| This non-experimental, quantitative, replicate study addresses the use of five on-the-job leader development techniques (coaching, counseling, job-rotation, understudy training, and encouragement of self-development) by current United States Air Force (USAF) logistics officers. The stratified random sample of the 2,998 active duty members of the USAF provides a representation of three logistics officer career fields (aircraft maintenance, munitions and missile maintenance, and logistics readiness) for comparison by rank, gender, race, and method of Professional Military Education (PME) completion. The 707 participants completed an 11-item questionnaire designed to determine the extent to which the officers were exposed to each of the five selected methods of leader development. The results indicate no statistical differences exist and acceptance of the null hypotheses for leadership development techniques, logistics officer career fields, and method of PME completion. Differences exist in the demographic categories of rank and gender but not race. The results indicate that most supervisors utilized the leadership development techniques of coaching, counseling, job rotation, and encouraging self-development but most disagreed that their supervisor employed understudy training. Junior officers received more leadership development in all areas than senior officers except understudy training. Female officers received more job rotation than male officers but otherwise differences were not statistically different. Future research may examine the quality of leadership development, determine means of improving supervisory use of understudy training, and compare the results of this study to other career fields. |
