| TO: | Lyle Sebranek, Deputy Administrator, FAA |
| Jocelyn Brown, Assistant Deputy Administrator, ICD | |
| FROM: | Laura Scandurra, FAS AFSA VP |
| SUBJ: | Pre-Decisional Realignment Plan |
| DATE: | March 15, 2006 |
The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the organizational realignment. Our comments relate to the following:
• the need for an infrastructure that enables the agency to exploit the strengths of the Foreign Service (FS), especially as it relates to the most effective use of Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) through a revamped Washington Placement Plan (WPP);
• the need for a domestic review mechanism akin to the global review process;
• the need for a stronger focus on organizational excellence and human capital management; and,
• a more inclusionary approach to the realignment process.
Infrastructure Needed for a Strong Foreign Service
FAS is one of only five foreign affairs agencies in the U.S. Government. As such, we have an important and unique role in agricultural diplomacy. The essential message from AFSA is that, unless there is more strategic support for the Foreign Service (FS), our capacity to recruit and retain top-notch FSOs and our capacity to support the agency’s objectives will diminish over the coming years.
The environmental scan, which was conducted as part of the organizational review, revealed that our customers and stakeholders believe that the most valuable aspect of the agency – our “value-added” – is our overseas offices. Our network of FSOs and Locally Engaged Staff (LES) is a valuable resource for analyzing markets, identifying impediments to trade, supporting USG efforts to lower trade barriers through bilateral or multilateral negotiations, implementing food aid and delivering technical assistance. But to capture that value fully, this network needs to be supported with an adequate infrastructure and budget. AFSA defines infrastructure as the Washington Placement Plan, performance management, career development and training, HR support, and IT support.
The Washington Placement Plan is a critical component of the infrastructure supporting the FS. It was and is the vehicle for placing returning FSOs. AFSA contends that the current WPP is a flawed human capital policy that should be replaced with a more rational system that provides the agency with a mechanism that:
• better leverages the expertise, experience and language skills gained by FSOs while serving FAS overseas;
• enables effective management of the FS system which, unlike the CS, is an “up or out” and pay-for-performance oriented system; and,
• does not place an undue administrative burden on an already overly stretched HRD.
Performance management is another important component of the FS infrastructure. Unlike the CS, the FS is an up or out system. All FSOs, from the time of commissioning, have 15 years to be promoted to the next higher grade and a total of 22 years to reach the Senior Foreign Service (SFS). Those that don’t reach the SFS or the next higher grade within the specified time period are forced out of the FS. We are ranked competitively against our peers by selection boards that determine promotability and, if pay for performance goes into effect in 2008, pay increases as well. (Selection boards are already determining both promotability and pay increases for the SFS.)
According to the AFSA human capital survey, only 19 percent of survey respondents agreed that our performance-management system rewards high-performing employees, as compared to 49 percent in FAS and 42 percent in other federal agencies. A top FAS AFSA priority is working with management to create an integrated performance management and measurement system that rewards proven leadership and management skills and meets the objectives of the Presidential Management Agenda. Two FAS AFSA working groups – the Leadership and Management Working Group and the Performance Management Working Group – have been instrumental in developing a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance our performance management system. Implementation of this MOU should help to ensure a fair and transparent performance management system with a clear connection between individual performance and organizational goals. However, if pay for performance goes into effect in 2008 as expected, additional steps will be necessary.
Another important component of the FS infrastructure is career development and training. Enhanced training for FSOs is high on AFSA’s priority list. In fact, according to our human capital survey, only 32 percent of FSOs felt they received adequate training as compared to 56 percent in FAS and 60 percent government wide. Among other things, we are advocating a comprehensive training and development program for junior, mid and senior FSOs that builds on the recently identified professional competencies, leverages distance-learning programs, better utilizes detail opportunities, and equips FSOs with the management and leadership skills necessary to lead people, lead change and achieve results.
Rounding out the infrastructure for the FS is HR and IT support, both of which are candidates for improvement. Our HR support is often considered lacking, largely because of a perceived lack of knowledge on the part of HR specialists regarding the FS personnel system and inadequate resources committed to the administration of pay and leave benefits and performance management. Regarding IT support, the agency is limited by its ability to share information and manage knowledge. FSOs, many of whom have regional responsibilities, do not even have the capability to read their emails while on travel. While the technology is available, FAS is also extremely limited in its virtual networking and meeting ability, especially as it relates to the treatment of sensitive information. FAS cannot fully exploit the value of the FS unless these issues are addressed.
