Government Executive - Authors - Tina Sung

How Agency Leaders Can Seize the Opportunity to Reorganize Government

Tina Sung and Dee Dee Helfenstein — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 08:00:00 -0500

The Office of Management and Budget soon will begin tracking progress on President Trump’s executive order to reorganize the executive branch.

Agency leaders will have had almost a year to digest the order since it was issued, but this next phase will result in significant leadership challenges as the restructuring begins. Change is disruptive, critics are everywhere and the payoff may take time to materialize. But there also is a significant opportunity for innovation and reinvention to cascade across the federal government.

For leaders who are living and breathing transformation, we gathered best practices from past and ongoing reforms in government. The lessons can be applied to the inevitable challenges that will emerge.

Don’t lose focus.

Charles Rossotti, the former IRS commissioner who oversaw the restructuring of the agency in the late 1990s, believes senior leaders must focus on “the driving force calling for change,” being clear about the purpose behind the transformation.

During his tenure, there was a perception that IRS was working solely to fill coffers at the Department of the Treasury and not serving the needs of taxpayers. Rossotti set about to better serve the customers of the IRS through five levers of change: a customer-focused organizational structure; revamped business processes; clear management roles and accountability; performance measures; and technology. One of the new technologies he oversaw was the development of an electronic filing system to provide a faster, easier and less costly process for filing tax returns than paper filing. But adopting the new technology took more than releasing new software.

While the tax e-filing software itself was not complicated, Rossotti said, the change required moving from a familiar system to something completely new. This strategy demanded an understanding of how the new technology would affect both internal and external stakeholders. Challenges included educating the public on the benefits of e-filing, getting the return preparers to support the new system and convincing staff internally that this approach would better serve taxpayers.

“Did that mean we couldn’t do it?” Rossotti asked rhetorically. “No! You address all of these things together.” By 2001, 31 percent of taxpayers filed their taxes online and by last year, 92 percent filed electronically.

Create and communicate your top goals.

Once you know what’s driving the transformation, you can start to prioritize the tactics you will need to reach the stated goals. Thad Allen, the 23rd commandant of the Coast Guard, said this means developing a management agenda and a roadmap.

“You have to have your organization dedicated to this change and track it,” said Allen, who made major reforms in how the Coast Guard was managed when he became commandant.

Allen devised what he called the Ten Commander’s Intent Action Orders. This plan included such items as setting up a deployable operations group, revamping the acquisition system and developing a new maritime strategy.

Allen said he focused resources and efforts needed to attain his 10 priorities and issued regular reports on the status of each action, emphasizing that incorporating evaluation and improvement as core to the organization’s culture is critical to successful change.

Take risks to push innovation.

Innovation in government requires stepping outside of the expected and taking calculated risks.

For example, to make the 2020 headcount more efficient, the Census Bureau is automating processes, using on-screen imagery to verify addresses and allowing the public to respond via the internet.

Each of these tactics invites new risks. To track and mitigate potential problems, the Department of Commerce is establishing a team to evaluate the Census program. The 2020 Census also remains on the Government Accountability Office’s High Risk List and will receive extra scrutiny and oversight from Congress. But leadership at the Census continues to drive these innovations and seek new efficiencies.

Not all transformations across the federal government will have the same goals. Agency changes may hinge on using new technology, resetting the mission by eliminating or consolidating certain activities, or addressing the changing needs and expectations of federal customers.

In all situations, leaders must keep their eyes on the larger objective of making their agencies more effective while navigating the complex issues involving management, resources, employee morale and the interests of internal and external stakeholders. It is not a task for the faint of heart, but it will be well worth the effort.

Tina Sung is a vice president at the Partnership for Public Service where she brings years of multi-sector executive leadership experience. Dee Dee Helfenstein is a senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton and has more than 20 years of commercial and government consulting experience. For ongoing discussion around transformation, visit Booz Allen and the Partnership for Public Service and follow online at #PoweringGov.

