Manning Levels,Organizational Effectiveness,and Health

Abstract

The relationships of manning levels to division performance ratings and illness and injury rates were investigated aboard 18 U.S. Navy ships (N = 1,634). Sources of variance in crew members' ratings of adequacy of manning were analyzed at the individual level, and specific components of this variance were used to predict ratings of performance and the illness criteria at the division (work group) level. A scale measuring efficiency of manpower utilization had superior predictive validities with respect to the performance and illness criteria compared to actual manning levels. It was concluded that manpower utilization perceptions of the efficiency of human resources should be monitored as closely as manning level in order to optimize organizational performance and health and safety.

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