Running head: WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT Final Project: 22d Security Forces Squadron Barbara J. Brown LEAD585PA – Leading Quality Improvement Initiatives November 9, 2013 Dr Michael Corriere Southwestern College Professional Studies 1 WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 2 Final Project: 22d Security Forces Squadron Executive Summary The Department of Defense (DoD) is achieving significant performance improvements in its full range of activities, from operations to human resources management and logistics management with major focus on improving the support for the warfighter customer by applying Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) concepts and tools (Sicilia, 2008, pg. 1-1). As a DoD component, the 22d Security Forces Squadron strives to meet is organizational commitments by the most efficient and effective means possible. The purpose of this report is to discuss the 22d Security Forces Squadron and assess the organization’s ability to produce strong and sustainable results through balanced performance improvements using the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award criteria in seven categories. Research for this report includes the assigned readings from the course textbook, 24 years of military experience, and additional outside research. The major findings indicate effective control and measurement systems, use of knowledge management and lessons learned, continual opportunities for personal and professional growth, and history of successful organizational improvement. Before we can discuss their sustainable improvement efforts, we must first begin by discussing the organizational framework and background of the 22d Security Forces Squadron. Organizational Framework The framework of the 22d Security Forces Squadron is based on three operational levels. At the top of the tier is the 22d Air Refueling Wing whose mission is to deliver total force mission ready Airmen and KC-135 Stratotanker mobility to combatant commanders through robust installation support anytime, anywhere (AF Portal, 2013). This organization operates at a WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 3 strategic level by planning the support of missions of the lower tiers. The wing is comprised of 5,671 active duty military and civilian personnel. The middle tier is the 22d Mission Support Group who is charged with providing leadership and management for all mission support services including security, fire protection, contracting, transportation/supply and fuels, food, lodging, housing, communications, personnel, recreation and facilities management (AF Portal, 2013). This organization operates as an operational level by working with seven squadrons to provide support services to active duty, civilian, and retiree personnel. The group is comprised of 1,400 active duty military and civilians personnel. The lower tier is the 22d Security Forces Squadron which is charged with providing a safe and secure environment at home and abroad by training, equipping, protecting, and developing security forces airmen and leaders to meet current and future challenges. This organization operates at the tactical level by providing protection of operational forces, training and maintenance of small arms and light weapons, military working dog capability, and protection of nuclear assets. The squadron is comprised of 230 active duty military and civilian personnel. All three tiers work together to ensure safe and sure mission accomplishment, increase installation efficiency and savings, enhance mobility partnerships, and improve mission sustainment. Each tier receives direction from the tier above it. Organizational Profile The 22d Security Forces Squadron mission is to “provide a safe and secure environment at home and abroad” and vision of “unparalleled force protection through integrated base defense at home and abroad” (Lacek, 2013). The culture of the organization is the Air Force Core Values of “service before self”, “integrity first”, and “excellence in all we do” as well as its customs and courtesies. The structure is setup to integrate the efforts of personnel at all levels. It is WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 4 comprised of five sections, each with its own distinct function that supports each of the others. It provides police services and physical security of 3.6 billion dollars in assets and protection of 53 alarmed facilities. It also supports the base populace with combat arms training and The Boeing Company with on-call military working dog bomb detection capabilities. The organization’s priorities are aligned with its goals and objectives. Challenges faced include continuity, resources management, training, personnel development, and communication. Focus on Effectiveness and Efficiency The Department of Defense (DoD) and the 22d Security Forces Squadron strive to successfully make continuous process improvements. Department of Defense Directive 5010.42 establishes policy and assign responsibilities to institutionalize Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) /Lean Six Sigma (LSS) as one of the primary approaches to assessing and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of DoD processes in support of the Department’s national defense mission (England, 2008, pg. 1). Organizations are to implement CPI/LSS programs to improve overall effectiveness and efficiency across missions and functions to gain the broadest possible range of organizational improvements (England, 2008, pg. 2). The forthcoming Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria is a valuable tool to help the organization plan, perform, and measure results in a “Quest for Excellence.” The following is my assessment of the 22d Security Forces Squadron in the seven graded award criteria areas. Category 1 - Leadership Senior leaders in the organization set the organizational focus and I believe the organization places extreme value on leadership. Leaders are clearly expected to lead the workforce toward the good of the organization always being cognizant of data driven value decisions. They encourage bottom-up ideas with guiding and coaching. The layers are associated