Attrition of PMU personnel compared to attrition from the U.S. Navy male enlisted population

Abstract

This thesis is a study of the differences in first-term personnel attrition between the Positive Motivation Unit (PMU) , RTC Great Lakes, 111. and a sample of the U. S. Navy male recruit population (control) , for a period covering January 1977 through September 1979. Eleven cohorts, of 90 days each, for the PMU and control groups were tracked over the period (1977- 197 9) and their attrition rates were compared. Cross-tabulation, discriminant, and multiple regression analyses were performed to examine PMU and control groupings and their observed attrition. The traditional biographic/demographic variables explained only a small portion of the variance in the dependent variable (survival) , while the inclusion of certain situational variables, such as initial duty assignment, greatly increased the accuracy of the prediction of survival, for both the PMU and the control groups. The results of this study indicate that attrition has some determinants that are somewhat controllable by the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower, Personnel, and Training) . These determinants should aid Navy managers in preparing initiatives to combat attrition.