A comparative history of Department of Defense Management reform from 1947 to 2005

• Main Authors: Francis, Daniel B., Walther, Robin J.
• Other Authors: Brook, Douglas
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/10068

MBA Professional Report === The purpose of this MBA Project is to document and analyze the history of management reform within the Department of Defense from 1947 through the present day based on the annual reports of the Secretaries of Defense to the Congress. Since its inception in 1947, the Department of Defense has undergone nearly constant management reforms. It appears that each administration attempts to introduce some type of management reform agenda to improve the Department of Defense business processes and incorporate recent management ideas from the business community. Some of the changes are real and significant; others are changes in name only. Through analysis of annual reports of the Secretaries of Defense, a compilation of significant management reforms was created for each secretary. These reforms were analyzed and compared to one another to identify both general trends and truly unique changes in management practices. Ultimately, this analysis will help distinguish the relative significance in the management reform effort of both the individual secretaries and the specific reform initiatives.