Return to Article: Obama urged to focus on performance-based government
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73317
NSPS and AIG does have the same ring going on and both need to be stopped now.
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66000
I came from the private sector and it is true what they say about government employment - no one is held accountable and a lot of people do nothing.
I've been told to slow down; that I'm working too fast.
It's pretty sad.
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65200
I feel like this is akin to George on Seinfeld (what I normally do does not work so I will do the opposite).
Hint to Obama: Take what has been done with NSPS - and do the opposite!!
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65111
"President-elect Barack Obama's transition teams"!!!! He has so damn many teams that they're running into and over each other. Nothing of value will be achieved by this election!!! America you really screwed up!!!!
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65090
I have said on previous occasions that NSPS has nothing to do with what you do, but how you write about what you do. Day to day work is not wanted in self assessments, only work above and beyond what you do daily. However, getting these assignments depend entirely on your supervisor. For example, the fact that you give excellent customer service as a part of your day to day job only matters if you get an award or some such recognition from your customer. However, if your supervisor assigns you a task outside your normal duties you turn that into a great achievement verbally, no matter how inconsequencial, and you "walk on water" and get a big bonus. So those in good with 1st line supervisor have the bonus down pat regardless of their job performance.
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65045
Actually NSPS is not a PFP program where I work. Many of us at NNSY were converted last year and have just received notice regarding our NSPS bonus. Performance took a back seat to a pre-determined formula (X percent will be level 1, X percent will be level 2 or 3, etc, etc). The outcome for my recommended level 4 performance was that it was dropped to level 3 by the Pay Pool to make the numbers work in the formula, awarding me with approximately 50% of what the cost of living raise will be for my fellow GS-12 employees that were not converted to NSPS. So, the GS guys get full cost of living raises as well as step increases, the NSPS guys rated as level 3 (Valued Employee's?) get 50% of the cost of living raise and no step increases. A real morale builder!!! Obviously if NSPS stays in effect it will have a negative effect on employee recruitment and retention. I for one, with 34 plus years of service, see no reason to stay.
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65004
The managers are always the problem...not. The CS rules make disciplinary action so time consuming ans the appeals are endless. Managers have to do a work around to have some semblance of performance. The CS is broken with no chance of repair. The public from all the polls have had it and want CHANGE. President elect you promised change and until the dysfunctional CS system is ended there can be no change.
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64971
If NSPS is so good why are so many MAJOR government organization pulling away from NSPS (AMC for example). Overseas you are stuck cause you do not have any say so as you have a union helping protect employees in CONUS. In Europe you are the test subject. I have seen hard workers get screwed because he doesn't kiss up. I guess that is why he is leaving government service and going to work for a contractor.
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64961
Okay folks, time to talk about the dirty little secret in government: Why PFP doesn't work. It doesn't work because it only addresses one level of the problem: the rank and file worker. This would be like doing a Schewart analysis and disregarding 66% of the causes for poor performance. Any discussion of improving government performance must START by fixing the process and then proceed to fixing management. If they fixed the bad managers (rather than trying to cover for them using systems like NSPS) you would find that the GS system works just fine. Managers have always had the tools necessary to make the government work- but it required that they actually DO their jobs and frankly, many of them don't. Fix the processes and management and service will improve as a natural byproduct.
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64942
I agree with Don, after all they are the same foks that sold that line of BS to the Bush Administration. If I were in Mr. Obama's place the last person I would ask for advice are those that have been advising the current administration's crop of idiots.
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64847
These are the same great eggheads from the same Ivy League schools who thought the free market would police itself... they frogot about greed.
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64832
I find it interesting to read something that keeps resurfacing. The last time I read about improving government performance (effectiveness and efficiency) was via Clinton-Gore initiative. It's becoming clear that humans in organizations avoid laying out and improving processes. Perhaps it's because if something goes wrong, no one can be blamed other than the process owner.
We spent billions of dollars training and soft-skills'ing people about The Deming Method, which focuses on assessing the performance of the process, and not the variables-rich entity known as The People. Dr. Deming made a good case; good enough for Japan's full recovery after WW2. One thing is clear: NSPS is STILL focused on assessing people, and hyperfocused on pay splits, and is not at all about any process...and it is THIS that remains the root of the problem.
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64825
In order to attain the results of performance-based activities with technology. Senior government manager must understand the connection between applying the best information management tools that correlates with process improvement and continuous quality improvement. My experience has been that today's senior government managers don't understand the value of applying balanced scorecard approach that incorperates technology, process improvement, continuous quality improvement to bring about high performance in their organizations. High performing organization don't happen by chance, it is planned with an endorsement from top management. The data generated from applying process and continuous quality improvement should drive the organization transformation efforts for high performance. I am applying this strategy with the NCI Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program information systems with great success but it tool a while to get it in place because senior management had a hard time digesting the methodology and its benefits.
