Mission First, People Always Managing the Millennial Generation

Abstract

The United States Air Force has a long history of successful recruitment, selection, development, and retention programs to maintain the right quality and quantity of airmen to accomplish its mission. However, study of the millennial generation has highlighted the need for personnel reform within the Air Force in order to better manage and retain talent based on the evolution of technology, shifting values of generations, and societal norms. The Air Force must institutionalize greater flexibility within its personnel system that takes into account four unique millennial characteristics and the ever shifting demographics of the American workplace. The characteristics of technology, diversity, transparency, and work-life balance are central to millennials in life and career. There are four DOD Force of the Future proposals that most directly address the challenge of the current and future generations in the military: creation of an office of people analytics, modification of Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA), technical career tracks, and milestone based promotions. Personnel reform will ensure the Air Force meets current and future mission requirements by properly managing airmen.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 13, 2016
Accession Number
AD1037500

Entities

People

  • Michael A. Curley

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Personnel
  • Baby Boomers
  • Commerce
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Department Of Defense
  • Generation X
  • Governments
  • Human Population
  • Millenials
  • Money
  • New York
  • Personal Computers
  • Personnel Management
  • Societies
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Readers

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  • Systems Analysis and Design