with the rank WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 5 of employees. Consequently, solid leadership is important at all levels because there are followers at each level. Managers and leaders are setting daily examples of how they expect their employees to perform. Senior leaders also share the organizational vision and performance objectives with their employees through communication and the Squadron Sight Picture located on page 7. Vision and mission are aligned with that of its employees to ensure everyone is working together for accomplishment. Majority of organizational leaders are involved with their employees and succeed at creating an environment for performance improvement, innovation, and open communication. Senior leaders communicate with the entire workforce whenever possible. This is achieved with police officers’ post visits, weekly safety briefings, monthly staff meetings, quarterly commander’s calls, and numerous organizational morale events. The squadron commander employs an “intrusive” style of leadership. The organization is 100 percent responsible for all of its members which is a very different culture than a civilian business. “Intrusive” meaning supervisors must know their people, ask the hard questions, and make the hard decisions. Supervisors must know what their personnel are doing on their day off and how they live which can help with providing the necessary assistance to them before their small problems become bigger ones. “Intrusive” leadership = caring about your airmen. Category 2 - Strategic Planning An organization that does attempt to plan its future may not have a successful future. Strategic planning includes the process of establishing and clarifying purpose, deciding on the objectives whose attainment will help fulfill purposes, and determining the major means and “pathways” (strategies) through which these objectives will be pursued (Anderson, 2012, pg. 276). The strategy development process for the organization is based on related goals. Some WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 6 goals are dispensed down to the organization through its hierarchy and some are developed at the organizational level. Senior leaders get together and review the key elements and processes of the organization. Goals and strategic objectives are established based on the requirements for each. For example, the organization’s administrative office is required to ensure employee appraisals are conducted annually and turned into the personnel office no later than 30 days after they close out. The senior leaders established a goal the appraisals will be turned in no later than five days after closing out. As a result, each section adjusted their processes to meet the refined objective. This process allows the organization to adjust to unpredictable events and still meet the personnel office objectives. The organization develops monthly strategies and performance measures as well as long range strategies. The planning starts with a goal and continues on a roadmap of desired outcomes, strategies, measurements, and projected results of meeting the goal. The following chart is the monthly organizational Sight Picture for October 2013. WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 7 Category 3 - Customer and Market Focus The organization has both internal and external customers. Internal customers are organizational employees and external customers are the base populace to include military, civilians, retirees, contractors, and base visitors. Internal and external feedback is obtained through verbal communications, the squadron’s Facebook page, surveys, electronic and paper communications, and employee performance feedback. Additionally, the organization often provides military working dog and vehicle demonstrations as well as weapons displays for local community events and schools. This not only helps to foster community ties but also provides an outlet for obtaining off-base feedback. Most external feedback is documented and kept with the organization’s Report and Analysis section. Unsatisfactory feedback is investigated and analyzed for areas of process improvement. Senior leaders follow up with the customers to ensure immediate and actionable feedback is given. The organization is always trying to find new strategies, technologies, and processes that produce improvements. To capture external feedback and ideas, several base entry control stations distribute customer service questionnaires to base customers. Internal feedback is also collected on the squadron SharePoint site where employees can go to request changes or provide ideas for improvement. Internal customer service survey results are assessed. Something as simple as conducting a small scale research and survey plan can foster significant improvements. Recently surveys were conducted to gather the perceptions and opinions of the Visitor Center customers on a variety of topical areas. Inputs were welcomed and changes were implemented which resulted in more satisfied customers. These organizational efforts help to build relationships and grow customer satisfaction. WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 8 Category 4 - Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management An important factor and driving force in any business is its goals because they help an organization measure their effectiveness. Goals and objectives provide the organization with a blueprint that determines a course of action and aids them in preparing for future changes. This organization has goals set for each essential process which are reviewed and assessed quarterly. With each goal there is an objective and measurable results. Goals that are not being met are evaluated. Those processes are reviewed and adjusted to improve probability of future goal achievement. This course of action helps to improve organizational performance. Additionally, the organization conducts annual unit climate assessments (UCA) to measure how the organization is doing through the opinions of all ranks of employees. These assessments are a website survey and anonymous so members can be brutally honest. Survey participation is tracked and encouraged. The