Quality in the Operational Air Force: A Case of Misplaced Emphasis

Abstract

The Quality Air Force (QAF) program was introduced into the Air Force to improve our organizational functions, outputs, and efficiency. Although quality has proven quite capable of reaching these goals in civilian organizations and the business-side of the military, questions of applicability and emphasis arise when QAF is applied to the operational or warfighting units of the Air Force. While classic quality principles of customer focus, process focus, and quantitative measurement certainly apply to civilian business, the unique military profession of the operational Air Force finds these same principles wanting when introduced into combat units. Interestingly enough, the quality principle that is most applicable to operational units, quality leadership, seems to be the most neglected. If we expect quality to succeed in operational warfighting units, this situation must be reversed. We must analyze classic quality principles for applicability to operational units and give more emphasis to the essential component of quality leadership. Quality, Operational, Case, Emphasis.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1994
Accession Number
ADA280808

Entities

People

  • Robert G. Craig

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Assembly Lines
  • Behavioral Sciences
  • Combat Readiness
  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • Leadership Training
  • Military Science
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Students
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.
  • Medical or Health Care Field.
  • Theoretical Analysis.