Strategies to Enhance
Air Force Communication with
Internal and External Audiences
A WORKSHOP REPORT
Committee on Strategies to Enhance Air Force Communication
with Internal and External Audiences: A Workshop
Air Force Studies Board
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This is a report of work supported by Grant FA9550-14-1-0127 between the U.S. Air Force and the National Academy of Sciences. Any opinions, findings, or conclusions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-38901-3
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-38901-1
DOI: 10.17226/21876
Limited copies of this report are available from: Air Force Studies Board 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 334-3111 |
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Copyright 2016 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Strategies to Enhance Air Force Communication with Internal and External Audiences: A Workshop Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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COMMITTEE ON STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE AIR FORCE COMMUNICATION
WITH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL AUDIENCES: A WORKSHOP
DOUGLAS M. FRASER, U.S. Air Force (retired), Chair
PAMELA A. DREW, Premier Aerospace and Defense, Vice Chair
RICHARD P. HALLION, Science and Technology Policy Institute
JOANN KEYTON, North Carolina State University
WENDI E. STRONG, USAA
Staff
JOAN FULLER, Director, Air Force Studies Board
ANDREW J. KREEGER, Program Officer
MARGUERITE E. SCHNEIDER, Administrative Coordinator
COURTLAND LEWIS, Consultant
DIONNA C. ALI, Research Assistant
AIR FORCE STUDIES BOARD
DOUGLAS M. FRASER, Doug Fraser, LLC, Chair
DONALD C. FRASER, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory (retired), Vice Chair
BRIAN A. ARNOLD, Peachtree City, Georgia
ALLISON ASTORINO-COURTOIS, National Security Innovations, Inc.
TED F. BOWLDS, The Spectrum Group
STEVEN R.J. BRUECK, University of New Mexico
FRANK J. CAPPUCCIO, Cappuccio and Associates, LLC
BLAISE J. DURANTE, U.S. Air Force (retired)
BRENDAN B. GODFREY, University of Maryland, College Park
MICHAEL A. HAMEL, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
DANIEL E. HASTINGS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RAYMOND E. JOHNS, JR., Flight Safety International
ROBERT H. LATIFF, R. Latiff Associates
NANCY G. LEVESON, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MARK J. LEWIS, Institute for Defense Analyses Science and Technology Policy Institute
ALEX MILLER, University of Tennessee
OZDEN OCHOA, Texas A&M University
RICHARD V. REYNOLDS, The VanFleet Group, LLC
STARNES E. WALKER, University of Delaware
DEBORAH WESTPHAL, Toffler Associates
DAVID A. WHELAN, Boeing Defense, Space, and Security
REBECCA WINSTON, Winston Strategic Management Consulting
MICHAEL I. YARYMOVYCH, Sarasota Space Associates
Staff
JOAN FULLER, Director
ALAN H. SHAW, Deputy Director
DIONNA C. ALI, Research Assistant
GEORGE COYLE, Senior Program Officer
CARTER W. FORD, Program Officer
CHRIS JONES, Financial Manager
ANDREW J. KREEGER, Program Officer
MARGUERITE E. SCHNEIDER, Administrative Coordinator
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This workshop report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
R. Stephen Berry, University of Chicago,
Sharon L. Dunwoody, University of Wisconsin, Madison,
Mark J. Lewis, Science and Technology Policy Institute, and
Rebecca A. Winston, Winston Strategic Management Consulting.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the views presented at the workshop, nor did they see the final draft of the workshop report before its release. The review of this workshop report was overseen by Chris G. Whipple, ENVIRON (retired), who was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this workshop report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the committee and the institution.
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Contents
1 CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING AND EVALUATING AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY FOR THE U.S. AIR FORCE
U.S. Air Force Communication Practices: Current Status
U.S. Air Force Communication Challenges: Today and Future
Key Challenges Discussed: Culture, Organization, and Strategy
2 COMMUNICATING WITH A WIDE SPECTRUM OF AUDIENCES
Issues in Describing the Value of the U.S. Air Force Mission to Diverse Audiences
Internal Communication: U.S. Air Force Stakeholders
Role of Social Media in Communication Today
3 ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES AND PROCESSES FOR ENHANCING U.S. AIR FORCE COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVENESS
Lessons Learned by Other Organizations
Putting Social Media to Work for the Air Force
Possible Options for the USAF in Organization and Processes
4 MEASURING COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVENESS ACROSS DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND MISSIONS
Defining “Effective Communication” in the Air Force Context
Measures of Effectiveness and Success
Acronyms
AFRC | Air Force Recruiting Command |
CSAF | Chief of Staff of the Air Force |
NCO | non-commissioned officer |
PA | Public Affairs |
SCARF | status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness |
USAF | United States Air Force |
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