survey results are reported to the commander the following week. A formal briefing is given by the Military Equal Opportunity office and the squadron commander briefs the areas of concern to the entire squadron. Problem areas are investigated and results documented. The UCAs are kept on file indefinitely for trends and future reference. The organizational also conducts internal and external inspections to assess their performance capabilities. Next week the base is conducting a Disease Containment exercise to test their ability to work as a team and with outside local agencies should an actual disease outbreak occur. Earlier this month, the organization conducted a nuclear response exercise to test their ability to respond to a nuclear threat. All positive and negative exercise results are documented, corrective actions taken, and a collection of lessons learned are provided to the squadron historian for future knowledge sharing. WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 9 The Air Force definition of knowledge management is “the strategies and processes of identifying, capturing and leveraging knowledge and expertise within an organization” (AFSO 21, 2007). I believe the organization does an adequate job of knowledge sharing, however there is room for improvement. Continuity is a challenge for a military organization. Information is lost if it is not documented and shared with current and future workers. During the recent government furlough, some internal processes stopped because civilian employees were not at work. The organization failed in some areas to ensure there were backup plans and continuity books in place so other employees could pick up where the departed employees left off. The organization utilizes SharePoint, the Air Force Portal, and databases to accelerate knowledgesharing and replication of best practices. Category 5 - Workforce Focus Employee development and leadership enhancement is extremely important to the organization. Both help the workforce achieve organizational and personal success. Leaders at all levels encourage their employees to take advantage of every educational opportunity even if it not required for their current job. Leaders help determine employee training and developments needs by conducting surveys, face-to-face communication, or analyzing performance trends. Development and skill enhancement is accomplished through skill level progression. Each skill level requires job specific training through mandatory training guides and on the job training. There is also a requirement to pass a course examination before award of the next skill level. This is accomplished by tiers of mandatory training based on current rank. Additionally, off-duty education is highly encouraged. Some military courses are awarded college credit and each employee is encouraged to attend college courses and obtain a total of 64 college credit hours for award of a Community College of the Air Force associates degree. This WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 10 allows the member to increase their job knowledge while also completing a degree plan. As a result, it builds an effective and supportive work environment and helps the organization be successful. The squadron also designates one day a week as a “training day” to allow squadron members the opportunity to focus on training and learning new techniques. Police officers have to be proficient and up-to-date on any activity involving their job. Proficiency training like weapons qualification and active shooter scenario training are provided. Law enforcement is a stressful job and to help balance life, family, and police duties, one day a year the squadron stands down and conducts 8 hours of Resiliency Day training. The organization offers many volunteer opportunities and supports getting involved in the community. Every year they provide tremendous support to the local law enforcement by participating in the local Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony. They also support the Special Olympics Torch Run also sponsored by local law enforcement. All of this builds ties with the local community and helps to foster a well-rounded force. Civilian employees are included in the supportive work environment. Civilian continuity is a significant strength for the organization. Of a 240 squadron members, 37 are civilian employees. There are approximately sixteen civilian police officers and four of the five sections are led by a civilian employee. Each of these positions provides immense continuity. Military personnel are continually deploying, separating from the Air Force, or moving on orders to another duty station. Civilian employees assist with the workload when manning positions are not filled and when military members take leave. WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 11 Category 6 - Operational Focus The squadron’s main mission is the protection and security of the base and its inhabitants. Therefore, it is continually searching for ways to increase its organizational effectiveness by utilizing surveys, trends and analysis, and inspections performed by internal and external agencies. It also utilizes technology to help decrease security violations. Recently the organization initiated the procurement of the License Plate Recognition system. This system takes a picture of each car license plate as it arrives at the entry point and checks if there are warrants or major violations assigned to the vehicle owner. If there are, the system sends a message to the entry controller. As a result of the system, approximately 10 arrests have been made. The organization also utilizes excellent resource management to improve its organizational work processes. Military vehicle abuse trends are analyzed and violators are reprimanded. Accidents on base are noted and if trends occur, action is taken. For example, there was a trend in base housing of children on bikes being hit by vehicles. As a result, the speed limit was reduced to 20 miles per hour decreasing accident rates by 24 percent. Additionally, office supplies are stockpiled in the Supply section for a single supply point. This saved the organization money by reducing purchases