To ensure a strong and vibrant FS capable of achieving the strategic goals of the agency, AFSA supports the following improvements to our infrastructure:
• revamp the current WPP as per the points made above in consultation with both unions;
• create a career development and training program for FSOs that is based on the professional competencies framework and takes into account the fact that FSOs spend up to 70 percent of their careers overseas;
• in addition to implementing the proposed MOU on performance management, develop and implement a training program for selection board members, devise a more effective system for recognizing rating and reviewing officials who do an outstanding job of assessing performance, and, in anticipation of pay for performance, devise a feedback mechanism from the selection boards so that employees understand what they need to do to improve;
• create an HRD-liaison position to help ensure FS-related HR issues are addressed and develop a performance-based services agreement with HRD that defines objectives, identifies the specific services to be received, documents who is responsible for providing each service, sets performance indicators for each service, and provides timelines; and,
• address IT issues as part of the realignment exercise to ensure that FAS field offices are fully supported and networked with FAS/W.
FAS Needs a Domestic Review Mechanism
Our overseas presence is indispensable to the effective management of the Agency’s programs. To ensure that the activities of our posts and the resources committed to them are aligned with Agency goals, FAA conducts a thorough and rigorous global review process every year. Surprisingly, there is not a similar structure in place to evaluate our domestic operations.
AFSA encourages FAS to consider implementing a “domestic review” process to ensure that resources committed to our domestic operations are aligned with FAS strategic goals. This could be achieved by creating a strategic operations committee at the Deputy Assistant Administrator level that meets on a regular basis to review and discuss how assets are allocated domestically within the context of Agency constraints and opportunities. Through this on-going process, program managers would be expected to explain how their resources are allocated and what results they are achieving. Information systematically available through this committee would enable top management to take a more rigorous approach to domestic resource reallocation decisions. As the organization reshapes itself, this on-going alignment exercise would enhance coordination and communication resulting in a more balanced approach to resource allocation.
AFSA Supports the Realignment Exercise and Would Like to Help Take It to the Next Level
FAS leadership has spent the past 18 months reviewing the agency and charting out a new direction – an exercise that AFSA fully supports. AFSA sees the realignment exercise as an excellent opportunity to be more in tune and responsive to the needs of our customers, stakeholders and employees. We also see it as an on-going effort. As the organization reshapes itself, the work force that was once stove piped and single focused will become diversified, fully networked and knowledgeable across organizational functions.
Implementing the insights from this review process is a daunting task. New systems must be designed, built, and documented, and everyone must be taught how their jobs have changed. Especially challenging is the fact that this must be done largely in people’s spare time because the normal workload still has to be carried out. To help ensure a fully networked and integrated organization, AFSA recommends the following straightforward actions steps that can be fairly easily implemented:
• once the managers of the eight new divisions are identified, hold them accountable for identifying achievable goals, implementing strategies to accomplish them, and metrics for determining whether or not the strategies were successful. Where appropriate, goals and strategies should involve partnering and collaboration. They should be linked at all levels and should be “traceable” so that individual sections can be held accountable for producing results;
• create an operational plan as part of the realignment exercise. The operational plan would identify the specific action steps that need to be taken, who is responsible for taking them, and timelines. Among other things, the action steps would be geared toward ensuring that our management, information and decision-making systems and strategies support “getting things done”;
• to obtain employee buy-in, top management should communicate the status of the realignment to employees on a more frequent and regular basis and, as we go forward, management should make the implementation process as inclusionary as possible; and,
• provide an incentive system for recognizing and rewarding employees whose initiative and actions support the realignment exercise.
Over the longer term, AFSA suggests exploring the benefits of hiring a consultant to conduct a business process mapping exercise. This will help ensure that management, information and decision-making structures enable us to approach our work in an effective, efficient and customer-oriented manner.
A Stronger Focus on Organizational Excellence and Human Capital Management
The realignment exercise is an opportunity to generate some new thinking regarding organizational excellence. AFSA recommends following the State Department’s lead and including “achieving organizational excellence” as an FAS strategic objective, particularly as it relates to organizational stewardship and supporting employee development.
AFSA noted that the realignment plan calls for an emphasis on human capital management, which is an important part of organizational excellence. AFSA encourages FAS to put a human capital plan in place with clear metrics for evaluating success. Examples of appropriate metrics include:
AFSA would be pleased to work with FAS management on defining the organizational excellence objective, developing strategies for obtaining it, and identifying metrics for assessing whether or not our strategies are working.
Other Comments
AFSA's understanding was that, as of early February, there would be a freeze on promotions and all lateral moves would be done on a temporary basis. We have recently learned that this policy has not been followed. In order to help ensure the success of the realignment, AFSA requests that executive management give a clear directive to hiring officials that there is a freeze on all promotions and lateral moves until after returning FSOs and CS employees on detail have been accommodated. (We understand there are approximately 25 such individuals.) To do otherwise would negatively impact members of our bargaining unit. We would also appreciate information on the number and grade of positions available for returning FSOs and when guidance will be provided to them on how to apply for those positions.
AFSA would like to stress that the more we can play a partnership role in collaborating on the details of the implementation, the more effectively we can endorse it with our membership. To date, we have not been involved in the process. We would also like to stress that the more clarity management can provide regarding how the realignment will be implemented, the more AFSA can support the effort.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide input into the realignment exercise.
