Office of Management and Budget: Strengthening Organizational Health and Performance in Government
OMB, PPM, GSA
BACKGROUND
The Office of Performance and Personnel Management (PPM) in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) leads efforts to enhance mission-focused performance across the federal government. In 2018, after discussions with the National Academy of Public Administration Fellows, the Academy published a White Paper on Strengthening Organizational Health and Performance in Government. In the fall of 2023, OMB asked the Academy to update this framework for today's work environment and current governmental needs. Over the past year, the Academy hosted three symposia with public, private, and academic leaders in the organizational health and performance arena to garner insights on strategies and actions public agencies could use to improve their own organizational health and performance. The Academy used the findings from these symposia, as well as interviews and research to write the report.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Many public agencies have long struggled to build their workforce given laborious and time-consuming hiring practices, limited salary flexibilities, and promotion rules that value longevity over expertise and performance. Effective recruitment and retention practices are especially critical with the current wave of public service retirements.
This report is a playbook for agency leaders and managers with practical strategies and evidence-based practices to improve their agency’s organizational health in order to achieve meaningful and measurable results. The report underscores how important a strong internal culture focused on high performance is to the delivery of essential public services. Among other things, the playbook includes:
- Guidance on how to continually assess and adapt to evolving work environments,
- Practices to enhance organizational health to achieve results, and
- Resource links and case examples to support implementation of these strategies and actions
Click the button below to view the Final Report.
Final ReportRecommendations
The playbook identifies actions that federal agency leaders, operational unit managers, and central management agencies (the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Personnel Management, and the General Services Administration) can take to strengthen organizational health and performance.
Agency leaders and operational unit managers should adopt strategies to:
- Develop a bold vision tied to the mission and promoted throughout the organization,
- Create a supportive environment focused on psychological safety and inclusive leadership to achieve results,
- Effectively communicate and engage with employees, and
- Institutionalize a culture of continuous learning.
The playbook also includes case examples that illustrate the connection between organizational health, performance, frameworks, and outcomes, and provides specific resources to support agencies in achieving their goals.
The central management agencies, federal agency leaders, and operational unit managers should work together to modernize recruitment, retention, and development efforts across the federal government. Central management agencies can strengthen organizational health and performance across government by focusing on capacity building and encouraging agencies to adopt successful practices.
Questions
If you have any questions or comments regarding the study, please contact Joe Mitchell, Director of Strategic Initiatives and International Programs (JMitchell@napawash.org) or Amanda Mullan, Project Director for Strategic Initiatives (AMullan@napawash.org).
