The first step in a proposed program of organization development (OD) was to assess organizational processes within the

Technical Operations Services (TechOps) Operations Control Centers (OCCs). The aim of the OD program was to

improve effectiveness of OCC operations and increase satisfaction of OCC personnel. The assessment was based on an

understanding of current and future OCC concepts of operations, a review of organizational practices within the OCCs,

and the research literature on developing organizations. TechOps is the agency within the Federal Aviation Administration

(FAA) Air Traffic Organization that manages and maintains the National Airspace System facilities, systems, and

equipment. The OCCs are part of the maintenance management infrastructure at the regional level with an OCC located

within the Eastern, Central, and Western Service Areas. The OCCs were established in 2001 as part of an effort to

centralize remote monitoring and coordination of maintenance operations for the FAA. To understand current

organizational processes, we interviewed 54 specialists and 12 team leads working at an OCC in one of the Service Areas.

We asked the participants questions about their technical background; their jobs within the OCCs to include the

interdependencies required for task performance; structure, complexity, and workload inherent in the job; cohesion and

trust among specialists and team leads; and outcomes, including perceived operational effectiveness and job satisfaction.

Results of these discussions are summarized in the report by topical area. Issues raised by the participants as having a

negative effect on their perceptions of effectiveness of the OCCs and their individual satisfaction with the job were classified

into three groups. The first grouping was workload. Shift work, staffing, and breaks influenced workload. Participants saw

workload at all three OCCs as high, especially during the day shift. The second group, resources, included issues related to

training and technology. Some participants indicated that neither the training nor the technologies used in the OCCs were

sufficient to meet job requirements. The final group was knowledge of results and included issues related to performance

feedback and management involvement. Participants saw a lack of performance standards and little specific feedback on

individual or team performance as having a negative impact on organizational performance and individual satisfaction. We

proposed interventions to address each of these groups of issues. The interventions were 1) the use of small teams to

organize specialists and team leads at each of the OCCs, 2) revision or inclusion of initial, new equipment, and team leader

training, 3) implementation of a comprehensive performance feedback system based on individual and team performance,

and 4) development of a fatigue risk management approach that included education on fatigue and elimination of midnight

shifts through the use of workload sharing among OCCs. Finally, we also recommended assessing the implementation of

interventions in an on-going process of organization development and improvement to meet current and future

requirements.