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64820
Performance Based, BS...its the return of rotten cronyism...we got rid of it at or agency and this administration brought it back...hate and discontent is all it creates...management has the tools it needs to get rid of under performers and have never used it correctly...I know I was in management and had the good sense to leave and return to the workforce...this is about not giving cost of living allowance authorized by congress into base pay and giving it in some BS "bonus"...braking unions and screwing the American work out of retirement is this administrations base of support.
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64814
I wonder what kind of performance rating Bush would have received under NSPS ? Oh Ya....that's right he is not under that system. I wonder why !
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64810
This should be interesting. The feds have had some challenges getting their hands around the oncept of "performance based acquisition", defining requirements and then monitoring contractor performance. I suspect that the same types of challenges will be encountered when defining, executing and then measuring success in regards to any meaningful internal performance goals.
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64806
PFP for government is not the answer until the bonus for outstanding work is significant, like the private sector. To expect employees to go way above and beyond, which usually involves more time at work, less time with family, more stress, etc., for a "thank you" or an extra $3000 is unrealistic. I see private sector bonuses which amount to 50% or more of a person's annual salary--thats what makes it work. Government cannot do that.
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64805
Signs like "We apologize for any inconvenience caused by our renovations" or Excuse our mess" come to mind when envisioning a revamping of federal agencies. As a military retiree and current employee of SSA, I can say with certainty that a performance based approach to fixing government is right on target. Too often complacency lets employees waste time doing things counterproductive to their tasks. We just need to be careful not to hinder productivity during renovation and therby causing damage to already ailing systems. For example those most often guilty of complacency are those with the wealth of knowledge need to sustain our agencies. Successfully tapping this wealth should be a primary concern along with other creative ways to maintain continuity.
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64803
You can't have a performance based government with out a performance based work force..That's why PFP is critical to improving government you can't have 1 without the other
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64801
They should look at the DOD's NSPS as a prime example of what not to do.
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64799
The courts have decided cases aganist the governament's Performance Based initives. Working in the system it is subjective based system. It is based on how well you kiss hiney not on how well you do your job. The GS system is fair, if there are employees that are not doing their job then fire them, which can be done.
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64784
Kabuki, meet "be happy" But hey, don't worry... invest in more technology and that will build us a new, more effective government. Its also a lot easier to sell than doing the hard analytic and restructuring work.
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64782
They should start with Congress first. Would eliminate all of them, especially the career polticians like Kennedy.
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64777
My advice for the President Elect is to NOT let any business coalition including the likes of IBM tell him how to improve government. There is a huge conflict of interest implied, because of the millions in government contracts going to the members of this "government performance coalition". Do they think this guy just fell off the turnip truck?
These Corporate groups number one priority is ensuring they can maintain or increase their cut of our tax dollars via huge contracts. Gimme a break.
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64776
Dear president - elect Obama: Why are people always dancing around the reality that "performance based" simply means doing away with the general schedule pay system and reverting back to the old way of giving managers the utimate power over life and death in the job place. We did away with that becaue of the huge inequities it created. That is, it's merely a way to strip away what little power the federal employee has gained over the years. "Performance based" is short for "Follow the party line, kiss up, and do what I want if you want a raise."
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64768
A car will never run as efficiently as advertised if the spark plugs are not changed on schedule, the tires are not rotated periodically, the oil is not replaced as required by the manufacturer's interval recommendation, and so forth and so on. The point is all of the emphasis appears to be targeted at making Government perform better by focusing on the workforce when that alone may or may not be the most significant factor in Government's ability to perform. Where is the emphasis on looking at the issues that impact or impede Government performance such as unfunded mandates or failure to pass an appropriations budget on time, or lack of timely appointments to key positions, etc.
Under successive administrations we have had such initiatives as "limitation on the size government," "Thin out the supervisory levels," and so forth down to the current rush for "performance" based personnel systems." Let's give the "middle class" of Government, the common, every day worker some a-tack relief from this continuing harangue about a "dysfunctional, non performing Government, which continues to work even with the impediments listed above, and focusing mainly on them. Instead of looking at people ALONE, let look at some of the causes of non performance which are outside of the workforce.
How many dysfunctional laws are still on the books? What is the performance and monetary impact of each new law passed? No doubt all of this is to much to question when it is just easier to target people as the problem that needs to be fixed..
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