Assessing the Impact of the Army's Organizational Effectiveness (OE) program: Model, Methodology, and Illustrative Cases

The US Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) has been conducting research on the impact of the Army's Organizational Effectiveness (OE) program. The OE program provides assistance to commanders by internal consultants who have been trained in the utilization of management and behavioral science skills and techniques to improve combat effectiveness. The model underlying the collecting of data to assess the impact of the OE program is presented. The methodology of the data collection is outlined, and two illustrative case studies are described. The problems of measuring change in Army organizations are further delineated by the presentation of a sociotechnical systems intervention in an Army organization in Germany. The attempts to document change in an orgnaization with high turnover are described, and implications for future field research are noted.