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Evaluating Cadet Leadership Positions at the U.S. Air Force Academy

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Evaluating Cadet Leadership Positions at the U.S. Air Force Academy CHILDREN AND FAMILIES The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and EDUCATION AND THE ARTS decisionmaking through research and analysis. ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE This electronic document was made available from www.rand.org as a public service INFRASTRUCTURE AND of the RAND Corporation. TRANSPORTATION INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS LAW AND BUSINESS Skip all front matter: Jump to Page 16 NATIONAL SECURITY POPULATION AND AGING PUBLIC SAFETY Support RAND SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Browse Reports & Bookstore TERRORISM AND Make a charitable contribution HOMELAND SECURITY For More Information Visit RAND at www.rand.org Explore the Pardee RAND Graduate School View document details Limited Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law as indicated in a notice appearing later in this work. This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non- commercial use only. Unauthorized posting of RAND electronic documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited. RAND electronic documents are protected under copyright law. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see RAND Permissions. This product is part of the Pardee RAND Graduate School (PRGS) dissertation series. PRGS dissertations are produced by graduate fellows of the Pardee RAND Graduate School, the world’s leading producer of Ph.D.’s in policy analysis. The dissertation has been supervised, reviewed, and approved by the graduate fellow’s faculty committee. Evaluating Cadet Leadership Positions at the U.S. Air Force Academy Jeremy M. Didier This document was submitted as a dissertation in September 2012 in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the doctoral degree in public policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. The faculty committee that supervised and approved the dissertation consisted of Larry Hanser (Chair), Chaitra Hardison, and Dave Sacko. PARDEE RAND GRADUATE SCHOOL The Pardee RAND Graduate School dissertation series reproduces dissertations that have been approved by the student’s dissertation committee. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R® is a registered trademark. The views expressed in this dissertation are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from RAND. Published 2012 by the RAND Corporation 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050 4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2665 RAND URL: http://www.rand.org To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451-7002; Fax: (310) 451-6915; Email: [email protected] - iii - ABSTRACT The U.S. Air Force relies on effective leadership to complete its mission. The U.S. Air Force Academy exists to develop leaders of character for the Air Force through a four-year program. Part of this program involves cadets participating in leadership positions. By exploring nine types of cadet leadership positions, this dissertation aims to assist the Academy in assessing the value of admission criteria, awarding leadership positions, and designing leadership position experiences. Informing decisions in these areas is likely to improve the Academy’s ability to develop effective leaders for the Air Force. This dissertation provides evidence of a positive relationship between participation in a cadet line position and promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. This positive relationship existed for individuals in both rated and non-rated career fields. The magnitude of the relationship varied significantly according to other individual characteristics such as military performance average and grade point average. Participation rates for line positions varied according to demographics such as race, gender, and prep school attendance. Most admission information related to leadership was positively associated with participation in a line leadership position at the Academy. - v - CONTENTS Abstract.............................................................iii Figures..............................................................vii Tables................................................................ix Acknowledgments.....................................................xiii Glossary, List of Symbols, Etc........................................xv 1. Introduction........................................................1 Research Scope...................................................3 Policy Objectives................................................5 Research Questions...............................................7 2. Literature Review...................................................8 Concept of Leadership............................................8 Air Force Academy Development Program...........................13 Leadership as a Component of Officership........................19 Types of Leadership Perspectives................................20 Implications for Organizations ...............................21 Overview of Each Perspective Type ............................22 Classic Research Examples for Each Perspective Type ..........23 Where the Air Force Academy Curriculum Fits Within Jago’s Typology ...................................................26 Military Leadership Literature..................................27 Other Relevant Literature.......................................31 3. Methodology........................................................33 Sources of Data.................................................33 Leadership Positions............................................33 Outcome Variable................................................34 Covariates......................................................34 Methods.........................................................35 4. Results And Discussion.............................................37 Research Question 1:............................................37 Summary of Findings ..........................................37 Introduction .................................................37 Data Used ....................................................39 Methods Used .................................................39 Results ......................................................42 Discussion ...................................................48 Research Question 2:............................................50 Summary of Findings ..........................................50 Introduction .................................................50 Data Used ....................................................52 Methods Used .................................................53 Results ......................................................63 Discussion ...................................................95 Research Question 3:...........................................108 Summary of Findings .........................................108 - vi - Introduction ................................................108 Data Used ...................................................109 Methods Used ................................................109 Results .....................................................110 Discussion ..................................................119 Research Question 4:...........................................126 Summary of Findings .........................................126 Introduction ................................................126 Data Used ...................................................126 Methods Used ................................................127 Results .....................................................127 Discussion ..................................................130 Research Question 5:...........................................131 Summary of Findings .........................................131 Introduction ................................................131 Data Used ...................................................132 Methods Used ................................................132 Results .....................................................139 Discussion ..................................................149 5. Policy Recommendations............................................153 Leadership Position Curricula Decisions........................153 Cadet Leader Selection Decisions...............................154 Admission Decisions............................................157 Generalizability of Findings...................................158 6. Suggestions For Future Research...................................160 Appendix A Quality Assessment of Officers Leaving The Service At Key Retention Points ................................................162 Appendix B Mean Performance Score Comparison Charts By Line Position Type For Research Question 1 ....................................168 Appendix C Correlation Matrices For Research Question 2..............181
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