for items that other sections had on hand and were not using. Additionally, the organization strives to eliminate wastes or inefficiencies. The base Visitor Center conducted a statistical analysis of their weekend workload. After pulling data from their visitor tracking system, it was determined they had 10-13 visitors on the weekend for an entire month total. The center had been open on the weekends for at least 10 years with two employees per shift, per day. The base entry controller has the capability to write visitor passes quickly but WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 12 was never utilized to that point. After the data was analyzed and verified, the visitor center is now closed on the weekends saving $18,000 per year in employee pay. Category 7 - Results The organization’s product and service performance results are excellent. All five organizational sections work together to provide police services and physical security for $6.1 billion in assets and the safety of 13,000 active duty, civilians, contractors, retirees, and base visitors. The organization’s customer-focuses performance results are effective. Internal and external customer feedback is gathered from surveys, interviewing submit matter experts, fact finding meetings, and analysis of application systems and reports. The organization also provides many opportunities to interact with the local community as well assisting local police and fire departments. The organization’s financial performance results are outstanding. It effectively directs and controls expenditures for $300,000 operation and wartime budget as well as a $1,500 home station and deployable asset budget. The organization’s workforcefocused performance results are effective. Employee development and leadership enhancement opportunities are provided and utilized. Employee skill enhancement is gradual and closely managed. Weekly, monthly, and annual training requirements are tracked and at 100 percent accomplishment. The organization’s process effectiveness results are successful. Appropriate and measurable goals are established for key processes and reviewed quarterly. Annual UCAs are conducted to measure the employees’ opinion of organizational satisfaction. Internal and external inspections are conduct. Results of all measurement systems are reviewed and processes adjusted to increase efficiency or employee satisfaction. Finally, the leadership results are effective. While efforts are truly focused on leadership and leadership development, I believe there are significant areas for improvement. Senior leaders do not always know what is WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 13 going on in the squadron at the lower levels. A major area of weakness is leadership at the flight and below level. Some young members make rank fast and before they are experienced and mature enough to lead at that level. They become leaders with a youth mentality. There are also a few exploitative leaders who abuse their rank and position creating unethical situations. Additionally, some leaders are not involved with their subordinates. Unfortunately, not all leaders are engaged with their employees or aware of what is going on in the organization. Conclusion The 22d Security Forces Squadron strives to meet is organizational goals and commitments by finding more effective ways of providing their security services. An effective organization is able to produce more with its existing resources through improved customer focus and streamlined work processes (Summers, 2009, pg. 16). Using customer-focused quality driven decision making, the squadron is able to produce strong and sustainable results through balanced performance improvements. The Malcolm Baldrige award criteria can help the organization think and act strategically. It can also help to align an organization’s processes and resources. As I applied the award criteria to the continuous improvement efforts of the 22d Security Forces Squadron and conducted research, I believe the organization has been making successful progress on improving its effectiveness and efficiency. WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 14 References AF Portal (2013). 22d air refueling wing. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from https://www.my.af.mil/gcssaf/USAF/ep/globalTab.do?channelPageId=s6925EC1349DF0FB5E044080020E329A9 AF Portal (2013). 22d mission support group. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from https://www.my.af.mil/gcssaf/USAF/ep/globalTab.do?channelPageId=s6925EC1349D90FB5E044080020E329A9 AF Portal (2013). AF smart operations for the 21st century. Retrieved November 7, 2013, from https://www.my.af.mil/gcssaf/USAF/ep/globalTab.do?channelPageId=s6925EC13515C0FB5E044080020E329A9& parentCategoryId=p6925EC163BD00FB5E044080020E329A9 AFSO 21 (2007). AFSO 21 playbook volume e: knowledge management. Retrieved November 7, 2013, from https://cs3.eis.af.mil/sites/OO-TR-AF43/AFKN_Docs/Forms/AllItems.aspx?RootFolder=%2Fsites%2FOO%2DTR%2DAF%2 D43%2FAFKN%5FDocs%2FPolicy%20%5F%20Guidance%2FPlaybook&FolderCTID =0x01200099A8001F69067F498F55D7B3E44D4773&View={D0611A35-7D13-4B628007-C26C14CFE4C6} Anderson, D. (2012). Organization development: the process of leading organizational change. 2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. England, G. (2008). Department of defense directive 5010.42. Retrieved November 7, 2013, from https://www.my.af.mil/gcssaf/USAF/AFP40/d/1075924496/Files/editorial/DOD%20Instruction%20501042p%2015 WEEK SIX ASSIGNMENT 15 May2008.pdf?channelPageId=s6925EC13515C0FB5E044080020E329A9&programId=t 5FDEA9F021DBFDC80121E45C0F510066 Lacek, C (2003). 22d security forces squadron: our mission – back to basics. Retrieved November 9, 2013, from https://eim.amc.af.mil/org/22sfs/default.aspx Sicilia, J.D. (2008). Continuous process improvement/lean six sigma guidebook revision 1. Retrieved November 7, 2013, from https://www.my.af.mil/gcssaf/USAF/AFP40/d/1075924496/Files/editorial/CPI_Guidebook_July_2008_OSD_FINA L.pdf?channelPageId=s6925EC13515C0FB5E044080020E329A9&programId=t5FDEA 9F021DBFDC80121E45C0F510066 Summers, D. (2009). Quality Management. Second ed. Columbus, OH: Pearson, Prentice Hall