A diverse and trusted workforce : examining elements that could contribute to the potential for bias and sources of inequity in national security personnel vetting / Sina Beaghley [and five others].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Beaghley, Sina, author.

Cross, Amy Burnett, author.

Paige, Jessica Welburn, author.

Ryan, Samantha, author.

Stebbins, David, author.

Zelazny, Sarah, author.

Series:

Research report (Rand Corporation) ; RR-A1987-1.

Research report ; RR-A1987-1

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Department of Defense--Personnel management.

United States.

Employee screening--United States.

Employee screening.

Security clearances--United States.

Security clearances.

Discrimination in employment--United States.

Discrimination in employment.

Intelligence service--United States.

Intelligence service.

Diversity in the workplace--United States.

Diversity in the workplace.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 86 pages)

Place of Publication:

RAND Corporation 2023

San Francisco, CA : RAND Corporation, [2023]

Summary:

Applicants for the national security workforce are required to provide detailed personal information as part of the background investigation process to adjudicate their eligibility for a security clearance. As a result, during the course of the personnel vetting process, an individual's race or ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and neurodivergence may be knowable or inferred by the personnel conducting the investigations and adjudications. Human judgment and biases that manifest themselves in other employment or social contexts have the potential to contribute to bias and sources of inequity in the human element of the process of determining security clearance eligibility. The authors explore the potential for related bias or sources of inequity within the federal personnel vetting process. Such potential biases and inequities could inhibit the U.S. government's goals and abilities to hire and maintain national security personnel with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

Contents:

Chapter One: Introduction and Background

Chapter Two: Literature Review

Chapter Three: Observations and Themes from Discussions with Personnel Vetting and DEIA Experts

Chapter Four: Conclusions, Observations, and Recommendations

Appendix A: An Initial Framing Approach

Strategic Questions for Evaluating Personnel Vetting Forms and Guidelines

Appendix B: Literature Review Methods

Appendix C: Discussant List and Discussion Protocols

Appendix D: Dedoose Discussion Analysis Coding Scheme.

Notes:

"RAND National Defense Research Institute."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 81-86).