Return to Article: Bush orders agencies to appoint 'performance improvement officers'
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41196
In the private sector this same position is the exact reason that the United States has become the most productive nation in the world. It is not by accident that companies with qualified Continuous Improvement Specialists continually outperform competitiors. They do this by ensuring corporaate objectives are met by "changing the way we have always done it". Having someone that is willing to question the status quo within an agency can only improve things. Give it a chance, don't be frightened by change.
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37937
I believe that is why we have leaders in each agency. They are responsible for ensuring performance improvements. Another position such as this just drains resources from our mission.
Politically, this is an obvious attempt to influence the next administration. What may be lost on the White House is that they could hamstring even a Republican president. Have they heard of the "law of unintended consequences?"
Historically, other governments have had their "performance improvement officers". One example was World War II Germany. And look where their "G-men" took their country.
In the end, it is time for the politicos to treat government employees like adults. We know what we need to do, just let us do it.
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37878
Deb is correct. This move is an attempt to continue the Administration's implementation of the President's Management Agenda into the next administration. Let's see what happens next...
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37810
I wouldn't expect most agencies to start creating new positions. This strikes me as another title/role someone (high up for sure) will have to assume. I don't think there is much of anything new here, maybe some formalities for the most part.
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37776
As a staunch republican and W supporter, I cannot help myself with this one: what a waste! Just hold heads of agencies accountable. If earnestly carried out, that would well suffice.
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37705
Just to correct the last paragraph of this story - Congress did put their stamp on PART. The Allard amendment was soundly defeated 68 - 21. ouch! It hasn't created a lot of love elsewhere either, for good reason.
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37697
Another job for a high paying managerial type. I guess we need to create landing spots for this administration when it ends. What a laugh! How about we not spend the money on this wasteful position and fund the agencies like they need to be funded? Can you really see a "performance manager" accomplishing anything?
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37645
A total waste of money. Been there. No matter who you hire employees can only do so much. The more number counting the more time taken away from accomplishing anything. The only real solution is getting rid of the "favorite employees" who are allowed to do nothing while others are required to double and triple their work to cover up for managements poor skills and backbone to get involved.
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37499
In order for "performance improvement officers" to be able to do their jobs, they first must have the resources to do so. I am speaking about "fully qualified human resources." There were five of us and 2 new hires, including our supervisor. We were working to full capacity and then some. Our Office Manager retired and once our new Office Manager was in place, he demanded even more. We all left with the exception of one fully qualified seasoned Operations Inspector. Two of us retired and the other two took other positions. One in industry, one within the agency. The over burdening of personnel and constant demands that can not be met drove us out. We loved our jobs but could no longer work under these conditions. It appears that other agencies are suffering as well.
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37477
Such nonsense--
More bean counting for report cards instead of actually doing something to organizationally develop the government.
Performance Management isn't nuclear engineering. An SES manager floating in their own office will make zero dents in the poor performance of programs and employees. OHRs across the government can't convince managers to do PM correctly with so little resources to conduct good human resource programs-- a free floating SESer in this area with little or no resources is only going to interfere with what little agency performance is left.
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37470
Looks like further centralization of control over agencies within the White House. The EO is based on the authority in the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), but GPRA was intended to be agency driven in consultation with stakeholders and Congress, not WH driven. With the PART, the WH and OMB supplanted agency-driven goals with the WH's goals; this codifies the PART.
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37465
TQM, Zero defects, Quality Circles, Malcolm Baldridge, 360-degree assessments, internal operation assessments, GPRA, strategic planning, MBO---and we still haven't learned!!! Do we honestly believe another "suit" will make the difference? If "W" wants to make a difference and have a lasting legacy, give the civil servants, on whose back the "suits" will weigh, the infrastructure, the training, the tools and the PEOPLE to actually get the work accomplished.
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37448
Another high level position for someone's buddy.
Maybe this will be a "fall back" position for ICE's Julie Myers (if she is not confirmed). Of course if she doesn't get this position she can go on television's America's Next Idiot as a judge.
Seriously, if the position is for real, and the position is held by other then the head of the agency's buddy, it could be a good thing especially for agencies like ICE, where the rank and file employees are not clear what the goal of the day is.
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37447
What a totally worthless idea. An SES (read "High salary") position just to assess the agency's selected goals and progress meeting them? That hardly sounds like a full time workload. It sounds like a pretty easy job. And no SES executive could work alone. At the very least, there would have to be an executive assistant, so there's another agency position wasted. Finally, how can the selected monitor remain objective if he or she is working within an agency, helping to set goals and (hopefully) achieve them? This is a ridiculous and unworkable plan.
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37445
I'm sure the first order of business is to set up attendance monitoring, like we had in grade school. That way the number 1 personal problem would be addressed, people actually showing up
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37443
While the President's Management Agenda initiatives and PART scoring may have not fared-well with the "rank and file," it has attempted to move the Federal government toward greater accountability to taxpayers. Management reforms are never popular, but they do cause change--and a shakeup once in a while is a good idea!
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37441
What an incredible waste of resources and taxpayer money! More people drinking the Kool Aid. Let's see, where I work in DHS it means that people in management with high school degrees will hold accountable the college-educated people who actually do the work. Darwinian-selection in reverse.
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37439
Sounds like another political appointee position (or backdoor career position selected by a political appointee). Another person whose job it is to hamper the ability for career Feds to perform critical missions.
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37396
Every well-run corporate entity focuses on achieving a strategic plan including mission, vision, values, and goals. They then measure performance against those goals (ex. balanced scorecard). Corporations that do this effectively, regularly out-perform their competition. As a responsible citizen, I want to know that when tax dollars are being spent, no matter the program, it is done so effectively with accountability to the American people and American leadership. This increased focus should increase productivity while decreasing cost and create an atmosphere of continuous improvement. It is something that all responsible leaders and citizens should support.
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37392
Boy oh boy, would I like to be appointed the performance improvement officer at the White House.
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37385
I laughed when I read this article. I started work for Army more than 40 years ago and have since retired working performance programs. Nothing has changed over the years but the names of the program. I remember being an management analyst intern and including engineered standards in my first study. My boss patted me on the back and told me that he saw that I learned what I should have in school but to take that stuff out of the study. No one would know what it meant! Army is broke. Where is it going to get new positions to do this work. Has anyone actually seen any good come from these programs? Dumb!
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37373
What a load of garbage. More wasted money. I wonder if this improvement officer would dare say an agency is not doing well. After all, when the agency judges itself it never fails.
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37362
So who will get the job to improve performance in the White House? Not sure who, but I think when . . .Jan 20, 2008.
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37361
Gee whiz! I thought in the old days that performance improvement was the responsibility of the Agency Head and his/her subordinate supervisors. . . Must be a new jobs creation program for political hacks. As a performance improvement initiative, this one ranks right up there with NSPS.
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37354
Another useless top level agency position.
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37351
Who is the SES that will oversee the Executive Branch ?
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37344
People at the SES level are usually not qualified other than "people skills" --"smilies" ie, (relationship managers)...
Selectees would not likely have any Quality management credentials such as Six Sigma Black Belts, appropriate academic degrees, engineering/mathematics or stat background...
This is how they get "excellence" as a measure of performance!
anyway an exec order from a " lame duck" ...how likely is it to be implemented?
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37330
Sounds like a great idea...cant wait to see what DoD sets out as their annual goal for the war in Iraq, and their plans for achieving them
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