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Cover: Civilians and Noncommissioned officers participate in the 2007 U.S. Army Research Laboratory
Greening Course held at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. (U.S. Army photo by Jhi Scott)
iii
Preface
This report documents research and analysis conducted as part of a project entitled
Assessing Job Histories and Career Progression for Civilian Leader Development
, spon-
sored by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. The
purpose of the project was to assess rates of career progression in different career fields
in the Army civilian workforce and examine individual characteristics and job histories
in the most commonly occurring Army civilian career paths, in order to better under-
stand how career development plans may be tailored to different segments of the civil-
ian workforce and used to encourage civilian leader development.
The Project Unique Identification Code (PUIC) for the project that produced this
document is RAN167254.
This research was conducted within RAND Arroyo Center’s Personnel, Train-
ing, and Health Program. RAND Arroyo Center, part of the RAND Corporation, is a
federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) sponsored by the United
States Army.
RAND operates under a “Federal-Wide Assurance” (FWA00003425) and com-
plies with the
Code of Federal Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects Under
United States Law
(45 CFR 46), also known as “the Common Rule,” as well as with
the implementation guidance set forth in DoD Instruction 3216.02. As applicable, this
compliance includes reviews and approvals by RAND’s Institutional Review Board
(the Human Subjects Protection Committee) and by the U.S. Army. The views of
sources utilized in this study are solely their own and do not represent the official
policy or position of DoD or the U.S. Government.
v
Contents
Preface .iii
Figures .vii
Tables ..ix
Summary ..........xi
Acknowledgments ..........xix
Abbreviations ....xxi
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction .......1
CHAPTER TWO
Methods and Data 3
Methods .3
Data .....10
CHAPTER THREE
Common Army Civilian Career Patterns .......13
Length of Service .13
Common Career Patterns ....17
CHAPTER FOUR
Career Patterns and Individual and Job Characteristics .39
Gender ..39
Prior Military Service .........45
Career Program at Entry ....48
CHAPTER FIVE
Conclusions .......51
Key Findings .......51
Potential Implications for Managing the Army Civilian Workforce ....52。