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Hanging On

Tina Sung and Peter Sherer — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Many executives would be willing to defer retirement.

For at least a decade, the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Personnel Management, among others, have warned that 75 percent of the Senior Executive Service will be eligible to retire soon. But despite the collective hand-wringing, there has been little systematic response to this well-anticipated challenge.

According to a recent survey by Experience Matters, a firm specializing in career and retirement planning, the lack of strategies to retain senior executives has led many to leave public service earlier than they wanted. The survey also suggested several incentives that could be developed to retain scarce executive talent.

In a February survey of 110 SES members, none of the respondents said they planned to retire on their assigned date. Thirty-three percent said they were considering staying between three or four additional years. Almost 30 percent indicated that they would stay on for an extra five years or more-especially if given incentives to do so.

The good news is agencies still have a brief window to adapt their human capital management strategies to hold on to these experienced leaders. The bad news is most executives near retirement prefer not to reveal the date they plan to leave government. Many fear lame-duck status if they discuss their retirement intentions. Without an honest conversation about late-stage career expectations, most succession plans are difficult to establish.

A second important finding was that there is an appetite for new assignments late in senior executive careers. A remarkable 65 percent of both active and retired executives said they would stay on (or would have stayed on) for a new assignment at their own or another agency. They had "been there and done that" in their current jobs and wanted new challenges.

For the most part, mobility in the SES has been limited. Preparing executives to move into new assignments often requires special resources, including coaching, training and other initiatives to support mobile employees. The survey also indicated a strong interest in acquiring new knowledge- 25 percent of respondents said they would defer retirement if offered learning opportunities. OPM's Federal Executive Institute and other career development resources could be called on to play a key role in boosting retention.

Other factors found to influence executives' decision to retire included the economy and meaningful work. One-third of the group said they could not afford to leave public service, and just as many said they found their work mattered too much to leave it now. But almost 25 percent reported they have stayed in place because they are not sure what they want to do next. The implication: The unsure cohorts might be willing to extend their government service if offered help in discovering the benefits of another meaningful assignment.

Twenty-five percent of the executives said they would be willing to continue working in government if they could take a short sabbatical of 90 to 120 days. Many are physically and emotionally exhausted. Agencies need to use whatever flexibility they have to allow their senior professionals to rest and re-energize when needed.

Twenty-five percent of those surveyed said they would leave federal service immediately if their "good boss" leaves or they get a "bad boss" during the presidential transition. Political appointees in the new administration, below the Cabinet level, might not be in place until next spring or summer. In the meantime, agencies can help career executives prepare to make a positive first impression and get new relationships off to a good start. Many need help explaining their skills and accomplishments in succinct business terms.

Agencies should identify mission-critical jobs and which of their executives might have an interest in filling them. Effective succession planning requires candid give-and-take between executives and their agencies about creating the best job fit. It also requires a willingness to rethink the opportunities offered to senior executives within five years of their retirement eligibility date.

Pre-retirement planning programs at agencies are limited because they focus on financial considerations. Such programs should be expanded to help them identify engaging and satisfying work in a new and meaningful assignment within the agency-or elsewhere.

Investing in a mature workforce pays significant dividends. Not only are mission-critical jobs filled with experienced talent, but younger executives are encouraged to stay because they foresee that they too will benefit from ongoing learning and meaningful career opportunities.

The world of work is moving from a buyer's to a seller's market for executive talent. This trend is going to continue for a generation, and executives will enjoy a new freedom of choice in their careers. But as the survey reveals, farsighted agency leaders who invest in retention strategies are likely to hold on to experienced executives well beyond their retirement eligibility date. Conversely, agencies that do not adapt can expect an accelerating loss of senior talent in a debilitating downward spiral deep into the years to come.

Tina Sung and Peter Sherer are the co-founders of Experience Matters: the Executive Transition Experts, located in Silver Spring, Md.

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