It's unlikely the Clinton administration will propose sweeping reform of the Senior Executive Service next year, but federal executives could see several key changes in the way they are paid, evaluated and rewarded.
Earlier this year, the Office of Personnel Management floated several major reform ideas, including splitting the Senior Executive Service in half and making more of base pay subject to performance considerations. OPM, the President's Management Council, the Senior Executives Association and other interested groups have spent several months discussing the ideas. Radical proposals need to be studied more, say people involved in the SES reform process.
"Probably little bits and pieces of the framework might be moved on," said Carol Bonosaro, president of the Senior Executives Association. "But as for major systemic change, it's dead."
OPM is not expected to announce formal proposals for changing the SES until early next year. However, the feedback the agency has received from executives and administration officials on the dozens of proposed changes offer a hint at which changes are likely to advance.
A number of issues can be addressed within the present SES system, stakeholders have told OPM. "There's virtually nothing in this life that is perfect, but I don't think there was ever a case made for major change that could not be addressed within the current system," Bonosaro said.
There was consensus among stakeholders that agency officials should do a better job of holding executives accountable for results, promote continuous learning among executives and encourage top managers to move around within their agencies and in other parts of the government. Those issues require leadership attention, rather than systemic change, stakeholders told OPM.
Many stakeholders would also like to see the SES recertification process eliminated. Executives should instead be held more accountable for results during their annual performance appraisals, OPM was told.
Under one of the framework's proposals, any executive whose duties do not include managing a program or a staff would have been moved into a new Senior Professional Service. The new service would have included high-ranking lawyers, scientists and other professionals now classified under the senior level and senior scientific/professional services. That change could have cut the approximately 8,000-member SES in half, OPM estimated. Now, OPM is considering giving agencies the flexibility to move individuals from the SES into existing professional services, but not mandating the change.
Most stakeholders rejected a proposal to require SESers to have experience in more than one agency or program to get a Presidential Rank Award or to advance in pay above ES-3 on the SES pay scale.
A number of proposals that have received broad support would require legislative changes. These include not only eliminating recertification, but giving executives better annual leave benefits, delinking SES pay from congressional pay and raising the limit on SESers' total annual compensation from $151,800 to $175,000 (the Vice President's salary).
Congress approved one of OPM's reform ideas this year, by including language in the 1999 omnibus spending bill that will increase Presidential Rank Award bonuses. Meritorious service awards next year will be worth 20 percent of base salary and distinguished service awards will be worth 35 percent of base salary. Until now, meritorious awards were worth $10,000 and distinguished awards were worth $20,000.
OPM could make other changes simply by revising its own regulations and guidance. These may include modifying performance appraisal systems and encouraging agencies to develop better succession planning and executive education programs.
To see a detailed list of SES reform ideas and how they were received, click here.
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