An Application of Holland's Occupational Codes to Air Force Officer Career Fields.
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis was to apply John Holland's Theory of Careers to the Air Force officer corps to explain career field and/or organizational satisfaction. Holland's theory states that work environments (occupations and organizations) and individuals are subject to classification, and the match, or congruence, between individuals and their work environments can be used to predict job related outcomes, such as job satisfaction. To test the applicability of his theory among the Air Force officer corps, 193 officers from fourteen career fields completed a survey questionnaire and a Vocational Preference Inventory, a personality inventory developed by Holland for classifying individuals and work environments. Results indicated Air Force officer career fields are quite different from one another and their Holland classifications closely resemble classifications used to identify their civilian counterparts. A Mann-Whitney U test demonstrated significant personality differences between career fields. Eight comparisons were made, six resulting in significant differences. The congruence between individuals and their career fields and career field satisfaction was also tested. The results of a Student's t-test indicated that individuals satisfied with their career fields were more congruent with their career fields. As for organizational satisfaction, one type of personality was most often found to be satisfied with the organization. It was recommended that the Air Force classify all career fields, thus providing valuable information to Air Force officers in making career related decisions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA161380
Entities
People
- Kevin R. Erickson
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology