Complexity Science

My current organization has undergone a rather large change in strategy within the last 3 years.  I am currently assigned to the Inspector General office at my duty location.  This office was originally charged with investigating when there was accusations of restriction or reprisal (AFI 90-301, 2015).  They also would process and investigate any congressional inquiries which were levied against the installation.  Another part of the Inspector General duties was the fraud, waste and abuse program for the installation.  This program looks into gross misuse of funds or wasteful spending or fraud within the organization.  In 2013 the United States Air Force took a massive shift in the way it inspected its own.  The normal process was the Major Command would schedule an inspection, bring hundreds of inspectors using thousands of dollars to ensure the installation was complying with all its required directives and instructions.  With the changes in the financial situation within the Department of Defense the Air Force needed to change the way it accomplished these inspections.  In comes the new Air Force Inspection System (AFIS).  The new AFIS was going to change the way these compliance inspections would be accomplished (AFI 90-201, 2015).  It would take a majority of the inspection process and place them at the wing level and in the office of Inspector General.  This change would create a brand new department within the IG office and completely change the inspection processes.  With this new system the shift in strategy is to make the installations mission ready as opposed to inspection ready which was what the old system had created.  Installations knew when they would have their inspections and a few months prior to the Major Commands coming in to inspect the installations would start a massive prep time.  Units would work 12 or more hours a day sometimes 7 days a week getting thing ready for the inspection team arriving on the installation.  When the Air Force implemented the new AFIS the goal was to encourage installations to focus on being mission ready all the time and not preparing and getting things back in order a few months prior to the big inspection team coming to the installation.  The new system would encourage units to self-identifying areas where they are not complying with instructions.  Then the installation IG office with the help from personnel on the installation would inspect themselves and also identify areas of non-compliance.  This non-compliance would all be reported via and internet based reporting program giving the Major Command oversight of these areas.  The installations are still subject to the 2 year inspection however, now with the new philosophy the Major Command can do virtual looks at the areas already identified with non-compliance and tailor the inspection to the areas they had concerns with.  Now after the virtual look the team can be minimized and the inspection can be more focused.  This allows for massive cost savings when a team of 20 or 25 can now come to an installation and inspect in a few days as opposed to hundreds of inspectors and a week or more of inspection.  This new process has had some road blocks in its implementation.  It is a drastic shift in the culture for the Air Force and with that you are asking many of the top level leaders to change the way they operate and have operated over the course of their entire career.  However, the new AFIS is gain ground and many commanders and key senior leaders are now embracing the culture and shift in inspection strategy.  This is helping the Air Force focus more on the accomplishment of the mission and less on preparing for big inspections.  Giving the personnel the ability to self-identify areas they are not complying with and having no fear of trouble for this is shifting the perception and way we conduct our business. As of today we are currently almost 4 years into the change and things are going well.  Ten years from now (I will be retired) I foresee the AFIS completely revitalizing the Air Force and with many of the people ho will be leaders then growing up under AFIS the Air Force should be more focused on mission accomplishment and no matter what the challenges (financial, manpower) should ensure mission completion.

AFI 90-301. (2015). Inspector General Complaints Resolution. Retrieved from:

http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/saf_ig/publication/afi90-301/afi90-301.pdf

AFI 90-201. (2015). The Air Force Inspection System. Retrieved from:

http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/saf_ig/publication/afi90-201/afi90-201.pdf