CIAO DATE: 02/04

Strengthening Senior Leadership In the U.S. Government: Phase I Report

Summary

Since its creation in 1978, the Senior Executive Service (SES) has undergone wide-ranging assessments and analyses from a variety of sources. The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), Grace Commission, Packard Panel, and National Performance Review have addressed SES structural, systemic, and operational issues. In 1998, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) raised these issues anew in a broad review about SES’ future, and whether SES selection, development, and management produce the executives needed to meet the leadership challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. This work led to policy improvements and set the stage for legislative proposals. However, the review did not show stakeholder consensus on several pivotal areas for effecting change in SES structure and composition. As a result, OPM was encouraged to lead a more comprehensive assessment of structure and composition to identify appropriate changes that would enhance overall accountability.

OPM asked the National Academy of Public Administration (the Academy) to conduct independent research for this comprehensive assessment. The goals of this research and report are to:

• identify structural and systemic aspects of the federal government’s SES and other senior personnel systems that do not contribute to a diverse, mobile, performance/accountability-focused, and customer-oriented cadre of top executive management and leadership
• provide the foundation for effecting appropriate change through policy, regulation, and legislation

The primary purpose of Phase I is to identify elements of the SES’ current structure and composition that need revision, and to form a solid and clearly documented basis for recommendations in these areas. Phase II will entail development of one or more alternative systems designed to solve the problems identified.

Full text (PDF format, 138 pages, 754 KB)