{"id":19703,"date":"2018-01-29T21:21:02","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T21:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/29\/prioritizing-small-group-needs-can-bring-big-agency-gains-says-industry-research\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:54:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:54:03","slug":"prioritizing-small-group-needs-can-bring-big-agency-gains-says-industry-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2018\/01\/29\/prioritizing-small-group-needs-can-bring-big-agency-gains-says-industry-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Prioritizing small group needs can bring big agency gains, says industry research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Forget a one-size-fits-all federal management approach with performance goals dictated from on high, according to a recent whitepaper from the National Academy of Public Administration. Agencies should be using the wealth of employee satisfaction and performance data<\/a> available to develop strategies targeting the needs of individual units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA good federal management framework has evolved over the past two decades,\u201d said John M. Kamensky, chairman of NAPA\u2019s standing panel on executive organization and management, \u201cbut we need to expand the existing framework by creating a new bottom-up demand to improve organizational health and performance that is tailored to the needs of different missions and units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe a strategic reorientation that makes front-line managers the focal point, and considers the health and capacity of their organizational units, will pay the greatest performance dividends and reduce future risks of operational failures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whitepaper, \u201cStrengthening Organizational Health and Performance in Government,\u201d recommends a management framework with three major components:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Strengthen unit-level performance by using existing data, such as the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, to diagnose the state of unit-level health and performance.<\/li>
  2. Create a learning-based approach, rather than directives required by the upper levels of an agency, by engaging employees to develop improvement plans for their own units.
    <\/li>
  3. Invest in data analytics tools to give managers the opportunity to take advantage of the flood of employee and operational data.
    <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe envision that over time this new management improvement approach will transform the federal government into an organization that learns from experience, constructively engages employees at all levels in this shared enterprise, and continually strives toward higher standards of excellence in achieving its many missions and policy objectives,\u201d the whitepaper said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t