An Assessment of Gaps in Business Acumen and Knowledge of Industry Within the Defense Acquisition Workforce
Abstract
Section 843(c) of the National Defense Authorization Act of fiscal year 2018 directed the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD[A and S]) to conduct an assessment of training for the acquisition workforce. The legislation indicated two key objectives of the assessment: (1) to determine the effectiveness of training and development resources offered by providers outside the U.S. Department of Defense(DoD) that were available to acquisition workforce (AWF) personnel and (2) to assess gaps in business acumen, knowledge of industry operations, and knowledge of industry motivation present within the AWF. In April 2018, the USD(A and S) asked the RAND Corporation to carry out a study to accomplish the assessment. RAND researchers used a mixed-methods approach to conduct this assessment, including interviews with DoD and industry leaders, a review of AWF competency models and Defense Acquisition University course offerings, and literature and policy reviews. Findings correspond to the report elements specified in Section 843(c), most notably: the training and development options DoD was using at the time of the study to confer business acumen, knowledge of industry operations, and knowledge of industry motivation evidence of training gaps related to these three types of knowledge the potential role of training and development offered by external providers, such as industry firms and colleges and universities, in building business acumen and knowledge of industry within the AWF.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1086560
Entities
People
- Brian Phillips
- Felix Knutson
- John A. Ausink
- Laura Werber
- Lindsay Daugherty
- Ryan Haberman
Organizations
- RAND Corporation