Naval Technical Training Center Re-Structure

Naval technical training center re-structure1

Naval Technical Training Center Re-Structure

Carissalina Q. Block

Brenau University

Abstract

Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC) is a training command in the U.S. Navy. NTTC mission is to train students at an apprenticeship level so they can perform in the fleet. The Navy calls its job training “A” school. All Navy enlisted ratings (jobs) have an “A” school, which teaches sailors fundamentals of new Navy jobs. NTTC staff members identify the obligation it has for introducing the technical competence, motivation, and appreciation for the navy’ traditions and missions of the U. S. Navy needed by the students to become successful Sailors and Marines. NTTC is undergoing an organizational change due to the recent change of commanding officers. The commanding officer’s goal is to ensure that no one staff member is overworked or performing additional duty that can be performed by the primary military staff member assigned. During a department head meeting the commanding officer directed the department heads to develop three course of action to help apply the correct changes to promote a better working environment.

Naval Technical Training Center Re-Structure

Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC) was commissioned on April 17, 1974 (CNIC, 2016). NTTC is the Navy's primary “training facility for enlisted administrative and supply”courses "A" schoolsto include: Ship's Serviceman (SH), Logistics Specialist (LS), Yeoman (YN), Personnel Specialist (PS), and Aviation Maintenance Administration (AZ)(CNIC, 2016). In addition, NTTC provides advanced training Flag Officer Writer (YN "C" school). There are roughly 3,000 Navy and Marine Corps students that graduate from NTTC annually. The "A" schools employ both self-paced method and instructor base teaching, utilizing the integrated learning environment (ILE) (CNIC, 2016). The “primary mission of NTTC is to support fleet operational readiness through training. Students are taught entry-level skills needed to perform their jobs and military skills required by naval service”(CNIC, 2016). The training is provided by full-time military personneland part time civilian instructors. The author of this paper became part of the NTTC team around July 2015 as the command supply, security, and asst. training support officer. Naval officer’s jobs vary from duty station to duty station;therefore, one may be unaware on what type of work they would have to perform. Currently, NTTCis undergoing an organizational change due to the recent change of commanding officers. The reason being that thenew commanding officer was told that military staff members within the command are performing additional jobs outside their primary job, and within the next few months some of the NTTC civilianinstructor’semployment maybe terminated, therefore military instructors will have to cover most of the classes. With the following information gather and the upcoming changesinvolving civilian instructors,the commanding officer would like to ensure that no one is overworked or performing additional duty that can be performed by the primary military staff member assigned. Therefore, the commanding officer asked the department heads to come up with three course of action (COA) that the command can implement to ensure that every staff member will not be over worked, military staff member is performing their assigned jobs, and maximum military staff member instructor hours. Taking a look at the current organization of NTTC the department heads will have to work together as a team to advise only the necessary courses of actions to help the commanding officer apply the correct changes.

NTTC Organization and Jobs

The military is a hierarchical organization with strict rules and regulations. Military jobs are based off the rank and rate of an individual. In an organization, hierarchy usually consists of power at the top level with subsequent levels of power beneath. In some shape or form, hierarchies are a universal feature within organizations. However, it is unknown whether organizations function better in a hierarchical structure or flat structure. Organizations with strong hierarchy normally have a larger number of misconductsfrom their members’. A leader’sauthority, position, and influence can showhigh levels of performance and consistency, it also show low levels of intra-group conflictin a hierarchical structure (Anderson & Brown, 2010).On the other hand, firm hierarchies can harm cooperative success when teams work together to complete a task that require a generalrange of perspectives and ideas (Anderson & Brown, 2010).

In a hierarchal organization leaders must have the ability to lead successfully. Organizationleaders who are “weak, non-communicative, selfish, use biased decision-making processes, or use an autocraticleadership stylewill harm an organization” (Anderson & Brown, 2010). A leader must be able to listen to their members and take their needs and concerns into consideration. Open communication, trust, and harmonization within the organization promote positive attitudes and motivation.

NTTC Basic Hierarchy Organization consists of the following:

There are currently thirteen military personnel working in the training support department and fourteen military personnel in the training department. There are zero military personnel in admin, therefore admin will not be effective by the command changes. The organization jobs within each department are designed to balance and support other jobs in the organization. Each job is dependent and designed to accomplish to the organization's overall mission and goals.

