GovernmentExecutive.com

The Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday unveiled a Web-based instrument for assessing the skill levels of federal managers, supervisors, team leaders, and others in key areas of leadership and performance management.

The launch comes exactly one week after OPM released the agency-specific results of its Federal Human Capital Survey which assessed federal employees' perceptions of their jobs and views on management challenges.

OPM officials briefed agencies on Tuesday about the benefits of using the management system. The personnel agency's goal is to help agencies that currently do not have leadership competency models or assessment instruments to assess their proficiency in leadership management.

The online tool is designed to support human capital efforts in succession management, leadership competency gap closure, leadership development, and recruitment and retention. Additionally, OPM officials said the tool will assess agencies' readiness to manage in a pay-for-performance environment.

The new tool is based on a five-level scale going from awareness to expert, allowing managers to conduct a self assessment based on 28 leadership and six performance management competencies. It also allows supervisors to look over the results to determine strengths and areas for improvement.

OPM expects the system to serve as a roadmap of the qualification requirements employees should follow to progress to senior executive jobs.

The system is not mandatory, but will be available to all agencies wishing to participate. Agencies choosing to use the system will meet with OPM over the next couple of months.

COMMENTS

• I just read these comments about OPM's leadership assessment tool. I agree with Ken only it's more basic than that. OPM has the most antiquated dispute resolution instructions and techniques I've ever seen, its OIG is a pathetic example of impotent leadership, and there is virtually no attempt to correct or even confront management misconduct and just plain lousy supervisors. It is amazing what is tolerated on the management side. Physician, heal thyself! H R Specialist Posted August 24, 2007 5:36 PM
• OPM needs to implement their own competency tool to "get it right" for new annuitants when it comes to retirement pay. My first supplemental retirement check was two weeks late. Then you receive only 60 to 70 per cent of your actual retirement. Why do the morons at OPM need several months to get it right? In this day of computer automation, why is this? Of course, when they fix the correct computation, you get the back pay, no interest of course! GovExec.com reader Posted February 13, 2007 10:38 AM
• Ken, If we ever meet at a conference I will have to buy you a beer. It must be wonderful to be able to come out and tell these truths once retired and to sign your name. I can see we are both big fans of OPM. I sadly must still sign my name "HR Specialist." The sad part is that nothing much has changed at OPM or most of the federal government. I counsel managers every day on workplace disputes and nine times out of 10 the view is always it is the employee’s fault. I have dealt with shattered supervisors and managers whose entire workforces have rebelled. In my professional opinion, eight or nine times out of 10 the conflict occurs because of horrible management skills. But I work for management so I do what I can to lower the flame on conflict when I can. Most of the time there isn't much I can do because the bully or narcissist manager thinks they know what they are doing and that they are always right. OPM has always been this way where senior managers are always right and line employees are treated like the stuff you take off your shoe--the horror stories coming out of OPM for years spreading across all of federal HR for these past six years from OPM escapees has simply been amazing. Kay Cole James was at least a business manager -- OPM is now being run by a financial officer. In my experience financial officers rate just above attorneys at the bottom of the heap in being able to manage human beings properly. There are always exceptions, not many but a few. And OPM wants to help the government deal with a leadership vacuum. Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha HR Specialist GovExec.com reader Posted February 8, 2007 10:06 AM