Institute for Defense Analyses Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Institute for Defense Analyses full-time for more than a year

Pros – - A real commitment to education and professional development
- An almost academic atmosphere (difficult to find re: DoD work)
- A lot of fascinating subject material, for the most part
- Good range of tasks and personnel, from hard sciences to liberal arts-types
- Great reputation in the industry and the region
- Very stable

Cons – - Even with a shuttle service to/from the Pentagon, not the most convenient location
- Can get mired in the bureaucracy and inside baseball endemic to the Pentagon
- One often must find work for themselves among tasks within a division
- Not as much of the "liberal arts" stuff as one might hope
- Hard to advance especially far without a PhD

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Institute for Defense Analyses full-time for more than a year

Pros – -Good work/life Balance
-Lots of control over projects
-Heavily utilized my educational background
-Friendly co-workers
-Research-driven environment

Cons – -No room for advancement, especially for those with no doctorate degree
-Low raises/bonuses
-Task leaders succumb too easily to sponsor "requests," which distorts the objectivity of analyses
-High turnover rate

Advice to Senior Management – Create incentives to retain talented individuals.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Institute for Defense Analyses

Pros – This is a very flat organization; as a result, there are almost no office politics, and almost everyone is willing to help if you encounter a problem. You get to work with some genuinely smart people, sometimes on important projects. The atmosphere is very relaxed, with excellent work-life balance. Job security seems excellent.

Cons – This is a very flat organization; as a result, you will not be promoted to a management position, and there is really no reward for excellence. Salary is based almost entirely on longevity, rather than performance. Although this is ostensibly a research organization, much of the work has devolved into administrative support for other organizations.

Advice to Senior Management – The current pay structure does not encourage innovation or hard work. Many employees have figured this out and are coasting; consider getting rid of some of the least productive employees - you have plenty of well qualified applicants willing to take their place.

Current Employee – been working at Institute for Defense Analyses

Pros – Interesting, knowledgeable co-workers, who are very collaborative, with little posturing. Pressure to get a predetermined answer on a study is rare to non-existent.

Cons – Very poor vertical communications. A lack of forthrightness in the communications. Paternalistic attitudes by management, which is not well enough connected to the staff to get their paternalism right.

Advice to Senior Management – Be open with the staff about challenges and opportunities facing the Institute. IDA's institutional relationship with DoD has eroded, and been largely replaced with personal contacts. Under these circumstances, pursue courses of action that elevate the stature of selected staff members and make them more visible, without compromising the discretion for which the Institute is valued.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Institute for Defense Analyses

Pros – Very collegial, yet you definitely have a lot of latitude to do your job how you want to. Good benefits package. Nice people.

Cons – Very flat. Very little opportunity for career advancement within the company. A good place to close out your career and share your expertise of having actually worked in DoD, rather than looking to advance your own goals

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Institute for Defense Analyses

Pros – Supportive environment, Many educational facilities, Many advanced training opportunities, The benefits are excellent and the work environment is very good

Cons – The senior management is very mundane and not leading in innovation,they are not aware of the pace of technology change and how the new technologies affect the workplace.

Advice to Senior Management – The management needs to get their hands dirty to understand the details of new technologies and how they fit the dramaticallyc changing customer environment

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Institute for Defense Analyses

Pros – The work is interesting and you get to work on high profile problems. There is a great work / life balance. Great benefits. I like the people. Very stable environment.

Cons – No real way to get promoted without an advanced degree. This is a place where you need to be self-motivated to succeed since management doesn't put much pressure on underperformers.

Advice to Senior Management – There should be more of a pyramid structure in terms of personnel (i.e., more junior level analysts and fewer senior level analysts). Then IDA could do more work for the same budget.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Institute for Defense Analyses

Pros – Highly collegiate staff. Everyone is intelligent and pulls their own weight. The work is never boring.

Cons – The experience is much like a consulting firm, where the experience can depend on the team members and client for that project. Staff members need to wear many hats, which sometimes don't fit so well.

Advice to Senior Management – The projects require constantly changing skill sets. More structured training on-demand is needed to facilitate ongoing education. Better planning of the work flow pipeline, to reduce gaps and bottlenecks in staff hours.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Institute for Defense Analyses

Pros – Good working conditions. Nice people throughout the company. Excellent benefits. I know of many employees who have left only to come back. Senior researchers very encouraging.

Cons – Organization is a little flat, but if you take time and patience to watch and learn, you can build your own program.

Advice to Senior Management – none

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Institute for Defense Analyses

Pros – Flexibility
Freedom
Ability to take indicatives
Very good working environment, very good ability to contact experts,
Good support facilities and good employee programs

Cons – Only pilot work which has to be funded by customers and very little is funded from internal funds and internal organizations

Advice to Senior Management – NONE