AFMateriel Command championing diversity, inclusion acrossmission set
As the Department of the Air Force conducts a service-wide review of diversity and inclusion, the Air Force Materiel Command is also taking a look at these issues across the command with a focus on the overall work climate, barriers to opportunities and identifying areas requiring support and corrective action.
“We have an incredibly diverse workforce at locations across the globe,” said Gen. Arnold W. Bunch Jr., AFMC commander. “Butwe can’t be naïvewhen it comes to race, biases and inequality. I’m asking our people to open up and have difficult conversations. Only then can we get after those barriers which are in the way of our people rising up to realize their true potential.”
Four lines of effort are guiding the AFMC diversity initiative, which include identifying inequalities through qualitative and quantitative data analysis, training in areas such as unconscious bias, establishing command and center councils focused on diversity and inclusion, and ensuring a constant evaluation of success. The ultimate goal is to set the parameters for the command to be a model organization for the Air Forcewhen it comes to diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity across the service.
“Our approach addresses not only the military needs of diversity and inclusion but also includes unique AFMC focus areas driven by initiatives linked to civilian employment, work culture and inclusion,” said Keith Tickle, Air Force Materiel Command diversity and inclusion officer. “Our initial analysis will look at the qualitative data from the DEOCS (Defense Organizational Climate Survey) and FEVS (Federal Employee Viewpoints Survey) as well as information gatheredfrom command-wide sensing sessions,
AFMC We Need survey inputs and Installation Barrier Analysis Working Groups. We are also analyzing employment data, civilian equal opportunity complaints and more, to get a holistic understanding of where we are culturally and where we need to go as a command.”
As a continuation of the AFMC We Need initiative, multi-disciplinary sensing teams have started visiting several AFMC bases to get directworkforce feedbackon diversity, inclusionandequal opportunity. Beginning at an Air Force Sustainment Center air logistics complex this week, the teams are meeting with small and large groups of civilian employees and uniformed Airmen, from newhires to senior leaders, and local American Federation ofGovernment Employees union leaders, to gather information on a variety of issues including workplace culture, hiring, promotions, awards and professional development opportunities.
The sensing-session feedback, along with the results of the data analysis, will drive future training and development initiatives across the command. Already, a cohort of 30 individuals fromacross thecommandare enrolled in Cornell University’s online Diversity and Inclusion CertificationCourse.
Upon graduation, these individualswill develop a curriculum totrain others across the command, focusing on unconscious bias, improving engagement and fostering inclusivework environments.
“We expect todebut a pilot training programin late September,” Tickle said.
Diversity and inclusion topics were also part of the recent AFMC Squadron Leader Orientation courses, and efforts are underway to ensure these subjects are part of the upcoming Agile Patriot Professional Development course, the AFMC Supervisor Development course and in all facets of AFMC training.
“We are working to develop a customizable diversity and inclusion curriculum that best meets the diverse needs of our command and addresses tactical, operational, and strategic levels of unconscious bias,” Tickle said.
Thecommandis also looking at specificways to incorporate better diversity and inclusion in recruitment, hiring andworkforce retention. AFMC center recruitment teams are working to offer on-the-spot job offers during recruiting events, and plans are in progress for the implementation of a diversity-focused talent sourcing
strategy for AFMC positions across the mission set. In addition, the command will continue to evaluate howwe can better enable diverse representation in the civilian leadership ranks.
While analysis and training are the current focus, the diversity teams are also looking at how to measure the success of these initiatives across the command and Air Force as awhole. To ‘move the diversity needle’ in a positive direction means to ensure AFMC maintains an inclusive, diverse workforce culture that promotes trust and ensures all have the opportunity to growand succeed.
“This is about ourmission, but it’s alsomuch more than that,” Bunch said. “Building inclusive teams, facilitating difficult conversations within the workforce, articulating the benefits of becoming a more diverse organization and implementing best practices that promote a positive workplace culture will help get AFMC where we need to be. Our goal is simple: create an environment where every Airman feels accepted, valued and can achieve their full potential. For D&I to become part of our cultural DNA, I need everyone’s buy-in to make that happen.”