The authors examine, in the context of great-power competition, how to craft, assess, and implement an organizational design in the U.S. Air Force to (1) design a force that is effective at deterring and, if necessary, fighting a peer adversary and (2) fund and field that force in a time frame that meets warfighting needs.

Considerations Regarding Changes to the Organizational Design of the U.S. Air Force

Toward a More Integrated Force Structure

Don Snyder, Kristin F. Lynch, James A. Leftwich, Heidi Peters, Brett Zakheim

ResearchPublished Oct 23, 2024

Cover: Considerations Regarding Changes to the Organizational Design of the U.S. Air Force
Download PDF
Additional Downloads

Includes Research Summary

After two decades of counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations in the Middle East, the U.S. Air Force is now in a long-term great-power competition with the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, with the latter being the pacing threat. In response, the U.S. Air Force is intensifying efforts to (1) design a force that is effective at deterring and, if necessary, fighting a peer adversary and (2) fund and field that force in a time frame that meets warfighting needs. 

A key question posed is what, if any, systemic changes the U.S. Air Force should make to facilitate those efforts. In this report, the authors examine, in this context of great-power competition, how to approach the question of systemic changes to an organization's organizational design, which is one of the most critical characteristics that determines how well an organization fares against challenges, both internal and external. As the U.S. Air Force rises to meet the challenge of great-power competition, this report can be a useful guide for designing, funding, and fielding an effective force.

Key Takeaways

  • There is no such thing as an optimal organizational design. Any organizational design facilitates some activities and impedes others. Although there is no optimal organizational design, an organizational design can be assessed by whether the design is fit for its intended purpose and the degree to which it is coherent across its design elements.
  • The organizational design at any level in the hierarchy should be flexible enough to meet the variety of expected challenges that the organization could reasonably face for at least the length of time that changes at that level in the hierarchy are feasible.
  • Therefore, the logical sequence of crafting an organizational design is (1) characterize the environment, (2) set a hierarchy of goals, (3) impose a hierarchy of strategies, (4) define processes, and (5) create structural divisions.
  • Large changes in an organization are difficult. To successfully effect change, the organization needs to persuade internal and external stakeholders that change is needed, develop a strategy for change, develop a strategy for overcoming any internal resistance, convince key external stakeholders of the merits of change, properly resource the effort, and monitor success and adjust accordingly.

Topics

Document Details

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Snyder, Don, Kristin F. Lynch, James A. Leftwich, Heidi Peters, and Brett Zakheim, Considerations Regarding Changes to the Organizational Design of the U.S. Air Force: Toward a More Integrated Force Structure. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2024. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2899-1.html.
BibTeX RIS

Research conducted by

This research was prepared for the Department of the Air Force and conducted within the Resource Management Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE.

This publication is part of the RAND research report series. Research reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND research reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND 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.