Sabers help shape future 52nd FW

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  Wing leadership at Spangdahlem is striving to continuously improve the way the mission is accomplished here, and they want every Saber, from the newest slick-sleeves and butter bars to retired chief master sergeants now in the civilian work force, to participate in the process.

There are a number of programs Airmen can use to facilitate base improvements. Sabers can share their recommendations to save money, reduce man hours and enhance safety with the Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program, better known as the IDEA program. They can also voice suggestions and concerns directly with Colonel Wight through his blog (available through the Air Force Portal, search "Communities" for "52nd"). Additionally, they can use the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century process to bring about change in their workplace.

"The wing as a whole is using strategic planning to do things in a smarter, more efficient manner," said Master Sgt. Pamela Tolliver, 52nd Mission Support Group AFSO21 program manager. "Our leadership is meeting to decide the path they want to take corporately in the journey of improvements. By collectively identifying our most challenging issues and focusing our efforts, they ensure that Airmen's improvements will have the greatest positive impact on mission performance."

Working toward a common vision helps ensure wing personnel are all heading in the same direction.

"Change management is important because the Air Force is constantly evolving," said Col. Tip Wight, 52nd Fighter Wing commander. "We are shrinking in size, so we have to figure out how to do things smarter, more efficiently. We can't keep doing business the way we always have, when we don't have the same number of people to do it."

The 52nd FW's Saber Vision statement embodies a desire to welcome ideas leading to improved work environments and increased morale. The vision is, "to ensure mission accomplishment by continuously improving how we perform the surety mission and provide trained Airmen, who are ready to fly, fight and win, who take care of each other, and positively represent America, to our Allies and partners."

Leadership at the 52nd FW is not just examining work-related issues; it is also looking at the base's morale, examining community trends and doing root-cause analysis to see what problems exist.

"I believe by addressing morale issues; we may also be able to improve the way we perform our mission. A key area in which we are doing this with is alcohol abuse" Colonel Wight said. "We are putting together a team to look at this because this can ultimately affect area of the Wing."

Every Saber has a role in the base's strategic transformation. To ensure first-term Airmen understand how they can help facilitate change and participate in the process, a member of the AFSO21 office briefs them at the First Term Airman Center.

"AFSO21 is a cultural change for the Air Force," Sergeant Tolliver said. "You have got to hit them with it when they are young. They are the future leaders; they are the future of the Air Force. What I like to tell them is they can make a difference. I have been in the Air Force 20 years, I have done my job for 20 years, so it can be difficult for me to see room for improvement, but they have a fresh set of eyes."

Change is inevitable and being flexible in this ever changing work can make the difference between success and stagnation. "Ultimately, AFSO21 is about how well we solve problems as an Air Force," said Maj. Nathan Hansen, 52nd FW AFSO21 program director. "We continuously improve by solving problems and being disciplined in keeping them solved so -future generations can build on the creativity of today's Airmen to make our Air Force even stronger. Every Airman has a role in that. Leadership uses strategic planning to align those efforts and ensure that we are solving the wing's most critical problems."

The commander encourages Sabers to figure out how to do things smarter and more efficiently across the wing.

"After all, if it makes sense to save resources, people, money and time--why would we only do that during an AFSO event and then go back to business as usual afterward?," Colonel Wight said. "Community buy-in is important. It is my vision -- to make AFSO21 go away as a separate process by simply making it part of what we do every day. We want to create a culture of continuous improvement where people are more open to change. AFSO shouldn't be something else we do, it should just be what we do."

For more information about planning an AFSO21 event, call 452-6499. For more details about the IDEA Program, call 452-6112. To visit Colonel Wight's blog, go to https://afkm.wpafb.af.mil/ASPs/CoP/OpenCoP.asp?Filter=FE-OT-00-52.