Application of Transaction Cost Economics to Capabilities-based Acquisition: Exploring Single Service vs. Joint Service Programs and Single Systems vs. System-of-Systems

Proceedings Paper (for Acquisition Research Program)The US Department of Defense (DoD) is in the process of radical transformation'' to a national security strategy predicated on joint Service purchases and complex System-of-Systems (SoS) capabilities. This paper contributes to a broader study that eventually needs to be conducted to evaluate the benefits and costs of increased reliance on joint Service SoS programs.Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research ProgramApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e. a controlling message) compared to no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly-internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared to the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly-internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing: Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Innovation in Defense Acquisition Oversight: An Exploration of the AT&L Acquisition Visibility SOA

Symposium Presentation (for Acquisition Research Program)Symposium PresentationNaval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research ProgramApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Exploring the implications of transaction cost economics on joint and system-of-systems programs

Acquisition research (Graduate School of Business & Public Policy)As the Department of Defense (DoD) moves from the single-system, platform-centric paradigm to the capabilities-based paradigm, the scope and complexity of solutions are growing. The increasing emphasis on joint service and system-of-systems (SoS) capabilities has created both opportunities and challenges for materiel acquisition. A key barrier that needs to be overcome for the DoD to achieve the promises of joint service and SoS programs involves the challenge of transaction costs. These are the less visible, but nonetheless significant, costs of negotiating, managing and monitoring transactions. In an effort to identify the effect of transaction costs on more complex acquisition programs, this paper examines cost and schedule breaches in a subset of Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAP) that includes a sample of 84 programs, divided into joint service and traditional (single service) acquisition programs, and single system and system-of-systems (SoS) programs. The results suggest there is a statistically significant higher risk of cost and schedule breaches in SoS programs than in single system acquisition programs. This paper contributes to a broader study that eventually needs to be conducted that will evaluate the benefits and costs of increased reliance on joint service and SoS programs.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Exploring the implications of transaction cost economics on Joint and System-of-Systems Programs

As the Department of Defense (DoD) moves from the single-system, platform-centric paradigm to the capabilities-based paradigm, the scope and complexity of solutions are growing. The increasing emphasis on joint service and system-of-systems (SoS) capabilities has created both opportunities and challenges for materiel acquisition. A key barrier that needs to be overcome for the DoD to achieve the promises of joint service and SoS programs involves the challenge of transaction costs. These are the less visible, but nonetheless significant, costs of negotiating, managing and monitoring transactions. In an effort to identify the effect of transaction costs on more complex acquisition programs, this paper examines cost and schedule breaches in a subset of Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAP) that includes a sample of 84 programs, divided into joint service and traditional (single service) acquisition programs, and single system and system-of-systems (SoS) programs. The results suggest there is a statistically significant higher risk of cost and schedule breaches in SoS programs than in single system acquisition programs. This paper contributes to a broader study that eventually needs to be conducted that will evaluate the benefits and costs of increased reliance on joint service and SoS programs.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Schedule Breach RDT&E Breach Other Breach

The movement toward transformation and joint capabilities has created new challenges for program acquisition efforts. The research reported in this article examines the implications of joint capabilities on acquisition. In short, the research investigates how program interdependency, size, age, and developmental status influence the occurrence of programmatic breaches. The findings provide empirical evidence that metrics that are capable of measuring interdependency may prove fruitful as an early indicator of joint program acquisition shortfalls