LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Embracing Air Force Core Values is key to mission effectiveness and "Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century" principles. This was the message conveyed to 48 Joint Base San Antonio senior leaders attending the AFSO21 senior leaders' course Jan. 17-20 at Lackland.
The course was designed to provide senior leaders with the tools to create an Air Force culture of continuous process improvement.
"The course is about understanding how to deliver 'Excellence in All We Do,' said Col. Brou Gautier, Pacific Air Forces AFSO21 director.
"Senior leaders learn how to get into the continuous process improvement mode and how the AFSO21 tools can make a real difference," said Colonel Gautier.
AFSO21 is a standardized approach to improving work processes and combat capabilities across the Air Force by fostering a continuous process improvement culture. The program seeks to develop a Total Force culture that reduces waste, maximizes resources and improves efficiencies for continued mission success.
The Air Force Process Improvement director said the senior leader course provides an understanding about AFSO21 and a leader's role in improving mission effectiveness through a culture of efficiency.
"They will also understand their role as a leader in implementing and empowering their people to improve mission performance and close performance gaps," said Karen Jevsevar, Air Force Process Improvement and Training director. "It's not how to do the work; it's a leader's role in creating the culture.
"Our intention is to (instill) continuous process improvement in every Airman and use AFSO21 as a force multiplier," she added. "When you become more efficient in using AFSO21 tools, by design you're becoming more effective in mission performance."
In addition to the curriculum, attendees also spent an afternoon touring the Toyota manufacturing plant in southwest San Antonio. The plant tour provided JBSA leaders a visualization of continuous process improvement and its tools.
"Toyota has been doing this for decades," said Robert Hamm, Air Education and Training Command Process Improvement Office director. "They saw a lot of the tools and principles applied; it becomes the way a Toyota employee thinks about problem solving and continuously improving their work."
Mr. Hamm said by taking the senior leaders to Toyota, it was an opportunity for them to see the results from the time and effort they would spend implementing the process improvement culture.
"(The senior leader's) job is to create an environment and allow it to exist for Airmen who are actually using the eight-step (problem solving) process, to achieve excellence in all they do," he said.
All three leaders agreed future mission effectiveness relied on a culture that utilized its resources through improved efficiencies and less waste.
"We're not going to get a bigger budget or more people to execute our mission," Colonel Gautier said. "The pressure will continue to be on the Department of Defense to perform with existing, if not fewer, resources."