The commanding officer is the senior-most commissioned officer within the command. The commanding officer is overall responsible for all actions within the command. The executive officer (XO) is typically responsible for managing day-to-day activities, such as maintenance and logistics (Forces, 2016). The XO supports the commanding officer releasing him or her to focus more on strategic planning and execution. The XO also takes charge in the absence of the Commanding Officer. The Command Master Chief (CMC) is the liaison between enlisted and officers, the CMC job is also to guide and counsel the leadership and fellow chiefs within the organization CMCs a ensure there is active communication throughout a chain of command. The “CMC advise their commanding officer and provide input in the construction, implementation, and execution of recommendations concerning morale, job satisfaction, discipline, family support, and the training of enlisted Sailors” (Locker, 2016, pg 1). Administration job is to support NTTC staff. The CO, XO, CMC all fall under Administration department. The Training Support Department are responsible for all students indoctrination, fleet campaign, physical fitness, personal inspection, room inspection, general military training, temporary hold unit, barrack maintenance, students orders after they graduated their required “A” school, and responsible for the overall tracking of students from the time they check onboard NTTC to the time they transfer. The Training Department are course instructors who are responsible for teaching the student in their particular “A” school. The CO and XO assigns work simplication jobs to individuals within the command. Each job is grouped into departments and each department is linked and forms the organization structure. Everyone within the command has a primary job assignment, however the CO and XO can assign additional task outside the workers primary job which promotes job enlargement and rotation.

NTTC Commanding Officer Guidance

Some new leaders don’t understand their personal obsession over “control”. Their need for control sets them up for a push back response from individuals within the organization creatingamassive reaction, usually more on the disadvantage side of the house than advantage. People who are placed in a position to take charge of an organization should study method of influencing and leading the organization. Coaching, mentoring, advocating for both the organization and employees will create open communication, a comfortable work environment, and trust between leadership and employees within the organization(Susan H. Gebelein, Skube, David G. Lee, Hellervik, & Davis, 2004). A commanding officer should promote himself by involving employees in establishing goals, action plans, and timelines which can develop trust between all parties. Building a trust relationship will help influence others within the organization to become commitment to one’s goals(Covey & Merrill, 2006). Normally managers understand the organization he or she takes charge of, howeverin the military one may be placed in a job which they only have book or peer knowledge about the job. In this case, one must be authentic, yet tactful when introducing new changes within the organization.

NTTC current commanding officer took command in January 2016. Normally, managers have ninety days to prove themselves (Watkins, 2003). Two events took place when the new commanding officer took command. First he was informed there may be a decrease in civilian instructors toward the end of fiscal year 2016 and secondlyspeaking with a few staff members within the command it was noted that individuals are performing additional jobs outside their primary job which increased their working hours; thesetwo significant findings became areas of concern. Therefore, the commanding officer felt that the member’s perceptions and reactions about their jobsare viewed negatively.

Based off of the staff members’ perceptions and the decrease in civilian instructor, the Commanding Officer’s guidance to the command training department head and training support department head are to:

1) Maximize the extent to which curriculum instructors are out of training support responsibilities.

2) Regardless of the sailor’s department he would like to not penalize sailors with respect to critical collateral duties.

3) Plan for remedial study by military instructors.

The commanding officer’s guidance is leading towardsredesigningthe organization to increase the motivational factors in one’s jobs and promote job enrichment. Job enrichment builds on Herzberg’s two factors theory of motivation, which differentiatesamong motivational and hygiene factors for employees in the workplace (Bassett & Lloyd, 2005). Successfully redesigning the organization,the correct way can give workers the opportunity to control several aspects of their work in the workplace. However, the commanding officer failed to “create a sufficiently powerful guiding coalition” (Kotter, 1996, p. 6). To successfully transform the organization, the commanding officer, department heads, and other senior team member should be commitment to the change. The commanding officer did not comprehend that his type of leadership style is new to the command and prior to making any major changes he should have allowed the organization some time to adapt to his leadership style. NTTC commanding officer can be defined as a panacea leader, which is a leader who is pro making more demands for major changes; theytend to reconcile themselves to the fact that unforeseen, disconcerting transitions have become an inevitable part of the organization life(Conner, 1998, p. 157).

NTTC Organization Re-structure proposal

Organizational re-structure is normally hierarchical arrangement; it determines how the construction of jobs and responsibilities are assignedin an organization to help achieve the organization strategy and goals(Conner, 1998). The NTTC Commanding Officer plan is to re-structure the jobs within organization to best fit the command mission. A problem that can arise in an organization re-structure isthat it can befrustrating for those who are comfortable with their normal way of during business. This was evident during the current re-structure process NTTC is currently undergoing; whichcaused major conflict between both the Training and Training Support Department heads. The Training Department does not want to make any major changes; their only recommendation is to have Training Support Department take care all student orders regardless of student status onboard. The Training Support Department does not want to make any changes period, and both department heads felt the commanding officer demand to re-structure the organization did not hold merit. They felt the commanding officer wanted change to feel like he was in control. Conflict within the workplace is unavoidable but manageable. Conflict can be managed is through using maximum involvement during the decision making process, understanding how others will react to conflict, allow member with opposing viewpoints to express their concerns and interest, using supportive supervisory styles to resolve the issue, and tactfully resolve conflict directly focusing on the issues rather than the people (Susan H. Gebelein, Skube, David G. Lee, Hellervik, & Davis, 2004). Regardless of each individual personal conflict, the commanding officer guidance still has to be met.

During this re-design there were a lot of uncertainty that had to be determined such as constructing each department with a clear and explicit work assignment and improving communication between both departments. Conflict aside both training and training support department heads and senior chief petty officers within each department came together to develop the three COA’s and achieved a level of unity among between the members within the organization that accomplishedtheproject(Susan H. Gebelein, Skube, David G. Lee, Hellervik, & Davis, 2004).

Both departments presented the commanding officer with the following three COA’s:

Course of Action 1:

Training Department Function:

Training will continue to participate in the following task: physical fitness and Fleet Campaign, contact detailers on behalf of the student orders. Billeted instructors will remain in their current department regardless of where their billet is assigned. Purposed working hours are:

Blue 0630 -1530:Blue Team (Course Supervisors/Non podium Instructors)

Gold 0700-1600:Gold Team (Podium Instructors)

Designated military night study instructors will work 1130–1930

Training Support Department Function:

Training support department will perform the following task: conduct indoctrination, lead physical fitness with the help of military personal in the training department, Fleet Campaign will be based off the command collateral duty assignment, personal inspection, room inspection, barracks maintenance, train students in general military knowledge, and overall responsible for all students in the temporary hold unit (THU). Training support student control supervisor will contact detailers if studentsare in the THU. Recommend no change to billeted training support military personnel. Purposed working hours are:

Blue working hours (0630-1530) includes morning PT

Gold working hours (0930-1830) includes afternoon PT

The pros to COA 1 will provide a stable schedule for all staff military personnel, all military staff will participate in physical fitness and fleet campaign, training support will be overall responsible for students in THU eliminating training department military staff from any addition duties. A few cons are night instructor takes away flexibility of designated instructors and possibly limit the chances for competitive recognition and watch standing, if there is a shortage in the training support department military staff will be work more than nine hour days. This course of action satisfies two of the three commanding officer required guidance.

Course of Action 2:

Training Department Function:

Training department changes to include the elimination of School’s LCPOs. Training will support training support department as needed. Training department instructors will contact detailers if the students are in class. All billeted 9502 instructors will return to the podium and training, and have at least thirty hours of podium time each month if adequate classes are in session. Night study will be conducted on a rotational basis (by school house) with the exception of YN “A” School. YN “C” school instructor will continue to assist YN “A” School Instructors as needed. Purposed working hours: 0800 – 1600 for all military staff and night study hours 1745-1930.

Training Support Department Function:

Training support department will conduct indoctrination, have complete responsibility of the Fleet Campaign, personal inspection, room inspection, barracks maintenance, train students in general military knowledge, and overall responsible for all students in the temporary hold unit (THU). Training support student control supervisor will contact detailers if students are in the THU. Recommend no change to billeted training support military personnel. Recommend shift in physical fitness construct to implement only mandatory physical fitness for students who has failed their physical fitness test. The remaining student body will conduct physical on their off duty hours.Student will conduct command march down onTuesday and Friday, and command march-up on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Purposed working hours are:

Blue working hours (0630-1530) includes morning PT

Gold working hours (0930-1830) includes afternoon PT

The pros to COA 2are that thetraining department will support training support department in indoctrination, physical fitness and Fleet Campaign when student population numbers are high or as needed,and eliminating the additional collateral duties for Fleet leaders. This COA will provide a clear view on each departmental function, and how night study willbe performed. Departmental CPO’s will ensure training and training Support personnel are not working more than 8-9 hour days. The command will have a clear understanding on which department is in charge of student’s order during the time here onboard NTTC Meridian. A few consin COA 2 are the cancellation of the Fleet Campaign and Command physical fitness programs. This course of action will satisfies all three commanding officer required guidance.

Course of Action 3:

Training Department Function:

Training department COA 3 mirrors COA 2 with the following changes:billeted instructors will realign to their billeted Department. Chief Petty Officer will return to podium as instructors. All 9502 instructors will have at least 20 hours of podium time each month if adequate classes are in session. Working hours: 0700-1600 or as required. Night study: rotational basis (by school house) but YN “A” School supplemented by YN “C” instructors. Lastly, performa complete overhaul of the command collateral duties considering each individual career progression while maximizing podium time.