatives Strategy of Inquiry is an extraction from Creswell’s table found in Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. This figure displays the three methods utilized for gathering information to include the common uses of these various methods. The illustration below was the strategy of inquiry utilized in the research, and its impact was that a mixed-methods approach be taken in order to perform a complete analysis with the data types presented in the paper.

Figure 1: Alternate Strategies of Inquiry

Stages of Research Approach

Step 1 involved presenting the pilot survey to selected military servicemen with acquisition experience. Upon completion of this pilot survey, the requested responses were received and then incorporated to an initial survey.

Step 2 was built upon step 1’s pilot survey. This allowed for the development of the initial survey, which was directed toward a smaller group with more focused questions regarding items taken from the Literature Review.

Step 3 was pertained to in-depth interviews of five nonacquisition project managers, all former servicemen. This was a tape recorded conversation which consisted not only of direct questions but also probing questions to gain more information needed for research.

Step 4 consisted of validating and constructing a model which represented Transitional Leadership after doing a detailed analysis of all findings.

Target Population

The target population consisted of former service members, and project managers from the DoD. The preference is to target individuals in the initial pilot study who have received their training from the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), which requires the minimum of a bachelor’s degree with at least 24 semester hours from among accounting, business finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, and organizational management. Other requirements are years of overall experience and years within that specific role for which the certification is being required. An example is if an individual wanted to do contracts, he or shoe would take all required DAU coursework and must perform for a length of time in that position. This was the additional training that the above individuals (targeted in the pilot study) have received which has played a part in their success in the military and commercial sector.

Demographic Breakdown

The completed responses were examined. The partially completed surveys were discarded as they were not included in the analysis. Reasons for not fully completing surveys were time constraints, lack of knowledge pertaining to questions, or ability and willingness to answer the question(s). The demographic information collected included undergraduate education, graduate education, military education, motivations, roles in the service, and answers to approximately 36 questions. Also taken was background information relating to leadership and managerial roles. Over 50 respondents replied to the pilot survey; however, only approximately 14 submitted fully completed surveys. The respondents came from all over the U.S., with 57% from the southern region of the U.S, 29% from the western region of the U.S., and the remaining 14% from the eastern region of the U.S. The breakdown included 64% of commissioned officers and 36% of Non Commission Officers (NCOs). Of the 14 respondents, all were middle-level managers, senior managers, and executive-level managers/officers

Regarding education level, all had attained at least an associate degree. Pertaining to prior undergraduate-level studies,27% were business majors, 27% were engineering/science/technology majors, 20% were aviation majors, 13% were educated at an associate’s level only, 7% were communications, and 6% had an educational background in the social sciences. In counting the educational background, some of the respondents had more than one degree and thus were counted individually when performing the statistical analysis of this survey. Figure 4 displays the graphical representation for education percentages at the bachelor and associate level.

Demographic Breakdown

Undergraduate Education Graduate Education

Preliminary Findings

Research Question #1

Is there a need for acquisition program management personnel to work as contractors on government-funded programs?

Through the Literature Review and participation with the DAC companies at a company with its headquarters in the Midwest, it has been revealed that the need and presence of project management have developed to become necessities in many organizational industries. Last year in 2008, the Global Knowledge and Fortune Magazine named project management in their top 10 careers of choice. This means it is a popular career, yet many personnel are needed to fill the ranks of this profession. Relating to the professional certification and credentials, the PMP certification was listed as the highest paying certification to have in the technology industry, with the CAPM falling into second place. This survey was conducted by ZDNET's Tech Republic organization. This further helps prove that this profession is one needed across all industries. The DoD, in cooperation with DAU, has specifically created a career path and military designation relating directly to project management to include methods for retention of these personnel, so as to ensure that the military has appropriate servicemen to ensure the successful management of government programs. Even the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stood up an Acquisition Corps with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to better manage government programs. The increasing attention on project management has increased the need to educate and further develop project managers and staff in order to provide better services, especially in the Defense & Aerospace sector.

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Research Question #3

Can random nonacquisition personnel in program management fit in the model or be a rejection of the model?

By conducting qualitative in-depth interviews, the final results revealed that the individuals did not possess all traits necessary to be an Acquisition Program Manager. Interviewees had very specific skill sets within their domain, such as Information Assurance (IA), Systems Engineering, Contract Management, and Test. It should be noted that they did not possess all these skills, but there was a large variation amongst all interviewees: Some of the individuals lacked experience in program management and did not understand the acquisition process at all. Many of the interviewees admitted that they may not be good for a program management experience; while others stated that they could be successful starting off at a small program. One of the interviewees appeared to dodge the questions completely; outside the interview in private discussion, it was apparent that many of the needed skill sets and qualities were not present. In comparing the answers captured in the initial survey and according to how they were answered, they proved inadequate as program managers.

Research Question #4

What would a framework look like that could be utilized by the Human Resources group for selecting personnel?

The framework that could be utilized for selecting personnel shall encompass a two-step process. The first step is similar to the original framework created, although this framework is based off the demographics and results taken from the pilot and initial survey. This model would select individuals with the all following properties:

1. Leadership roles within military

2. P&L responsibility of at least $15Million

3. Undergraduate education in business, engineering, or aviation

What would a framework look like that could be utilized by the Human Resources group for selecting personnel?

The framework that could be utilized for selecting personnel shall encompass a two-step process. The first step is similar to the original framework created, although this framework is based off the demographics and results taken from the pilot and initial survey. This model would select individuals with the all following properties:

1. Leadership roles within military

2. P&L responsibility of at least $15Million

3. Undergraduate education in business, engineering, or aviation

4. Graduate education in management

The second step is to take the individuals who have the required credentials and experiences that relate and measure them once again, but against more criteria. These criteria shall be based on the initial survey. The individuals shall be measured against the six groupings as follows: 1) Controlling the Meeting, 2) Effective Communication & Task Management, 3) Managing Personnel, 4) Choosing Employees, 5) Process & Transfer, and 6) Training & Education.

Any Questions