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The Reality Gap Of Employee-Management Misperceptions: Comparing United States Air Force Services Squadron Members To Their Private Sector Counterparts, Michael Christopher Rakoczy

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory study examined employee-management misperceptions in the United States Air Force Services career field. The "reality gap," as defined, is the misperception of workers needs or wants by management. Employee and manager surveys from 1946, 1980, 1987, and 1991 which demonstrate this phenomenon are examined to establish the validity of the reality gap, the length of time it has existed, and the full ramifications of the extent of the gap. The reality gap is then shown as the precipitating factor toward employee dissatisfaction, leading directly to employee turnover. All of this is framed within the context of Management by …