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The 1991 Disestablishment of the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory Has Left a Void in Air Force Personnel Research and Development

• Historically, the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory (AFHRL) was tasked with responsibility for personnel research and development. With AFHRL and its heirs gone, no organization has had that same level of responsibility for research and the broad, strategic research and development focus for many years. Although some research and the collection of a variety of personnel data have continued, there is no single resource for consumers of personnel research.
• Air Force personnel research efforts are currently decentralized, with several different organizations involved in collecting personnel-related data and conducting personnel-related research.
• Although many of the key elements of a smoothly working personnel research system exist in the Air Force or can be brought to bear with help from outside contractors, the system is not optimal. Specifically, this report identifies some critical issues that inhibit the quality and efficiency of personnel research efforts, including narrow organizational missions, inconsistent data-collection coordination and data sharing, a lack of internal personnel research expertise, limited resources, reliance on contractors, and potential duplication of effort.

This document discusses how personnel research within the U.S. Air Force supports organizational policy decisions. It discusses the history of personnel research in the Air Force and the present personnel research efforts and the organizations that house them. Though the Air Force has undergone a reorganization that affects some of the organizational units we discuss herein, to the extent that these units undertake the same independent personnel research-related activities, the findings still pertain. The authors highlight some challenges in the situation and the components that need to be included in the Air Force's solution. The report focuses on three objectives: (1) describe the Air Force organizations collecting personnel-related data and conducting personnel-related research, identifying the type of data collected, type of research and studies conducted, and how these initiatives fit into the organization's mission; (2) examine how much these organizations communicate and coordinate their efforts, share data, potentially overlap in their current work, and have the necessary resource capacity and expertise; and (3) identify potential gaps in the structure of personnel research efforts and recommend strategies for eliminating those gaps.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  The Role of Personnel Research in Organizations

• Chapter Three

  A Very Brief History of the Management of Personnel Research in the Air Force

• Chapter Four

  Personnel Research and Data Collection in the Air Force as It Existed in 2011

• Chapter Five

  An Examination of How Well the Current Structure of Personnel-Related Research Efforts Meets Air Force Needs

• Chapter Six

  Components for Better Alignment and Applied Scenarios