An Analysis of Factors that Influence the Success of Expeditionary Civil Engineer Hub-and-spoke Organizations
Abstract
Expeditionary Air Force Civil Engineer support to recent operations in southwest Asia created a unique organizational learning environment, particularly related supporting the general engineering requirements of geographically separated units in a manpower-constrained contingency environment. One of the direct results of this organizational learning was the hub-and-spoke expeditionary engineer unit featuring elements of both RED HORSE and Prime BEEF capabilities operating with theater-wide visibility of infrastructure requirements. This study acquired insights from literature and a purposeful sample of subject matter experts about operational advantages this hub-and-spoke unit offered compared to those offered by strictly legacy organizational models. The research used a Delphi method of expert opinion elicitation to which of these may be applicable in future contingency environments with caveats, constraints, and conditions that CE force planners should consider for hub-and-spoke organizations. The expert panel demonstrated consensus on 20 advantages and associated success factors, including resource cross-leveling flexibility, optimized organizational proximity to key support functions like logistics and contracting, centralized engineering functions, and better-defined command relationships in Joint environments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA583624
Entities
People
- Joshua A. Hager
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology