Gender Balance and Opportunity Across the Detroit Arsenal Compared to Industry
Abstract
The purpose of this research paper is to explore the current state of gender balance and leadership opportunities for Arsenal employees and to examine potential improvement possibilities. The researcher employed a qualitative research approach, conducting interviews with eight senior leaders from the Detroit Arsenal, Defense and non-Defense Industry. The eight leaders were selected based on their experience and subject matter expertise. The sample of participants also provided a gender-balanced assessment. The interviews were recorded, organized, and analyzed through thematic coding to determine common threads. The findings from the interviews provided three common themes: leadership believes that many improvements have been made, but there is much that can still be done; leaders' perception matches the reality found in the researchers' literature review highlighting the challenges with gender balance moving up the corporate chain; and "Diversity of Thought" is what is necessary throughout any organization to be innovative and forward thinking. Data acquired through the Detroit Arsenal provides an understanding of the current state and potential areas of improvement. Gender balance across the entire Arsenal workforce scores higher than national occupational averages. However, similar to trends throughout the American workforce that show a declining gender balance as you look higher up the corporate ladder, the Detroit Arsenal data exhibited fewer female supervisors and senior leaders. The researcher recommends a three-prong approach: (1) commit as Team Detroit Arsenal - the leadership team should understand issues at hand keeping diversity in mind; (2) acknowledge and communicate - senior leaders should understand the current state and communicate this through a campaign; (3) develop and initiate a "Diversity of Thought" campaign spreading the information through the workforce while focusing on means of improvement.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 21, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1100320
Entities
People
- Jason R. Middleton
Organizations
- Defense Acquisition University