Criteria for evaluation United States Marine Corps installation strategic management

Abstract

Post Cold War cuts have left the defense budget at its lowest levels since the late 1970s. Further complicating this problem has been the fact that the cuts have come from the defense tooth. The Department of Defense cannot continue to do business as usual. These budget realities and recent Government reform initiatives require a Government that costs less and works better. In early 1999, the United States Marine Corps began to implement activity-based cost and activity-based management initiatives at all Marine Corps installations. The Corps has been successful in identifying areas for cost savings. However, these efforts are limited without an overall strategic framework. A system is needed to evaluate overall strategic management of Marine Corps installations. This thesis discusses performance measurement and strategic management concepts and examines performance management systems. The thesis proposes an evaluation system based largely on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The proposed system attempts to balance leadership, strategic planning, customer and human resource focuses, information management, process management and business result outcomes. The proposed system provides installations a tool for self-assessment, a means of furthering organization learning and growth, and a system that can be used Marine Corps-wide to evaluate installation strategic management.