The Reality Gap of Employee-Management Misperceptions: Comparing United States Air Force Services Squadron Members to Their Private Sector Counterparts
Abstract
This exploratory study examined employee-management misperceptions in the United States Air Force Services career field. The "reality gap," as defined, is the misperception of workers needs or wants by management. Employee and manager surveys from 1946, 1980, 1987, and 1991 which demonstrate this phenomenon are examined to establish the validity of the reality gap, the length of time it has existed, and the full ramifications of the extent of the gap. The reality gap is then shown as the precipitating factor toward employee dissatisfaction, leading directly to employee turnover. All of this is framed within the context of Management by Values (MBV). The four reality gap surveys have been compared to a 1998 interval-ranked survey administered to United States Air Force members of the Services career field. This survey was used to determine if a corollary could be drawn between public sector and private sector hospitality workers. Conclusions and recommendations for further research are based on subject literature and statistical findings.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 15, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA370231
Entities
People
- Michael C. Rakoczy
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology