To Hell With The Paperwork: Deciphering the Culture of the Air Commandos - Carpetbaggers, 1st Air Commando Group, Post World War II through Vietnam, Cochran, John Alison, Heinie Aderholt

This excellent report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. The title of this thesis refers to a quote attributed to General "Hap" Arnold as he parted ways with the two commanders of a newly created unit that would soon become designated the 1st Air Commando Group. Having already coined the force as his "air commandos," General Arnold's parting words to John Alison and Phil Cochran were, "To hell with the paperwork; go out and fight" (in Kelly, 1996, p. 15). Perhaps no statement better captures the essence of what it meant to be an Air Commando. This thesis adopts an organizational design framework proposed by Vijay Sathe in order to explore the culture of the historic Air Commandos.

The organizational culture of the Air Commandos is important because it nurtures the attributes that help define today's Air Force special operations forces. Throughout this thesis, three overwhelming themes emerge regarding the basic assumptions and beliefs (the organizational culture) of the Air Commandos. Each of the themes provides insight into the internal integration of the Air Commandos and suggests how they negotiated their external environment. The shared beliefs and basic assumptions of the Air Commandos include: Humans are the most critical resources in an organization; innovation, improvisation, and adaptation are more important than advanced technology; successful mission accomplishment is more important than adherence to standard military conventions.

CHAPTER I * INTRODUCTION * A. A DARK NIGHT IN ALBANIA * B. AFSOC'S MISSION REVIEW * C. THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE IN AFSOC * D. ABOUT THIS STUDY * CHAPTER II * ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE * A. CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING * 1. Definition * 2. Importance and Function * 3. Impact of Leaders * B. DECIPHERING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE * C. FRAMEWORK OF ANALYSIS * CHAPTER III * DECIPHERING THE CULTURE OF THE AIR COMMANDOS * A. THE LEGACY OF THE AIR COMMANDOS * 1. The Special Flight Section * 2. The Carpetbaggers * 3. The 1st Air Commando Group * 4. Post WWII through Vietnam * B. APPLICATION OF THE CULTURAL FRAMEWORK * 1. What is the Background of the Leaders? * a. Phil Cochran and John Alison * b. Heinie Aderholt * c. The Followers. * 2. How Did the Organization Respond to Crises? * 3. Who are Considered Deviant in the Culture? * CHAPTER IV * CONCLUSION * A. THE ESSENCE OF THE AIR COMMANDOS * 1. Humans are Most Critical * 2. Innovation is Paramount * 3. Mission Success Trumps Military Convention * B. THE FUTURE OF THE AIR COMMANDO CULTURE * APPENDIX * LIST OF REFERENCES

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