Aircraft Maintenance Organizational Structure Changes: An Antecedent Model
Abstract
Air Force leadership has ordered the development of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system called the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS). When the system is implemented, many current jobs and positions will be streamlined, restructured, or removed, while some will certainly be created to handle the new requirements associated with ECSS. The structure of the Air Force is certain to change with the implementation of ECSS. The Air Force has used many maintenance organizational structures since its inception in 1947. This study analyzes past organizational structures to define key factors that affect organizational change. A case study methodology was applied to the following eight periods of maintenance-related organizational change: Hobson Plan and the Period of Uncertainty (1947-1955), Centralized Maintenance (1956-1966), Vietnam and the Move toward Decentralization (1966-1972), Post-Vietnam Centralization (1972-1976), Production-Oriented Maintenance (1976-1978), Combat-Oriented Maintenance (1978-1991), Objective Wing Organization (1991-2002), and Combat Wing Organization (2002-2007). Strategic initiatives, information and maintenance-related technology advances, change and project management practices were evaluated for relational affect. The researcher found that the strongest relational variables leading to organizational structure change were force-size change, budget change, and major conflict occurrence or cessation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA482854
Entities
People
- Jeffrey M. Durand
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology