|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2005
CONTACT: Eric Landau
(202) 204-3624
MANAGING A MULTISECTOR WORKFORCE
Washington, DC—December 13, 2005— At virtually every federal agency, contractor employees are part of the workforce implementing government programs. Who should be held accountable for the accomplishment of federal missions by workers from other sectors? A Working Group from the National Academy of Public Administration addressed this question and others in a recently released Academy paper, “Managing Federal Missions with a Multisector Workforce: Leadership for the 21st Century.”
A “multisector workforce” is a mixture of several distinct types of personnel working to carry out federal programs. It includes federal employees and contractor personnel, as well as state and local civil servants, employees of non-profits and even volunteers. Employees from these different sectors often work together on program implementation—often times in the same workspace—but under substantially different governing laws, compensation, appointment, discipline, termination, and ethical standards.
“This is issue is becoming much more complex. We have moved to a very different approach to implementing government programs without examining how it can best be done. We have changed the processes without changing how we manage. Addressing this issue is key to effective governance. The government needs to rethink what this is all about,” C. Morgan Kinghorn said.
The Academy paper recognizes that agency leaders and managers know that effective management of their people, and the processes and systems that sustain the workforce, are essential for effective service delivery to the public. As leaders and managers strive to improve what they do and how they work, they are exploring alternative workforce solutions in order to deliver improved government services.
Questions raised by the Academy Working Group include:
• What are the implications of increased use of multisector workforces on the federal workforce?
• What capabilities and competencies are needed to improve management of the multisector workforce?
• How do we begin to document the effectiveness and the cost benefits of various competitive sourcing efforts?
To open the debate on these questions, the Academy paper identified six critical mission areas: Accountability, Acquisition, Human Capital and Management, Social Equity and Values, Legal and Governance and Organizational Culture.
This Academy paper reflects the work done in Phase I of the project, which focused on analysis of the key management issues presented by the multisector workforce and analysis of existing research. It will serve as a catalyst for individual research projects during Phase II., which will begin with a discussion forum to identify issues, barriers and critical success factors, and develop new models for enhanced performance. Academy Fellows who have extensive experience in public governance, human capital, competitive sourcing, administrative law, and management theory, will lead the Phase II effort.
The Multisector Working Group was led by Rosslyn Kleeman*, and included Melissa Allen*, Doris Hausser*, Brad Huther*, Janice Lachance*, Christopher Mihm*, Hannah Sistare*, and Alethea Long-Green.
* Denotes Academy Fellow
The National Academy of Public Administration is the preeminent independent, non-profit organization for public governance. Established in 1967 and chartered by Congress, the Academy has become an independent source of trusted advice for every branch and level of government, Congressional committees and civic organizations. The Academy works constructively with government agencies to improve their performance and management through problem solving, objective research, comprehensive analysis, strategic plans, and connecting people and ideas. The Academy is led by its elected membership of more than 600 distinguished Fellows.
For more information, visit our website, www.napawash.org
|
